THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 4, 1995 TAG: 9511040025
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
In House races, The Virginian-Pilot has preferred candidates with a commitment to fiscal prudence and a belief in the importance of education, economic development, regional cooperation and crime prevention. Here are our choices in races where we think one candidate is clearly superior.
21st: Frank Wagner has been an energetic booster of education and business development in Hampton Roads. He's served his constituents well and deserves to be retained in office.
83rd: Leo Wardrup is a forceful advocate of limited government clearly in step with his constituents. He's a conservative with the courage of his convictions, as willing to cut spending as to cut taxes. Wardrup is less enthusiastic about funding for higher education than we'd like, but his strong support of greater rigor in education and his evident distaste for government waste are welcome.
86th: George Heilig has served Norfolk well. In budgetary give-and-take, he helped retain funding for the TCC-Norfolk campus and for local law enforcement. He's rightly concerned that urban areas are likely losers in the fight for limited resources and wants to see impediments to development removed.
Heilig favors increased funding for higher education and opposes tax cuts until it's clear that public education and Medicaid are secure. Heilig's opponent, George Schaefer, has done yeoman's service for his party and offers an interesting perspective on education issues, but he can't match Heilig's experience.
87th: Howard Copeland has lined up with George Allen and the Republicans on many issues, welfare reform and crime among them. He favors an exemption from the BPOL tax for small businesses, but takes the prudent position that a plan to replace revenues must be in place before taxes are reduced. Copeland favors economic-development efforts and worries that regional rivalry is getting in the way. Running against an ill-prepared Republican challenger, Copeland is the inescapable choice.
88th: Thomas Moss didn't get to be top dog in the House by accident. He brings to the job years of experience, legislative savvy and an unquestioned dedication to Hampton Roads. Critics argue that his clout will evaporate if Republicans take the House. Perhaps, but his competence will remain. The rivals challenging Moss for office are lightweights by comparison.
64th: William Barlow's straggling district comprises portions of Isle of Wight, Southampton, Surry, Prince George and Henrico counties and the cities of Franklin and Newport News. He's a Hampton Roads native who has regularly voted in the best interests of his constituency. He's a thoughtful, conservative legislator who has been caricatured by his opponent's campaign. He doesn't deserve such treatment. He does deserve re-election.
Several candidates for House seats are unopposed, often because their record of service and their performance in office make them unassailable. Voters served by delegates such as Harry Purkey and Robert Tata can count themselves lucky to be so ably represented.
In endorsing candidates for a potentially pivotal election, The Virginian-Pilot hasn't followed a party line but has tried to test candidates against criteria we think important for the future of the commonwealth.
We've now called 'em as we see 'em, and if the exercise helps readers make a choice - good. But the only votes that count are the ones Virginians will cast on Tuesday. Several billion inhabitants of this planet wish they had the chance to pick their public servants. We do. We'd be foolish not to exercise the right. We urge every registered voter to go to the polls and express a choice.
KEYWORDS: ENDORSEMENT CANDIDATE HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE by CNB