THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 24, 1995 TAG: 9512220204
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
The City Council passed a resolution Tuesday condemning a local state legislator's idea to bring partisan politics into local elections.
In a unanimous statement, the council members said they already have a hard enough time keeping politics out of decision-making.
Now, candidates for the council or School Board can form campaign alliances, but they do not run under a Democratic or Republican party ticket.
Del. Leo Wardrup, R-Virginia Beach, said this week that parties should be brought into local races.
He is considering submitting a bill next month that he says would add order to council and School Board elections.
Wardrup said partisanship would help reduce the ``platoon'' of candidates who now run for local elections, ensure that successful candidates win the support of more than 50 percent of voters, improve the quality of candidates and campaigns, and spark voter interest.
In 1990, Wardrup lost a bid for the council's Bayside Borough seat to Council member Louis R. Jones.
He said his bill would prevent races like his, where none of the six candidates received more than 40 percent of the vote.
``You diffuse interest in elections by having campaigns like that,'' Wardrup said, adding that his proposal ``will cause the Democratic Party and the Republican Party to present the best candidates they can . . . and Independents can still run.''
Del. Harry R. ``Bob'' Purkey, R-Virginia Beach, already submitted a bill that would require party affiliation to be mentioned on statewide ballots.
The bill, which has been rejected by three previous General Assemblies, will be considered when the legislature reconvenes next month.
Purkey said his proposal is not aimed at local elections, but council members fear it could be used to require ballot mention of party affiliation in local races.
``Enactment of this bill will severely undermine the council's efforts to keep partisan politics out of the local governmental process, and will be contrary to the best interests of the City of Virginia Beach and its citizens,'' the council said through a resolution unanimously approved last week.
Councilwoman Louisa M. Strayhorn added her own assessment during the 30-minute council discussion: ``We are just beginning to really work together,'' she said. ``I would hate for partisan politics to get between us.
``For all the time we spend making sure we act civilized, I think it's ridiculous for us to lose that,'' she concluded.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL by CNB