THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603080271
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
A glimpse at the lists of candidates for school board, city councils and town councils in Western Tidewater tells you that a broad range of life experiences is found among them.
Among them are young newcomers and the old, very experienced leaders who - as one of them put it - have been in their posts ``forever.''
From now until the May election, we'll present occasional reports on some oddities of the campaigns. We welcome your help. Please call Terri Williams at 934-934-7558.
In the Southampton County town of Newsoms, there's no question about age diversity.
Joseph L. Dail, 92, is seeking re-election to the town council. So is his neighbor, Raymond N. Drake, 28.
Dail, a retired schoolteacher, rides his bike around this town of about 400, visiting neighbors and listening to their concerns.
``I like to help my community,'' said Dail, who's served in some governmental capacity since 1945.
He's seen a lot of improvement. The town's streets have been paved, and residents are served by a new water system.
Still, Dail has no plans to step down anytime soon. ``No,'' he said, ``I'm going to keep on going.''
What a difference a few miles makes.
In Windsor, all three Town Council candidates are incumbents. In Smithfield, Isle of Wight County's other incorporated town, it's three newcomers and only one imcumbent.
It's in the family.
In Suffolk, an uncle and his newphew are seeking office.
Robert M. ``Bob'' Brooks Jr. is among three candidates for the Sleepy Hole Borough's School Board seat. Nephew J. Dodd Brooks is one of four candidates for the Nansemond Borough seat on City Council.
If another name among the School Board candidates sounds familiar, there's a reason: Newcomer Bruce T. Benn is the son of Mack Benn Jr., former School Board member and superintendent of schools.
Of the six School Board candidates, only two now have children in the public schools. At least one other has kids not old enough to be in school, and another has three sons who graduated from Suffolk public schools.
The latter, John R. Riddick Sr. of the Nansemond Borough, tells with great pride of the day one of his sons graduated from college and was commissioned an Army officer.
After joining his mother in attaching his son's stripes to his uniform, ``I stepped back and saluted him,'' Riddick said. by CNB