THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 15, 1996 TAG: 9604150061
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: DECISION 96
WEEK 1: CITIZENS' AGENDA
VIRGINIA BEACH
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 198 lines
Today, The Virginian-Pilot cointinues three weeks of special reporting leading up to municipal and school board elections on Tuesday, May 7.
Never before have voters had so many choices for leadership on city councils and school boards. In Virginia Beach, alone, there are 45 school board candidates. Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach voters will pick 125 council candidates.
The election is unique for Portsmouth voters, who, for the first time, elect school board members. This is only the second time for voters in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Suffolk.
Too many people feel like strangers in their own neighborhoods.
Three decades of uncontrolled growth have spoiled too much of the city's natural beauty, but leaders haven't shown that they learned from the mistakes of their predecessors in office.
Not enough is being done to keep kids occupied and out of trouble.
Despite financial mismanagement in the schools, education remains a top priority. Moreover, some residents say they're willing to pick up the cost, through taxes, for better services and leadership.
With three weeks remaining until the City Council and School Board elections, many people in Virginia Beach worry that a lack of vision has contributed to unrestrained growth, that a lack of leadership has cost the city its small-town feel and that a lack of support for services has shortchanged children, particularly in the schools.
Those are the broad themes that emerged in conversations organized by The Virginian-Pilot with two groups of residents. No public officials or political or civic activists were invited. About two dozen people were selected randomly.
Instead, the conversations were an effort to learn what worries come to mind for people in Virginia Beach when they consider the future of their city.
Overall, the people involved in the conversations expressed pride in their city and the life it affords them. But they are worried about the future and concerned that their leaders lack the vision to improve it.
A recurring theme for the residents was their sense of loss - regret about the type of city Virginia Beach might have become if development had been managed more carefully.
``I'm sorry it was ever allowed to grow this big,'' said Sharon Haring, a teacher at First Colonial High School.
If leaders had had a clearer vision years ago, the city would not be overrun with identical strip malls and subdivisions; would not have lost so much greenery; and would not be so congested, they said.
``I just think this is a beautiful area. It has a lot of resources,'' said businesswoman Myong Chong. ``There's no method to the madness. There was no planning. It's obvious.''
Chong and others said they don't trust the City Council and School Board members to create a better future for Virginia Beach.
Many said they can't figure out what their leaders are up to. Because the city's leadership lacks direction, Virginia Beach has developed haphazardly, endangering the quality of life for residents, they said. The perception is that new residents are still moving into Virginia Beach in vast numbers.
Why, for instance, did the council recently approve a Super Wal-Mart for Princess Anne Road when another is so close by, she and others wondered. Why do subdivisions continue to crop up even though there's a water shortage? Why has development been allowed to creep farther and farther south?
``I don't see a strong strategic plan that identifies where they're going,'' said Kay Weaver, an associate professor at Old Dominion University's school of nursing.
The leadership problems go deeper than the school system's recent financial crisis, a controversy that led to the resignation of five board members. That was a symptom of the city's need for better direction, residents like retired Marine Corps officer Joseph P. Jacobs said, but not the cause of its problems.
And the election may not be a cure.
Residents say they want their schools to remain strong with small, safe classes and adequate training for all children - from the brightest to those most in need of extra help. They also want parity among the schools so that children enrolled at newer facilities don't have an advantage over those housed in older buildings.
And they said they are willing to make schools a funding priority while paying more to support them.
``The schools should come first,'' said Navy Cmdr. Ed Blind.
Maintaining the city's education system will require strong leaders who can decide everything from curricula to finances - people who can maintain a long-range vision while handling immediate needs, all the while remaining accessible to the public. But choosing such leaders, given the recent crisis and the enormous field of candidates, is proving daunting, the residents said.
``Maybe we are not getting the people on the School Board we need,'' said Jim Stancil, a retired C&P Telephone Co. employee.
``When you've got the number of candidates you've got running for the School Board this time, it's going to be one of the most confusing elections we've ever had, and I'm not so sure we're going to get good people on it.''
Stancil and several others said some of the city's problems may stem from its government structure, where the city manager is stronger than the mayor and the School Board members are basically volunteers.
Stancil suggested paying board members more money. The current annual salary of $3,600 is not enough to persuade a board member to commit enough time to the job, they said.
``You pay for what you get,'' said Jacobs, who favors an increase. ``But you may not get what you pay for.''
Several residents also said the city might fare better with a strong-mayor form of government.
The panelists said they don't think there's much the council or School Board can do to make people more responsible parents. But something has to be done to raise children with fewer problems, they said.
Eldern Holley suggested parenting classes and more recreational programs for young people, because many young mothers and fathers today don't have their own parents nearby to provide guidance on rearing children.
``One of my pet peeves is that youth are a fixture in this country - I think cities and parents should invest more into youth activities,'' said Holley, the father of two grown children.
``It worked for me. It will work for anybody else.''
The schools obviously are crucial to preparing the next generation, and nearly everyone interviewed had good things to say about the Virginia Beach schools they or their children had attended. They all view services for young people as an investment.
``The schools are not for the children, they're for society,'' Jacobs said.
Some suggested offering extended programs at night and during the summer at all the district's schools, such as midnight basketball leagues.
``They can't get pregnant while they're doing activities,'' said Weaver, the ODU professor.
And as Virginia Beach's children grow up and perhaps become voters themselves, what kind of city will they be living in? Will the 33-year-old city enter middle age gracefully or in crisis? Will it continue to grow endlessly or focus its development?
Will the children of today want to live in the Virginia Beach of tomorrow?
The answers, residents agreed, will be decided by the candidates and the people who vote for them. MEMO: Staff writer Karen Weintraub contributed to this report.
The Virginian-Pilot would like to know what you think are the top
issues facing Virginia Beach, and what you think candidates for the City
Council and the School Board should be addressing in the weeks leading
up to the May 7 elections.
You can call us at 640-5555 and enter category 6297 to leave a
recorded message, or mail your comments to The Virginian-Pilot at: 4565
Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, Va. 23462.
Here are some questions you might want to consider in deciding which
issues are most important:
Are you willing to pay more in taxes to get more services? What
services would you buy more of?
If you're unwilling to pay more, what cuts should the council make to
free up money for the projects you care most about?
What issues should be addressed in future reports?
ELECTION COVERAGE OF WHAT'S COMING UP
[For a copy of the schedule, see microfilm for this date on page A4.
TODAY: Conversations
Come talk to Suffolk School Board candidates, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Nansemond
Suffolk Academy, 3373 Pruden Blvd.
THIS WEEK: Citizens' Agenda
Today and continuing through Friday, reports on the concerns people in
each city have for the future of their cities and the region.
NEXT WEEK: The issues
Next Sunday and through Friday, April 26, we take an in-depth look at
those concerns in each city and how the candidates respond to them.
MAY: Voter's Guide
On the eve of the elections, we will publish a voter's guide containing
information about the candidates and their stands on issues.
ILLUSTRATION: STEVE EARLEY
The Virginian-Pilot
Beach residents are concerned about uncontrolled growth, of
lookalike homes, such as this row of townhouses off Lynnhaven
Parkway.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION COMMUNITY CONVERSATION PUBLIC JOURNALISM by CNB