THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 27, 1996 TAG: 9604270005
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
Concerning the May 7 referendum on Virginia Beach's ballot, civic leagues should oppose a ward system. On several occasions, our civic league has appeared before City Council to argue issues which impacted our neighborhood and the city itself. Our position and recommendations generally prevailed. Why? We certainly had strong support from our own Bayside councilman. But more important, every councilperson listened to us.
If the city were to change to a ward system, it is possible that only five of 11 council members would sincerely listen to our views. The other six, who would owe no loyalty to any of our votes, could dispense of our matters without due consideration at no risk to themselves.
Those individuals hoping for a ward system have never claimed that their existing borough councilperson has ever failed to loyally represent their concerns before council. The current system, which has specific voting-borough representation, assures this.
Ward-system proponents' sole claim of injustice is that their ``man'' didn't get elected despite receiving a majority of votes from those within his borough. The entire scheme is devised to provide fiscal relief to certain council candidates because they would have to concentrate on obtaining votes only from a limited geographical area. That simply is not sufficient cause to reduce accountability of every councilperson to every citizen of our city.
We have a City Council that is charged with responsibility to protect the welfare and concerns of the entire city and all of its citizens. There is no better way to ensure that this continues than by allowing the citizens to vote for all council members.
Speaking as an individual because of our civic-league politics, I strongly urge all civic leagues and their members, and indeed all citizens of Virginia Beach, to reject the ward-system concept by voting ``Yes'' on May 7.
STEVEN D. HAWTHORNE
Virginia Beach, April 19, 1996 MEMO: Editor's note: The writer is president of the Pembroke Meadows Civic
League. by CNB