THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 5, 1995 TAG: 9510030075
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
The letter from Myron Wilcox in the Sept. 14 Compass echoes pretty much the whole Al Teich campaign - misinformation and smear.
Mr. Wilcox said that a previous letter stating that Norfolk ``had never elected a lawyer to Clerk of the Court'' was factually correct. Mr. Wilcox was wrong. It's true that Billy Prieur was a lawyer but not when he ran for office. Mr. Prieur got his license to practice law while in office, not before. Likewise, Mr. Wilcox pontificates about ``experience'' and how much more experience Mr. Teich has.
The Norfolk Clerk of the Court's office, unlike any other government office, is run like a business. The office is run from fees collected for services and no state or city dollars are used for their budget. The only candidate that has experience running a business, balancing budgets and dealing with overhead and personnel is Randy Wright.
I agree that experience is an issue in this campaign, but it's not Randy Wright's experience that is in question. None of the other hopefuls for Clerk of Court have the kind of business experience that Randy Wright has.
Eloise LaBeau
Orange Street A deed worth noting
In the mass of media coverage about cops gone bad, it would be too easy to ignore what might otherwise be considered an insignificant event. But such an event took place in East Ocean View on Sept. 20, and I cannot allow it to pass unacknowledged.
A young man jumped from the car in which he was riding, into the path of a car that was following. He was hit and his body dragged through the intersection at 13th Bay, lodged under the car so that it could not immediately be removed. A large crowd of spectators gathered, gawking at the grisly scene.
A patrolman of our Second Precinct noticed that an onlooker had a video camera. A call was immediately placed and a large portable screen was quickly delivered and erected around the entire vehicle, shielding the body from view.
In spite of everything we have heard of late, I feel it important to note that the victim was an African-American male. I am told that the Second Precinct patrolman who exhibited such incredible sensitivity and who was so concerned about protecting the victim's dignity and the privacy and feelings of the victim's family, was a Caucasian.
Gross generalizations regarding any group demonstrate unspeakable ignorance and can inflict intolerable, unjust pain. That night a patrolman of our Second Precinct proved just how unfair broad generalizations can be.
Charles B. Stanley
13th Bay Street She likes all the noise
I read with interest Sam Martinette's review of Open Wide in the Compass on Sept. 14.
Perhaps Sam's daughter, Amy, was making her monkey noises because she was bored. After all, Open Wide is not what I would consider a ``family restaurant.'' My husband and I like to go there because it is an upbeat place to have one of a wide selection of microbrews and to fork Phil's fine fare at a fair price.
A noise level high enough to drown out a child's zoo sounds is surely music to my ears when I'm out to enjoy my evening.
Dawn Hochberg
Silbert Road Some people still care
While driving down Tidewater Drive on my way to work Sept. 13, I noticed that the normal flow of traffic became very slow. As I moved over into another lane of traffic, I noticed that a dog had been hit and was lying in the road.
I wish to commend the motorist(s) who stopped to take care of the dog until a police officer arrived. I was very touched by the compassion of the motorist(s). It made my morning to know that there are still people in this community who take the time to care.
Michele L. Dixon
Wayne Circle by CNB