THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 18, 1996 TAG: 9602160202
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB AND ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Two years ago, 45 candidates sought seats on the City Council and the School Board, each of which had six openings.
With a little more than two weeks remaining before this year's filing deadline for the May 7 election, only a handful of candidates already have thrown their hats into the ring officially.
Although none of the current council members has formally announced a re-election bid, all are expected to run.
Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf held a fund-raiser in November in part to scare off any would-be challengers. It seems to have worked. No other candidate has come forward yet. Oberndorf has served on the council since 1976 and has been the elected mayor since 1988.
Robert K. Dean, the Princess Anne borough representative since 1992, has said he would like to keep his seat, as has Linwood O. Branch III, who has served as the Beach borough representative for one term.
John A. Baum, the longtime Blackwater representative, was circulating petitions at last week's City Council meeting. He said he would like to hold his borough's seat until it disappears under redistricting.
Harold Heischober, who holds an at-large seat left vacant by John Moss last year, said he has not yet decided whether he will run again, but said he would make an announcement soon. Heischober, who has been on council a total of 13 years and served as mayor from 1986 to '88, lost his seat to Moss in 1992 but was appointed by the council last spring.
The at-large seat probably will be the most contested on the council because Heischober was not elected this time and because it is the only spot other than the mayor's that calls for a four-year term.
Lou Pace, who most recently challenged J. Curtis Fruit for clerk of the circuit court, and Robert C. Spadaccini Sr., a civic leader who ran unsuccessfully for the Kempsville borough seat in 1994, have announced their intentions to vie for the spot.
May's elections will be the second ever for the School Board. Voters will choose seven members and at least four of them will be new. The terms of all the appointed seats, including three at-large and four borough representatives, will expire this summer.
There are more openings on the School Board than on the council because one board member, Charles W. Vincent, was forced out after being convicted of misdemeanor ethics violations and another, James Darden, resigned last year for personal reasons.
Susan L. Creamer resigned the Blackwater seat earlier this month, and it is unclear if the City Council will appoint someone to fill that seat until the election.
Three of the incumbents - D. Linn Felt (Virginia Beach borough), Robert W. Hall (Princess Anne borough) and Joseph D. Taylor (at-large) - will not run for re-election.
Three other incumbents - Donald F. Bennis (at-large), Karen O. O'Brien (Lynnhaven borough) and Ferdinand V. Tolentino (at-large) - are undecided as to whether they will seek re-election.
Ben A. Krause, an investment executive, has filed to run for the Lynnhaven seat.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL ELECTION CANDIDATES by CNB