THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 10, 1996 TAG: 9604100353
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
Opponents of the city's at-large electoral system held a brief rally Tuesday to kick off their campaign to vote it out on May 7.
About 40 people attended the 15-minute gathering, held outside City Hall. The Virginia Beach Citizens for Electoral Reform, which staged the rally, opposes the present system, where all citizens vote for all 11 council and all 11 School Board members.
Instead, the group wants a system in which residents would vote for four at-large council and four at-large school board members and a district representative for each.
Voters will be asked to consider the change in a May 7 ballot question. Those who like the present system should vote ``yes'' and those who want a change should vote ``no.''
A lingering disagreement between the city and the state over the wording of the ballot question was resolved late last week, when the state Board of Elections agreed to drop its opposition to the language drafted by the City Council.
The Citizens for Electoral Reform say a modified ward system would make the council and School Board more responsive and accountable to constituents.
Carolyn Lincoln said a council or School Board member elected by a smaller number of people would be more concerned with individual constituents.
Marge Buono, who also attended the rally, said she doesn't like the present system because a candidate may win in his or her home borough but lose citywide.
Another grassroots group, Citizens for Accountable Government, has been fighting the proposed electoral change. That group also talks about political accountability and responsiveness, but its members think the present system gives them more clout because they can vote for all council and School Board members. For more information on Citizens for Electoral Reform, which wants a modified ward system, contact Maury Jackson, at 428-1470, or 1125 Ditchely Road, Virginia Beach, Va. 23451. MEMO: For more information about Citizens for Accountable Government, which
supports the present system, contact Judy Connors, at 464-4981 or P.O.
Box 55150, Virginia Beach, Va. 23455. by CNB