THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 7, 1995 TAG: 9510070235
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Did he mean houses or people?
A statement by Councilman W. Randy Wright about the city's declining population - that Norfolk has chosen quality over quantity - has created a stir in Wright's election campaign for clerk of Circuit Court.
On Friday, Wright's Republican opponent, lawyer Albert Teich Jr., accused Wright of being ``elitist'' and ``anti-democratic'' in discussing the city's population drop.
Wright, a Democrat, responded that Teich was intentionally misreading his remarks.
The controversy began earlier this week when the Census Bureau announced that Norfolk has lost 20,000 residents in the past five years.
On Tuesday, the city blamed most of the loss on military downsizing, but added that part of it was caused by Norfolk's policy of tearing down housing in crowded, low-income, high-crime areas.
Wright, speaking from the City Council dais, said, ``We've made a conscious decision that the city is somewhat overpopulated. We've cut down on quantity and gone for quality.''
Teich pounced on the remark.
``I'm absolutely surprised at the choice of words Randy Wright used,'' Teich said. ``He wants to get rid of the lower-income people in the city of Norfolk and send them somewhere else. I guess we could call it an elitist statement.''
Teich also faxed a letter Friday to Linda Robb, wife of U.S. Sen. Charles Robb, calling on her to ``immediately disassociate yourself from Wright and his views'' and cancel her campaign appearance for Wright next week because of Wright's ``blatant, anti-democratic statement.''
Linda Robb could not be reached for comment.
Teich's actions are significant because both he and Wright are vying for votes among the city's black and low-income residents, although neither candidate mentioned race in his comments. Some blacks already hold a grudge against Wright for leading opposition to a rezoning for Calvary Revival Church on East Little Creek Road in 1993 and 1994.
Most of the low-income neighborhoods bulldozed in the past have been predominantly black, like Marshall Manor, although some, like East Ocean View, have been predominantly white.
The black community appears split in its support for Wright. Several black council members and state legislators back Wright, but another African-American leader, Bishop L.E. Willis, said in June that Wright ``is not the black community's favorite.''
About 39 percent of Norfolk's population is African American.
Teich said that while he has no specific position on redevelopment, ``We ought not to intentionally tear down with the intention of getting rid of certain elements of society.''
In the past year, Norfolk has approved demolitions of high-density, low-income housing in East Ocean View and Marshall Manor, in favor of lower-density single-family homes.
In response to Teich's letter, Wright accused his opponent of misunderstanding the black community. He said leaders of Norfolk's African-American community asked that Marshall Manor be razed. He said his quality-versus-quantity remark referred to housing, not people.
``Mr. Teich is totally out of touch and has been for 20 years,'' Wright said. ``He's talking about something he doesn't know anything about. He obviously isn't aware of what the black leadership is doing and what the City Council leadership is doing. . .
``The comment I made was really directed at Ocean View, that's what I was talking about. In Ocean View, we've gone for quality instead of quantity because of the density. I'm talking about housing. I never said anything about people.''
Later, Councilman Herbert M. Collins, who is black, issued a written statement supporting Wright.
``Al Teich . . . is attempting to twist the facts,'' Collins wrote. ``This council, including Councilman Wright, has made a conscious decision to tackle housing stock problems in the City of Norfolk. . .
``It was clear to all present (that) Councilman Wright was addressing the housing stock at the Oct. 3 meeting. As chairman of the Public Housing Taskforce, I find it appalling that Al Teich would attempt to politicize a very sensitive public issue.'' ILLUSTRATION: Tuesday, Councilman W. Randy Wright said:
``We've made a conscious decision that the city is somewhat
overpopulated. We've cut down on quantity and gone for quality.''
Friday, Albert Teich Jr. charged:
``He wants to get rid of the lower-income people in the city of
Norfolk and send them somewhere else.''
Later Friday, Wright countered: ``I'm talking about housing. I never
said anything about people.''
by CNB