THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601120178
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: John Pruitt
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
An assortment of comments and observations from the Peanut Gallery:
There's hope!
Just when you might have been convinced that the world has an absolutely insatiable appetite for O.J. Simpson - and anything even remotely related - comes this bit of news after a ``Dateline NBC'' broadcast Wednesday night:
When network-commissioned surveyors asked 500-plus people if they wished to iew Simpson's videotape, which goes on sale this weekend, 74 percent said no.
Not only would they not plunk down $29.95 for it, some said, they would decline if friends or neighbors offered to loan it or if it were otherwise accessible for free.
Now there's a bunch of smart people. Their time, they probably figure, is much more valuable than anything they could learn from a videotape that Simpson reportedly told his interviewer was made ``to make money.'' Would everyone surprised by that motive please raise their hands?
Gosh, you mean it isn't so O.J. can reveal the status of his mission to find the killers of Nicole Brown Simpson and friend Ronald Goldman?
Simpson may not see this marketing ploy as ``blood money,'' as his interviewer so aptly put it, but it's clear that a lot of people disagree. As long as that's so, people won't spend their money.
Smart, huh? So smart, I bet, that ``Dateline'' and other shows won't again hook a lot of us to listen to what O.J. Simpson is not saying.
There's hope (again)!
In recent days, at least two citizens announced their candidacies in Suffolk elections:
Leroy Bennett, currently chairman of the Redevelopment and Housing Authority, will campaign to represent the Nansemond Borough on the City Council.
John R. Riddick, a former School Board member, will seek the Nansemond Borough seat on the School Board.
And things are likely to get even more interesting:
While the Nansemond Borough incumbent, Councilman Richard R. Harris - who appointed Bennett to the authority board - hadn't formally announced his intentions at the end of last week, the great surprise would be if he bowed out.
Paul C. Gillis, state NAACP president and Harris' nemesis, has declined citizen urging to run for the Nansemond Borough seat on City Council because he wants to be on the School Board. He hasn't formally announced his candidacy either.
Councilman Curtis R. Milteer, who would be about as difficult to depose as Fidel Castro, wants to continue in his Whaleyville Borough seat. No opponent has announced.
Incumbent Marian ``Bea'' Rogers'' hasn't revealed her intentions, but scuttlebutt has it that detractors in her Sleepy Hole Borough are trying hard to ferret another candidate.
Mayor S. Chris Jones is not facing election this year - at least as a member of council - despite a recent Sun story that said he was. The question is whether he will continue as mayor.
The encouraging part of the candidacies is that citizens are raising their hands to say they're willing to be, or continue to be, public servants. By the May 7 election, I hope they'll have plenty of company.
Want to vote for mayor?
In Suffolk, the mayor is elected by the seven council members. Councilman Harris thinks those making that selection should should include every voter, and I agree.
That would require a charter change, since Virginia is under the Dillon Rule. The General Assembly would have to approve, and it's hard to think of any reason the legislature wouldn't.
A handy listing on Page 7 will help you express your opinion on this and other matters during the General Assembly session. Clip it, put it by your phone and let our representatives know we care what they're doing in Richmond.
Comment? 934-7553 by CNB