THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080385
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10C EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
The new School Board majority is likely to focus more on quality schools and education than on the budget crisis that has plagued the district in the past year.
Voters went for the tried and true in the council elections, returning the mayor, the at-large council member and two unopposed incumbents. They also brought back a former councilwoman.
Forget the rain. Forget the confusing ballot. Forget the large number of candidates. When it came to voting in the resort city Tuesday, a time-tested reason emerged among the many who braved the elements - civic duty.
``I've been all over the world and I know that this is the best place in the whole world to live,'' declared Bruce Rinehart, a retired Navy man who donned a red, white and blue star-spangled tie for his early-morning trip to the polls. ``You can't stand in line for benefits if you don't stand in line to vote.''
Civic duty aside, plenty of people were motivated to vote by the School Board's much-publicized problems, the City Council races and the referendum on a ward system.
``I'm concerned especially for the School Board this year,'' said Terry Shelton, outside of Rosemont Elementary School. ``It's important that we don't go through (that) mess again.''
But with 43 School Board candidates vying for seven seats, even the most dedicated voters found themselves looking for guidance.
``I was overwhelmed by the number of candidates,'' said Mary B. Willoz, a 56-year-old Alanton resident. Moments after casting her vote, she confessed to having little confidence in her decision. Her decision, she said, was based almost entirely on the candidates' stated educational and work experience - and her own good judgment.
``I really don't know any of them,'' she said.
Missy D. Friske, a 46-year-old Baycliff resident with three children, also had trouble deciding.
``When in doubt, vote for a neighbor,'' she said. ``But I tried to make sure there was a balance on the board between accountants and educators. We don't need a school board full of accountants.''
The election appeared to produce just such a balance. Among the group of newcomers elected to the School Board were a tax attorney, a former teacher, a full-time mother and a state trooper. The lone incumbent, Donald F. Bennis, was locked in an extremely close at-large race with real estate agent Gail A. Ball for a two-year term.
Sharon Lawhorne, who cast her ballot at the Eastern Shore Chapel on Laskin Road, said this election was about mandating a change in the City Council and School Board. In the City Council race, however, two of the three contested seats were won by incumbents, and the third was won by a former council member.
Lawhorne said: ``For City Council, I tried to vote for people who were more in tune with the environment and education. And for the School Board, people who were more interested in what education is about.
``I don't like to vote for people who are rich enough to afford signs around town. Some of the people I voted for did not have any signs.''
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL RACE ELECTION RESULTS
VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD RACE by CNB