THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 18, 1995 TAG: 9510180370
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANCIE LATOUR, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
Without warning, the City Council on Tuesday ousted City Manager James W. Rein, setting off a cascade of emotions that brought the mayor and a council member close to tears.
Though the 7-2 vote was abrupt, the debate rekindled long-brewing tensions surrounding issues of growth, water and a history of political scandals that have rocked the city in past years.
Those who led the ouster described the move as the beginning of much-needed change in city government. The two who voted against it condemned the firing as a demoralizing end to Rein's almost quarter-century of service at City Hall.
``At some point, to change the culture of the organization, you need to make the decision at the top,'' Councilman W. Joe Newman said after emerging from an hourlong closed session. ``It finally became very clear to me that we needed to make a culture change, and that's what we're doing.''
The council unanimously appointed Deputy City Manager Clarence V. Cuffee to act as city manager until a replacement is found.
Mayor William E. Ward came close to tears as he attempted to respond to the swift vote.
``In my 18 years on the City Council,'' Ward said, ``we have had to make some tough decisions. Never have I had to vote on a decision that, in my mind, was as inhumane as the one that we have just rendered. . . .
``There comes a time in your life when you sometimes wonder what kind of thoughts lurk in the minds of individuals to cause them to display such malice and disregard for a person who has been with us for 23 years.''
Although he supported the firing, Councilman Peter P. Duda Jr., also choked back tears as he revealed to the audience that he had been fired as well. ``I understand what Jim is probably going through,'' Duda said, his head lowered before the packed chambers. ``Because this past Friday, I got terminated from CBN after 23 years of dedicated service, and I am no longer employed.''
But his compassion, Duda said, did not override a belief that the council had lost confidence in the man who has stood at the helm of city management for eight years.
Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance, who three months ago stood alone in demanding Rein's resignation, called for the ouster vote at the beginning of Tuesday's session.
He said the city manager's opposition to a proposed water rebate convinced him that Rein had to go. ``I tried my best to work with the manager the best I could. But when it got down to the water issue . . . and the people that are suffering and the things that are going on, I just couldn't tolerate any more.''
Last month, council member Dalton S. Edge proposed a rebate for residents in Greenbrier and Great Bridge, who since June have received briny, high-sodium water. Nance not only strongly supported the rebate, but also guaranteed it after Edge raised the issue.
(Early Wednesday morning, the council defeated a proposal to give a rebate to half of Chesapeake's residents who have suffered with water that has been high in salts since June.
(The proposal would have provided less than $2 per resident starting in August. The move, sponsored by Dalton S. Edge, failed 5-4. Mayor William E. Ward and Councilmen John W. Butt, John E. Allen, Peter P. Duda Jr. and W. Joe Newman voted against the plan.)
Outside the council chambers, Rein expressed shock at the timing of the action. ``I had no inkling it was coming,'' Rein said, echoing the mayor's words. ``Not even a clue. Intellectually, I understand what just happened. A 25-year career in this city is over. But emotionally, that hasn't sunk in yet.''
Rein said he didn't expect a water rebate for residents to be the catalyst to his downfall. ``I knew it was a high-profile issue,'' he said, ``but I didn't think it was going to be the final nail in the coffin.''
Rein showed almost no emotion until Durwood S. Curling, his boss when Curling served as Chesapeake's city manager, drove into the City Hall parking lot and consoled his protege with an embrace.
In a city with a rich history of bickering between administrations and councils, Rein lasted longer than any previous city manager.
His predecessor, Don Scalf, served just three years before he was ordered to resign within 72 hours in 1987.
The previous city manager, John T. Maxwell, also had a stormy term. He was asked to resign in 1982, then rehired by the council two days later, finally quitting under some duress in 1984.
Rein had survived several previous ouster attempts, including one in 1992 over a scandal in the financial management of the City Garage. Rein also served as the city's chief administrator during the turbulent forced resignations of Mayor David I. Wynn in 1990 and Vice Mayor Arthur L. Dwyer this year, as well as when the council fired the entire Redevelopment and Housing Authority board in 1993.
Rein came to Chesapeake in 1970 as a management analyst under the late G. Robert House.
Rein took a leave of absence in 1993 to be with his ill wife, Marjorie, who died of cancer in July 1993. Rein recently remarried. Chesapeake City Council ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
James W. Rein
by CNB