THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602170317
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
The debate over regionalism is heating up.
A day after a group of high-powered business, education, military and municipal leaders met to discuss setting an economic agenda for the region, the area's public television affiliate, WHRO, hosted a forum to spark even more regionalism debate.
Friday's program, ``Hampton Roads: What's in it for me?'', involved an audience of about 50 citizens and a panel of 10 community leaders. They included Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf, Hampton Mayor James Eason and James Babcock, chairman of the First Virginia Bank of Tidewater.
On Thursday, a who's-who of area leaders from the public and private sectors gathered to discuss forming an umbrella organization that would promote Hampton Roads and bolster the region's economy. The group, to be called Hampton Roads Partnership, would formalize and build on earlier efforts toward regionalization.
Friday's discussion, hosted by WHRO, was another push in that direction. The forum addressed the region's economic past and its economic future, competing communities' success, past lessons of regional efforts, and what needs to be done to advance the regionalism debate.
``This debate happens in the Town Point Club, it needs to happen down in Town Point Park,'' said David Ferraro, WHRO's executive producer and manager of local programs. ``What WHRO wants to do is provide a forum - to help be a catalyst for Hampton Roads to see itself as a community.''
Many of the same time-worn issues came up: water for Virginia Beach, winning a major league sports franchise, calling the region one name and its lack of Fortune 500 companies.
One of the most tense moments came during a confrontation between Virginia Beach's Oberndorf and Jack Davis, publisher of The Daily Press newspaper, based in Newport News.
Davis lamented the quibbling among cities and particularly why Norfolk, Virginia Beach and other South Hampton Roads cities couldn't decide together to build a major league sports stadium without feeling each needed something in return.
``Why can't I understand this?'' Davis asked.
``You're on the other side of the water,'' Oberndorf said.
The program will be broadcast Monday, at 8 p.m. on channel 15, WHRO TV, and Tuesday at 1 p.m. on radio station WHRV-FM, channel 89.5.
KEYWORDS: REGIONALISM by CNB