THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 29, 1995 TAG: 9505290042
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Their messages are the same, they both say they'll be a voice for real people, and they're both personable, but only one will win the June 13 Republican primary for the 7th District state Senate seat now held by Clarence A. Holland, a Democrat.
Neither Wally Erb nor Ed Schrock has held public office, but both have lived in the public sphere for many years.
Erb, 50, who ran unsuccessfully last year for the Kempsville seat on the City Council, is a systems engineer with a military contractor. He attends many council meetings and is well-informed about city issues.
Schrock, 54, a career military man, retired in 1988 as director of public affairs for NATO headquarters. He resigned his job as a money manager at Kidder Peabody & Co. in January to campaign full-time for the job representing the Bayside and parts of Kempsville sections of the Beach.
Both men list crime, education and lower taxes as their top priorities if elected.
Schrock has been going door-to-door shaking hands and talking to residents to get their support and hear what they have to say.
``To me the fun part of this thing is getting out and knocking on people's doors,'' he said. ``I want to know what these people are thinking and vote the way they want me to.''
He promised to hold regular town meetings if elected, so as not to lose touch with his constituents. Schrock said his best qualification for public office is his ability to listen.
``If we don't listen to the people who put us there then we're not doing our job right,'' he said.
Erb also has a resume full of grass-roots experience to back up his populist ideals.
``What (voters) want is somebody who can represent the voice of the people,'' he said. ``I'm not from the country club set. I'm ready to roll my sleeves up and do what's necessary.''
Last year, Erb carried almost a fifth of the voters in a five-way race for council with a campaign war chest of only about $4,000. He estimates he's raised $4,000 to $5,000 in cash so far in his 7th district race. He also receives his office space and phones as a campaign contribution.
Schrock has a much more high-powered campaign. He's already raised more than $25,000 and mailed out more than 7,000 pieces of campaign literature.
On the crime issue, Schrock is strongly supportive of the governor's move to abolish parole. Erb said lottery money should be returned to the cities to pay for police salaries and raises.
Both men said they believe raising kids right is the best long-term solution to the crime problem. If children don't learn proper skills and values, they won't be able to get good jobs and could end up turning to crime, they said.
Schrock has ``never been more excited or enthused'' about anything in his life than he is about running for office. He's running now, because it's the right time: His son starts college in the fall and won't need him around as much; and his career was at a point where he could take a break.
``Everything just fell into line,'' he said. ``This is something that my parents knew since the age of 15 that I would do.''
Growing up in Ohio, Schrock was impressed by his best friend's father, a Republican political leader. His friend's family was ``having so much fun and making such a difference,'' he said. ``What the legislature does can have such a wonderful impact on people in this commonwealth.''
Schrock, his wife Judy and son Randy, who will attend Randolph-Macon College, have lived in Virginia Beach for 11 years. Judy Schrock is a kindergarten teacher in the Norfolk public schools.
Erb decided to run for office to ``give something back'' to the community. Erb, who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., has been a Republican since age 17 when he worked on Nelson Rockefeller's campaign for governor.
He chose the Republican Party back then, because the Democrats were controlled by unions, he said. The son of a German immigrant baker, who had to belong to a union to work, Erb saw the unions as too controlling and power hungry.
Erb is active at the St. Timothy Lutheran Church where he teaches Sunday school to high schoolers. Erb, his wife Dottie, daughter Vicki Wright and son Walter Jr. have lived in Virginia Beach for 21 years. Walter Jr. recently moved to Norfolk to save on commuting costs to the naval base.
KEYWORDS: REPUBLICAN PRIMARY CANDIDATES SENATE RACE by CNB