THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511030157
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Long : 314 lines
The incumbent clerk of court has had 37 years to prove herself. She has not proven she can keep up with the technology needed to make it easy for citizens who use the Circuit Court.
Chesapeake needs a clerk of court who has vision and does not see the clerk's office as yesterday's office, as does the present clerk of court.
Vista K. Cotten recognizes the changes that are needed to enhance our clerk's office and bring it into the 21st century. She has demonstrated her leadership ability in her professional career as well as in her community involvement.
Therefore, on Nov. 7, I will be casting my vote for Vista Cotten.
Elmer L. Jackson
Kempsville Road A question of age
The real question is this: At age 72, will the current clerk of court be able to serve her full eight-year term or will she step down and let the courts appoint one of the remaining ``good ol' boys'' to fill her position?
Citizens want and deserve the person they elect to serve their term and not have the judges choose who will serve the people.
When I vote on Tuesday, Nov. 7, I will be punching the number for Vista K. Cotten for clerk of court.
Fay Latham
Washington Drive The right Candidate
After reading The Clipper's articles on the two candidates for the clerk of Circuit Court, there is no question that Vista K. Cotten is the right candidate for the job. On Nov. 7, I am casting my vote for Vista Cotten.
Forrest G. Lankford
Edgewood Avenue Voting records
On about Oct. 26 or 27, I received in the mail a flier authorized by Dan Evans' campaign for the House of Delegates. I could not believe anyone would have published such a list of lies about a person unless he was acting in pure ignorance. To assure myself, I have before me copies of the House bills pertaining to charges by Mr. Evans.
Yes, Del. Billy Moore did vote no on the first reading of H.B. 1318 on high-risk felons. However, he did vote for the bill later. Therefore, Mr. Evans only read the issue as far as he wanted in order to pick up bricks to cast. Can we trust Mr. Evans?
Let me cite one more case taken from Mr. Evans' flier. House Bill 1317, a bill to amend and re-enact 18.2-53.1 relating to use of a firearm. Del. Moore is one of the patron sponsors of Bill No. 1317 that was passed by the House.
Again I ask: Can we trust Dan Evans to represent us in the House of Delegates? I am afraid Mr. Evans will only read as far as it will suit his purpose. We, the people, demand more than that.
Robert Sebrell
Portsmouth Friend of school
Much has been said about our public schools in the current political races. I suggest that voters pay attention to the record, not the rhetoric of candidates.
For the record:
Billy Moore has consistently worked to have lottery proceeds returned to localities to be used for education. This proposal finally won favor with other legislators and was included in last year's Omnibus Education Act.
Billy Moore succeeded in having our schools designated as ``gun-free zones'' to increase safety.
Billy Moore helped restore the funds for education that had been cut from last year's budget.
Billy Moore has the strongest possible investment in our public schools: His children attend them.
In short, Billy Moore has been a friend to public education and we need all the friends we can get. Let's keep Billy in the House of Delegates. It's important for our future.
Dorothy W. Dray
Portsmouth Rude and Crude
I, council watcher Carl Burns, will vote for Lil Hart for clerk of court and Bill Pierce for Chesapeake City Council on Nov. 7.
I am saying ``no'' to those rude and crude Republican leaders.
Bill Pierce was the spark, the leader, who, along with the Chesapeake Taxpayers Association, gathered the signatures on the petition for elected school boards. It was not the Republican Party.
Pierce is a retired government master computer and efficiency expert. (There are none on the council.) Pierce is an honest gentleman. Mismanagers of public monies beware!
Robert T. Nance Jr., Republican vice mayor and party and public whip, is the biggest political fibber of the bunch. Nance and disgraced ex-Vice Mayor Arthur L. Dwyer led the Republican wolfpack that reduced the time spent listening to citizens' concerns and put them at the end of late-night council meetings. Citizens' concerns were at the beginning of the meetings, and they had five minutes each.
Rep. J. Randy Forbes and Sen. Mark L. Earley refused to meet with citizens last year on the council's legislative plans. They have no plans to do so this year either. What are they afraid of? The truth?
That Republican hero, talk show host Rush Limbaugh, says we senior citizens are greedy because we think the rich should take equal cuts to balance the budget and give up their corporate welfare.
Republicans refused to allow citizens to include Highway 168, South Battlefield Boulevard, in the Road Bond Referendum to buy up rights of way for safe hurricane evacuation and police and fire emergencies. But they did include less-traveled Johnstown Road, where Republican Del. J. Randy Forbes has his office and mansion.
I am a free-thinking, independent voter, who has voted Republican most of the time. Yes, I voted for the rude and crude Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance Jr. and I gave him a donation and worked to get him elected.
