THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 3, 1996 TAG: 9605030502
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
Goliath is a 5'1'' grandmother. David is a gunsmith with a portly body.
Political newcomer Robert F. ``Bob'' Yurina admits that his chances of beating Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf are slim. But he's had a taste of politics now, and, if he doesn't win the mayor's race on Tuesday, Yurina says he'll try again.
As of Monday, Yurina had raised $60 and spent $78. Oberndorf, mayor since 1988 and City Council member since 1976, had collected more than $50,000 in contributions, most from a fund-raiser back in November.
Yurina has gotten word out about himself with a few hundred fliers he hands out at candidates' forums. Oberndorf, undergoing treatment for breast cancer, has run a low-key campaign of newspaper and radio ads.
So who is this guy with the temerity to challenge the mighty Meyera?
Yurina, a personable father of four daughters, considers his unusual profession an asset in politics. He meets people from all walks of life behind the gun counter at Atlantic & Pacific Arms Co. on Virginia Beach Boulevard.
``That cross-section does give me an edge over a lot of the other candidates,'' he said, ``possibly even the mayor herself.''
He considers his work part art, part science.
``The math and science comes from the metal of it and how it delivers the impact downrange, the physics of bullets,'' he said. ``When you get tired of the technical stuff, you make the stock and turn into an artist for a week.''
He choose gun work because there was a gap in the job market, he said. Yurina, 33, likes to fish, and used to hunt for pleasure, growing up on his father's cattle ranch in Ohio. Then, he could walk over the back hill to find game. Now that he has to drive to shoot, he doesn't do it as much.
His profession, he said, is his real passion. ``When your hobby overlaps what you do for a living, sometimes your hobby suffers,'' said Yurina, explaining that he usually runs out of time to repair the ``fixer-upper'' guns he buys.
A Mozart fan who said he's not as up on modern music as he used to be, Yurina spends most of his free time with his wife and daughters, who range in age from nearly 2 to 15.
``I've watched `Aladdin' 59 times with the children, and I'm as entertained the last time as the first,'' he said.
Yurina said he thinks his role in the mayor's race is to be an indicator of dissatisfaction, to give a voice to those who are unhappy with the way things are going in the city.
``She (Oberndorf) just has to hope that that percentage of displeasure is less than 50 percent,'' he said.
Yurina said he thinks the City Council's biggest problem is that it focuses too much on big projects, such as building an amphitheater, rather than on important details, such as improving the pay scale for police officers.
``I see so many basic services being put by the wayside in favor of these grand projects like the Lake Gaston pipeline and the Southeastern Expressway,'' he said, ``while Rome is burning in the background.''
Oberndorf said she thinks the city is doing extremely well right now. She wants to serve another term on the council to keep Virginia Beach heading in the direction it's going - toward better quality of life, protected natural resources and long-term economic health.
``I just think the opportunity in the next four years for this city is extraordinary,'' she said.
Despite her illness - which she found out about shortly after filing for re-election - Oberndorf said she still has plenty of energy and enthusiasm for the city. She's running again, she said, to let the public ``know I still care, that I haven't grown tired or jaded, that I'm still having a love affair with the city of Virginia Beach and its citizens.''
Accused when she first took the mayor's job of paying more attention to her popularity than city policies, she has earned the respect of the city's power structure over the past four years. The city's top business leaders, who had propped up a rival candidate during her last race, got behind Oberndorf early to discourage would-be opponents.
Oberndorf said she is too busy with her work as mayor and grandmother to have any hobbies.
``(My husband) Roger says he's my hobby,'' she said, chuckling. ``I can tell you what gives me the most joy in the world is being with my daughters and (3-year-old grand-daughter) Lila.''
Though she's slowing down a little now, Oberndorf, 55, still maintains a frenetic schedule of dawn-to-dusk civic league meetings, ribbon-cuttings and handshaking.
Oberndorf said she's been overwhelmed by the expressions of support from people all over the state since she announced her battle with cancer. Among those who've sent good wishes, Oberndorf said, is Yurina's wife, Susan.
``I was very struck by the fact that when I made my announcement about the breast cancer, his wife called immediately to say she was also a cancer survivor and to keep on keeping on, which I thought was charming,'' Oberndorf said. ``That means a lot to me.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH MAYOR'S RACE CANDIDATES
ELECTION VIRGINIA BEACH by CNB