THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 11, 1995 TAG: 9508110237
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
The Norfolk Federation of Civic Leagues took steps toward overcoming recent internal strife Thursday night, electing a longtime law-enforcement officer as president.
By an 18-11 vote, H. Thomas White was elected over former president James Janata, who had sought to regain the post he had resigned. He quit June 8 during a controversy over his public remarks on the Lake Gaston water-pipeline dispute.
To some extent, the vote also was a referendum on the amount of authority given the president of the federation, which is a coalition of about 45 Norfolk civic leagues.
In June, some accused Janata of making some important decisions on his own - a charge he denied.
Janata said Thursday he wanted to work toward gaining the federation a greater say in city-government policy. He said City Hall needed to inform the federation earlier on important issues so the civic leagues would have time to deliberate their positions.
Civic leagues, Janata said, ``ought to be driving the City Council, not the other way.''
White said he wanted to maintain rapport with City Hall while also leading the federation in helping to solve neighborhood problems. He said he would subordinate his opinions to the federation's majority.
After his election, White praised Janata, saying: ``I respect him a lot and I know that he has done 110 percent for this federation.
``I expect and would hope that he will work with me and continue to be a heavy part of this federation, and continue the work that he has done. And I look forward to talking with him and getting guidance from him, and I want everyone to get back together, and let's move forward.''
White gave no indication of his position on the federation's role in regional issues. But he has attended some meetings of the Urban Partnership. That's a statewide coalition of several cities and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce which is trying to strengthen Virginia's metropolitan areas.
Janata, who also attended Urban Partnership meetings, guided the Norfolk federation into an alliance with civic-league umbrella groups from nearby cities.
That effort, called the Hampton Roads Coalition of Civic Organizations, helps grass-roots organizations swap ideas about neighborhoods and gain a voice for neighborhoods in planning the region's destiny.
White, 45, is president of the River Forrest Shores/Wayside Manor/Easton Place Civic League in the southeastern section of the city. He's a former Virginia Beach police officer who works in the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Department as commanding officer of professional standards. He was accompanied to the meeting by his daughter, Kristina, 9.
The federation also elected a corresponding secretary, Terry Smith, a founder of the Bromley Civic League. She won 17-12 over Mark Manning of Estabrook.
Thursday's meeting had some rough spots but ran relatively smoothly, when contrasted with the June 8 meeting.
``After this is over we're going to deal with the Serbia-Bosnia problem. It should be easy after this,'' quipped Roy Graeber, president of the Riverfront Civic League.
However, the session threatened to go astray early on when Eloise LaBeau, acting president, tried to close the meeting to citizens - including reporters - who were not bona fide delegates to the federation. Arthur Grimes, a parliamentarian brought in to help run the meeting, ruled that the bylaws did not address such closures.
LaBeau said she wanted the meeting closed because the federation's reputation already had suffered enough and she wanted to uphold the desire of some members for a secret ballot. Also, she said it might be too confusing to discern who was a bonafide delegate and there weren't enough chairs for all. She had invited a police officer to be on hand to remove anyone who did not cooperate.
Janata had resigned from the presidency of the Norfolk federation after some members accused him of overstepping his authority by speaking about the Lake Gaston water-pipeline dispute at a joint press conference with Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Suffolk civic groups.
The groups involved in the press conference had urged Norfolk and Virginia Beach politicians to settle their differences over Lake Gaston water prices. But some members of the Norfolk federation said Janata had gone too far when he said, ``We should look at a regional water authority and see if it makes sense. . . . If it does, then we'll support it.''
They said Janata undermined Norfolk's negotiations with Virginia Beach. Norfolk officials oppose a regional water authority. by CNB