THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 20, 1995 TAG: 9512200396
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
In the city's first School Board election Tuesday, the big winner was stability: Voters swept four incumbents into office and elected a challenger who had spent more than any of the 11 candidates.
Only 10.7 percent of the electorate went to the polls, according to unofficial results, a stark contrast to the overwhelming support for the switch in 1993 from an appointed to an elected board.
The incumbents: Board Vice Chairwoman Barbara B. Head, L. Thomas Bray, James M. Reeves Sr. and Roderic A. Taylor. Challenger Jeffrey A. Rowland also was elected to the nine-member board.
The Chesapeake Education Association had backed all of the winners, leading some to wonder whether the election really was an endorsement of the status quo.
Still, it seemed that everything - the holiday season, the rain, the state law that required the city to plan and complete the election 90 days after U.S. Justice Department approval - had all come together to ensure that few people showed up for the inaugural at-large election.
In comparison, 29 percent voted in last year's City Council election.
A dispute with the federal government over whether board members would be elected at large was resolved this past summer. Candidates had until Nov. 20 to announce their plans to run for the five open seats, which left little time to attract voters or organize fund-raising efforts during the holiday season and on the heels of last month's General Assembly election.
As of Dec. 8, newcomer Rowland had spent nearly $4,000 on his campaign, which helped get his message out. Other challengers were less successful.
``There were just a lot of things we couldn't control,'' said community activist Bill Pierce, who led the petition drive to get the elected School Board question on the ballot two years ago.
``But I'm not going to let bad weather or a low turnout ruin my enthusiasm. We finally have an election under our belt . . . and I think people will be more focused on things when the May election comes, because the candidates will have had more time to campaign,'' he said, referring to the May board election, when the other four board seats will be on the ballot.
Unofficial results showed that Head, the vice chairwoman, got the most votes, being selected with 5,245 of 8,484 ballots cast.
``Stability is the important factor,'' she said Tuesday night. ``I think voters wanted stability, and I think they are really pleased with the way Chesapeake schools are run and feel that we would continue to keep schools on a straight path.''
While the campaign was practically devoid of heated controversies - such as the creationism vs. evolution issue that unfolded in last month's Fairfax County School Board election - enrollment growth in the 35,000-student district did emerge as a major issue.
Enrollment in city schools is growing each year by about 1,000 students, the equivalent of one elementary school. Some suggested that political connections - not such nuts-and-bolts issues - may have played a disproportionately large role.
Harry A. Murphy, a challenger who emphasized ``back-to-basics'' in the classroom and aggressive planning for growth, was quick to point out that the winners were supported by the CEA and other influential insiders.
``I'm a political newcomer. They were incumbents backed by incumbents,'' Murphy said. ``. . . It's sad that without a political organization and money, you can't do the things you want to do.''
Randall Trivett, president of the CEA and a science teacher at Western Branch High, said the group ``was not trying to maintain the status quo.''
``. . . We were trying to make sure the people elected would be those who would serve the citizens of Chesapeake to the best of their abilities,'' he said Tuesday. The winners, he added, also stressed issues the CEA considers important, such as school safety, parental involvement, the basics and preparing kids for a high-tech future. MEMO: Staff writers Lorraine Eaton and Jon Glass contributed to this report.
For election totals see microfilm.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION CHESAPEAKE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD by CNB