THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 2, 1996 TAG: 9603020239
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
With their School Board in disarray and an impending spring election scheduled for May, a cross-section of citizens poured into the voter registrar's office Friday seeking registration forms to get on the ballot.
At least 80 people have asked for information to run for office, most of them responding to the release this week of a special grand jury report that called on seven School Board members and the budget development director to resign.
``We've had truck drivers, people who have had experience with the school system, like PTA workers, some attorneys, businessmen, just a real variety of people who are interested in running for the School Board,'' said Voter Registrar Marlene J. Hager.
Only three candidates have officially filed so far for the seven seats that are up for election in May, including positions representing Lynnhaven, Virginia Beach, Princess Anne and the Blackwater boroughs. There are also three at-large seats.
The City Council, meanwhile, must begin work on appointments to three board positions. One of them was for a position previously vacated; the other two opened up Thursday. A fourth vacancy of an elected member must be filled by the Circuit Court.
The deadline for filing is 7 p.m. Tuesday. Each applicant will need 125 signatures of registered voters on his or her petition form plus a declaration of candidacy form and a treasurer's form, said Hager. There is no fee to run, but a campaign can cost several thousand dollars.
In addition to the three who have completed the forms and officially filed, one other person, Delceno C. Miles, a marketing executive, has been nominated to fill a vacant post in Blackwater. She has not been confirmed.
The School Board has 11 seats. Four are held by Elsie M. Barnes, Tim Jackson, June T. Kernutt and Ulysses Van Spiva, all of whom were elected last July. Since Spiva resigned Thursday, his replacement must be made by the Circuit Court whose judges must find a candidate to serve until the end of the term, which is June 1998.
Board members Donald F. Bennis and Karen O'Brien, who were appointed by the court to fill vacancies created with the resignations of James Darden and Charles Vincent, face runoffs in the special May election, although both are not sure if they are running.
The remaining five seats are held by Robert W. Hall, D. Linn Felt, Joseph D. Taylor and Ferdinand V. Tolentino. One seat is vacant. It was held by Susan Creamer, who left Feb. 6.
Because Creamer, Hall and Felt were appointed, they must now be replaced by the City Council which must find replacements from a standing talent pool maintained by the city clerk. Their terms will end on June 30.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD by CNB