I apologize for my bad judgment and promise to help remedy it.
Carl Burns
Whitehurst Road A real differance
Democrats running for the General Assembly this year have a problem. Candidates like Billy Moore, Johnny Joannou and Ken Melvin have all been trying to appear tough on crime. They all tout ways they have supported tougher sentencing for violent criminals. The longer sentences, we suppose, will protect citizens from the criminals by keeping criminals in a place where their opportunities to victimize honest citizens are limited.
We wonder how much good longer sentences will do if the criminals who receive them are released earlier and earlier because of prison overcrowding. This overcrowding is an inevitable result of the Democrats' rejection of Gov. George Allen's proposal to build the necessary prison space.
Other Democrats will portray being tough on criminals as racist since many of the convicted felons are black. They ignore the fact that the victims of most of their crimes are honest black citizens.
In short, the Democrats propose the same old thing - allowing tougher sentences, but preventing them from being executed by restraining prison space. The revolving door just spins faster, leaving honest citizens, black and white, even more vulnerable to the thugs.
In this respect, electing the Republican candidates for these offices, like Dan Evans, Fred Quayle and Dutch Andrews represent real change rather than empty Democratic rhetoric. By supporting the governor's initiative they will reduce the speed of the revolving door, improving protection for all honest citizens, black and white. Democratic and Republican candidates may sound the same, but there is a real difference. Let them know you recognize that on Nov. 7.
James G. Thomson
Lake Shore Drive Time for Change
I read with interest the article which appeared in The Clipper on the two candidates running for the position of Chesapeake Circuit Court clerk. I was somewhat disappointed in the record of the present clerk. It appears that she blames others for not being able to make improvements. As clerk, it is her responsibility to find ways and revenue to make the needed improvements in our clerk's office.
Another thing I have noticed in her literature is that the incumbent never mentions anything she has accomplished in her 37 years in the clerk's office, even during the period she served as our clerk.
I believe it is time for a change in our Circuit Court. Vista K. Cotten can bring that positive change. My choice will be Vista Cotten.
Sarah Holland
Edna Street Effect of Age
While I do not presume this to be a detrimental statement, the fact of the matter remains that Lillie M. ``Lil'' Hart will be 80 years old at the end of the term.
Most people realize that at this age it is not possible to have the energy, motivation, creativity and leadership that our clerk's office will need. If the citizens of Chesapeake are concerned about the well being of our clerk's office, then we should vote for Vista K. Cotten on Nov. 7.
Bonnie Scheuer
Amick Road Pushing out seniors
I was saddened when I saw Vista Cotten's attack on Lillie M. ``Lil'' Hart in the paper this week.
Would all 72-year-old persons who are in the work force and love their jobs please stand up? Vista wants you to leave.
We all know, given time, the Republican Congress is going to push Social Security retirement age to 70 and possibly to 75. It is the next logical step after the restructure of Medicare. Ms. Cotten should come into the 21st century. People are living longer and working well into their 70s. According to her standards, there are a lot of people who should be pushed aside because they are over 70.
The statement about Lil Hart not wanting improvements in her office is untrue. To compare Ms. Hart's cramped, overcrowded court space with the brand new Virginia Beach court complex is totally unfair. It is even more unfair to try to deny the person who has struggled so long to serve the citizens of this city in a court space that has long been outgrown by a population of more than 180,000.
Lil has earned the right to bring her offices into the new court, where she can bring her operations up to those in Virginia Beach. Let us do the right thing and return Lil Hart as clerk of court on Nov. 7.
Doris Taylor
Willow Bend Drive Vision is needed
On Tuesday, the citizens of Chesapeake will elect the candidate who will serve as the Circuit Court clerk for the next eight years.
It has been determined that the incumbent, Lillie M. ``Lil'' Hart, and the challenger, Vista K. Cotten, are both intensely devoted to their church, and to the city of Chesapeake by the support of the many civic activities to which they are involved. While I commend them for their service, I am reminded that those activities are not the qualifications needed for serving as the clerk of court.
The incumbent was quoted at a candidates' forum in South Norfolk that she was the only qualified candidate due to her years of service and that she had worked diligently for years to become clerk. She spoke about the growing number of documents that the clerk's office has processed since 1984. She neglected to mention her goals, her accomplishments or the administrative skills necessary to properly run the clerk's office.
It states in the Bible that ``without vision the people perish.'' I believe we must elect the candidate who has the vision, determination and commitment to make visions a reality.
