THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603280567
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
He's already ``Chief Grant'' to many city residents, but Charles D. Grant would like to be ``Councilman Grant'' as well.
Grant, 75, formerly Norfolk's police chief for nine years, is running for the Superward 6 seat held by Mason C. Andrews.
``We need to bring the City Council back to the citizens,'' Grant said in his Northside living room as one of his handmade grandfather clocks in the corner chimed the half-hour.
``We're starting too many projects that don't earn what they expected to,'' he said. ``And then we've got another drain on the budget.''
Grant was mostly referring to Nauticus, which has not drawn as many visitors as it needed to break even and is being partly supported by the city. But he said he also is concerned about the MacArthur Center mall planned for downtown.
``I don't think enough shoppers will come downtown,'' he said. ``I know we've got to bring businesses in here. I don't feel we should use taxpayers' money to bring in business that will compete with businesses already here.''
Grant is a lifelong Norfolk resident, with two years away to serve in the Army during World War II. He grew up in Lamberts Point and has lived in Northside for 40 years. His father was also a Norfolk policeman, for 33 years, and retired six months after Grant started as a beat patrolman in 1946.
Grant worked his way up through the department to become chief in 1976. He retired in 1985.
Along the way, he said, he got to know a lot of people and accumulated experience he thinks would be valuable to the council.
``I feel like I know the citizens because I worked with them for 39 years,'' he said.
Instead of large tourist and shopping attractions, he said, the city should concentrate its money on schools, public safety and improving the neighborhoods.
He said the police, fire and paramedic services need more employees, and the city needs more ambulances to further cut response times.
``We have a good paramedic department and fire department and a very good police department,'' Grant said. ``But I think they could use more people.
``If you can keep city employees happy, they are good salespeople for the city.''
Although Grant collected signatures from a number of Republican officeholders on his petitions, he said he is neither Republican, Democrat nor independent in this race.
``I'm just running,'' he said.
There are four candidates in the Ward 6 race, threatening to split the opposition vote. But Grant said he believes he will have support from city employees and the neighborhoods and has the benefit of name recognition from his time as chief.
Since his retirement from the police department, Grant has continued to be active in neighborhood and church activities. He is a co-founder of the Southside Leadership Prayer Breakfast and a member of the Northside Civic League.
A year ago, he helped form the Citizens Coalition for Good Government and served as its first president.
He lives in Northside with his wife, Dorothy. They have two grown sons, Charles Jr. and Donald. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
Photo
CHARLES D. GRANT
Office sought: City Council seat, Superward 6.
Occupation: Retired police chief.
Age: 75.
Education: Maury High School graduate; National Executive
Institute, Washington, D.C.; FBI National Academy.
Community service: Co-founder and president, Citizens Coalition
for Good Government; member, Northside Civic League; co-founder,
Southside Leadership Prayer Breakfast; past president, Fraternal
Order of Police; past national president, Association of FBI Academy
Graduates.
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK CITY COUNCILMANIC RACE CANDIDATE SUPERWARD 6
PROFILE by CNB