THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 2, 1996 TAG: 9605020428
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Long : 167 lines
They're buddies. They're mostly men, and all of them are white. They're also probably the most powerful force in city government.
The Portsmouth Committee, a local political action committee made up of Portsmouth business leaders, has helped to elect a majority of the City Council in the last four years.
This election year will tell just how powerful the group really is. They have endorsed two City Council candidates, four for the School Board and belatedly endorsed a mayoral candidate when it became obvious that the race could be close.
Even though the 13 members consist of only one woman and no black citizens, members said they represent the entire city, which includes an African-American population of nearly 50 percent.
``We just represent a broad cross-section of the city,'' said Chairman P. Marshall Fleming. ``If the election returns have been successful for our committee, that means we reflect the opinions of the community.''
Several friends simply got together and created the committee about five years ago, members said.
``It began with a bunch of business people that were really friends,'' said committee member and School Board candidate Louise ``Sis'' Walden. ``We were all good friends. It started informally. We were meeting and talking about who could run for office and get involved. We were just interested in preserving the city.''
Since then, the committee has raised nearly $54,000.
In campaign finance filings four years ago, most of their contributions came from white business leaders - including committee members - and some of the city's other power brokers.
In October, the last time they reported any contributions, they didn't list contributors. They weren't required to, by law, because all 13 donors had contributed $100 or less.
Fleming explained that the committee likes getting smaller amounts.
``We're trying to get a broad base of support,'' Fleming said Wednesday. ``I got eight different donations this morning - none over $50. We would rather have a lot of small checks rather than a few big checks. The more people you get giving, the more support you get.''
Over the past four years, the committee has helped elect council incumbents James C. Hawks, P. Ward Robinett and James T. Martin. Robinett and Martin are not running for re-election; each has two years left of a four-year term.
The committee also helped elect incumbent Cameron C. Pitts - who said he has proven a disappointment to them.
This year, the committee is not backing Pitts. It is supporting Hawks and J. Thomas Benn, a member of the committee, for two of three council seats.
Pitts believes he was dropped largely because he publicly opposed a proposed riverboat gambling deal. At the time, Hawks vowed that Pitts would receive retribution for talking about the deal.
The committee also nearly abandoned incumbent Mayor Gloria O. Webb until former Mayor James W. Holley III announced that he was running and it appeared he had a lot of support in the community, some members said.
Since then the group has contributed $2,000 to Webb's campaign and now says it is endorsing her.
``He (Holley) caused the city a lot of embarrassment, and that was enough for me not to support him,'' said William H. Kline, a committee member who is also working on Webb's campaign committee.
Kline became Webb's campaign treasurer before the committee agreed to endorse her.
``We finally agreed. Although it was not unanimous, we finally agreed,'' Kline said of the committee's decision to support Webb. ``The problem being an incumbent is that if you make 500 decisions,'' Kline said, ``you're not going to please all of the people all of the time. She made what she thought were the best decisions. She probably offended some of those folks and they hold it against her.''
Hawks, Martin and Robinett often vote as a bloc. Webb has voted opposite the trio on some key votes.
Pitts and Hawks publicly trade jabs at one another - even though four years ago they ran on the same ticket.
This year, the committee gave the team of Hawks and Benn $2,000 to finance their fight against the field of five other candidates, which, in addition to Pitts, includes incumbent Bernard D. Griffin and contenders Lee E. King, Rafiq Zaidi and Milton Hoover.
Committee members say their support is not based on votes but rather philosophy.
``We have never told candidates, `This is where we stand on an issue' ,'' Fleming said. ``Individuals may have, but the committee never has. We have a philosophy, and we try to help candidates that will best represent it. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. We only try to elect the best person to fit that.''
The philosophy, according to board member and local attorney Michael Blachman, is ``to promote good government in the city of Portsmouth - on the council and the School Board. That encompasses fiscal management and a pro-business atmosphere: the welfare of the city in its entirety - economic development, improved neighborhoods, a good school system.''
Portsmouth is holding School Board elections for the first time. The committee has endorsed a team of School Board candidates and has contributed $1,000 to the ticket. The School Board team includes Lawrence W. I'Anson Jr., Douglas N. Eames, Louise ``Sis'' Walden and James E. Bridgeford. Bridgeford is the only African American on the ticket, and he's the first black candidate ever to be endorsed by the committee.
Fleming, the committee's chairman, emphasized that they don't have any specific goals for the city or the schools. As far as schools go, Fleming said, ``we want them to be safe, we want the best teachers and the best educational opportunities.''
As for construction of the new I.C. Norcom High School - the most controversial school issue of the decade - Fleming said, ``We never issued an opinion as a committee because we were split.''
Hawks, Robinett and Martin all voted against construction of the school.
``We never went as a group to a council member and said that we were for or against Norcom,'' he said. ``We spoke to them individually because we were split.''
Fleming said the committee now ``unanimously supports'' the project.
``Everybody who was against it realized that it has brought the city together, and that's what we're all about,'' Fleming said. ``We're very much in favor of that.''
He said committee members also disagreed over whether Portsmouth should support riverboat gambling and whether the city should put a new shopping center at the old Churchland High School site - issues Webb believes lost her favor with the committee.
``It really wasn't personal,'' Walden said of the committee's hesitation in supporting Webb. ``We're business-oriented. If we thought someone could better move us along toward economic development, we would have gone for them. At the moment, I don't think there's a better person.''
Walden said the committee originally supported someone else who was considering a bid for the mayor's seat but finally decided against a run for the office.
``None of it is ever personal,'' Walden said. ``Politics is not a personal thing. We have to go with who is going to do a better thing for the city.''
But it was politics that caused Pitts to lose favor with the committee, said Kline.
``I think that the committee simply felt that Cameron made decisions based on politics as opposed to what was best for the city of Portsmouth,'' Kline said.
Walden said it was simply because Benn wanted a seat on council.
``Tommy, being a member, he has a lot of energy, and maybe it's his time to do something for Portsmouth,'' Walden said. ``It wasn't a `We hate Cameron' type of thing.'' MEMO: WHO GIVES, WHO BENEFITS
Portsmouth Committee Members:
Chairman P. Marshall Fleming, Welton, Duke & Hawks Inc.
Michael Blachman, attorney, Bangel, Bangel & Bangel.
David Tynch, attorney, Cooper, Spong & Davis.
William H. Kline, Kline Realty.
Don Comer Jr., Comer Ford.
John Spence, State Farm Insurance Agency.
Brad Cherry, Cherry Carpet.
Jimmy Spruill, J & J Fasteners.
Louise ``Sis'' Walden, former political consultant, and owner of Olde
Towne Flower Market.
John Failes, CPA, Failes & Associates.
Dick Fuller, Smithfield Companies.
J. Thomas Benn, School Board Chairman, Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
Herbert A. Haneman, Western Branch Diesel.
Campaign contributions from the Portsmouth Committee as listed April
29:
Gloria O. Webb - $2,000
J. Thomas Benn - $1,000
James. C. Hawks - $1,000
James E. Bridgeford - $250
Lawrence W. I'Anson - $250
Douglas N. Eames - $250
Louise ``Sis'' Walden - $250
KEYWORDS: POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL RACE PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD RACE by CNB