The incumbent states that funds have not been available to update the office. She believes that no improvements are needed in the Circuit Court clerk's office to meet the demands of our citizens. Vista Cotten states she will seek out funds, such as grants, and lobby the state representatives to obtain the funds needed. The incumbent stated she did not have computers in the courtrooms because the judges had not placed them there. Vista Cotten has stated she will place computers in the courtrooms.
In his letter to the editor (The Clipper, Oct. 29), N. Duval Flora stated that he felt it was not possible to serve efficiently as the clerk of the Circuit Court without some legal experience. The clerk of court does not counsel on legal matters, therefore legal experience is not required to serve as clerk. A good example is the treasurer who, when elected, had no working knowledge of the treasurer's office.
I sincerely believe that it takes more than an intense desire to run the clerk's office. One must be able to put into place a plan of operation, but first one must have a plan. The incumbent, due to her overlooking a filing deadline for a compensation board form for employee merit pay increases, lost a one-time 6 percent pay increase for her employees. One must wonder if other items are being overlooked.
I am endorsing Vista K. Cotten for the office of Chesapeake Circuit Court clerk because she has the vision, the expertise, the determination and the commitment to the citizens of Chesapeake to bring the clerk's office into the 21st century. I invite you to do the same.
John R. Thompson Jr.
Kingsway Drive Knows the law
On Nov. 7, Chesapeake voters will have the opportunity to elect a clerk of Circuit Court.
The responsibility of this elected official is to act as custodian of important information relating to all citizens of our city. This responsibility must be placed in the care of a person very knowledgeable in all aspects of the law.
Lil Hart, the present clerk, has more than 30 years of experience serving as secretary to a former judge, as deputy clerk of Corporation Court in South Norfolk, in the Probate and Chancery Division in Chesapeake as deputy clerk. In 1980, she was appointed interim clerk and was elected to Chesapeake Circuit Court in 1984.
Lil is known throughout the state. A member of the Virginia Court Association, the Virginia Association of Local Executive Constitutional Officers and the International Association of Clerks, Records, Election Officials and Treasurers. In 1982, she was one of nine Circuit Court clerks in the state to earn ``certified court clerk'' status from the University of Virginia's Center for Public Service and the Division of Continuing Education.
Lil's opponent operates an insurance agency. Is she qualified to be caretaker of the clerk's office?
We have an opportunity to make a choice - management or effective operation of the clerk's office. Exercise your privilege by voting for Lil Hart's knowledge and experience of 30 years.
Margaret W. Davis
Hall Drive The right choice
I would like to encourage all Deep Creek residents as well as the citizens of Chesapeake to flood the polls on election day to vote for Dwight M. Parker as our newest council member.
Mr. Parker has been a part of the Deep Creek community for a long time. He has taught many of us and has started on our children.
There is no question about his integrity, ethics and knowledge of government. He is the right choice.
To his many former students, who are now registered voters, I urge you to vote for Dwight Parker for City Council on Nov. 7.
Deep Creek for Dwight!
Dennis Suter
Plummer Drive Party no factor
A former government professor of mine at the University of Virginia, Larry Sabato, states that the best way to tell the direction an elected official will take once in office is by his or her party affiliation. This statement does apply to all elected offices except that of clerk of court. In that case, office experience, not party, should be the deciding factor because the clerk does not make policy but implements it.
I am a Republican supporting Lil Hart in her re-election as Chesapeake Circuit Court clerk. A few people have challenged my authenticity as a ``true'' Republican because of my stand in this election. To these people I first say I not only voted for all the Republicans in the last election but was co-founder and vice chairman of Students for George Allen at the university. Secondly, I tell these naysayers that Republicans support the election of officials who will do what is best for their electorate. Looking at Lil Hart's success and experience with Chesapeake's Court, and Vista Cotten's lack thereof, I would have to say a voter with their city's not party's, best interest in mind would have to vote for Lil Hart.
A crucial fact all voters need to consider in the election of clerk is the qualification of who they're voting for. Ms. Hart has 37 years of experience in the clerk's office, 12 of which are as clerk. Ms. Cotten has none. Who will train Ms. Cotten if she gets elected? Who will head this office while Ms. Cotten receives her training? Lastly, who will pay for the appropriate training Ms. Cotten will need in order to serve in this critical post? I dare say the citizens, when one considers the answers to these questions, would realize that the election of Ms. Cotten would be a disservice to residents, regardless of their party affiliation.
So when you vote Tuesday, vote for the candidate with your city's interest, not your party's interest, in mind. Vote for the candidate who has the knowledge and the background to serve as Chesapeake's Circuit Court clerk. Vote for Lil Hart.
Alan L. Smith
Old Drive by CNB