THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080566
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10A EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Besides civic duty, many citizens said one thing drove them out to vote in a steady rain Tuesday: dissatisfaction with how quickly Chesapeake is growing, and a concern that city services aren't keeping up.
``I voted for people who wouldn't cut down all the trees,'' said Gordon B. Carraway, 48, an electrician who moved to Chesapeake from Virginia Beach in October. He hated what he called the ``urban sprawl'' of the resort city and sees Chesapeake heading in the same direction.
``I agree that some growth is all right. Just moderate. To me, Virginia Beach was just uncontrolled and unchecked.''
The answer for many Chesapeake voters was to strike out against those on the City Council who presided over the heavy growth of the past years, incumbents such as Mayor William E. Ward.
Carraway said he voted for Ward's Republican challenger, John A. Cosgrove. So did Bernard H. Rickett, 71, a retiree who lives in the Deep Creek section of the city.
``The growth is outrageous, and Ward has been in the middle of it all,'' Rickett said.
Justine S. Powers, 76, also a retiree in Deep Creek, said she voted against incumbents because they had failed to provide city services, such as recreation centers, to improve residents' quality of life.
Other citizens mentioned problems such as the quantity and quality of the city's water supply, manpower for Police and Fire departments, traffic-clogged roads and crowded schools.
``I just feel we need changes around here, because we're growing too fast,'' said Jo Jo E. Skelaney, 35, a substitute teacher for the school system who has lived in Chesapeake all her life.
In the end, though, Ward prevailed, as did incumbents Dwight M. Parker and Dalton Edge. But Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance Jr., a Republican, was defeated. And the council will get one new face: Elizabeth Thornton, part of a Democratic coalition that included Ward and Parker.
Voters who remained loyal to incumbents said they had the same concerns about the city, but they believed their representatives were doing a good job under tough circumstances.
Shari S. Bernard, the 34-year-old owner of a Chesapeake-based travel agency, said she was satisfied with the leadership of the city.
Growth, Bernard said, ``brings flavor. Chesapeake was a small town, and now it's an international commerce center. I think it's exciting.'' MEMO: Staff writer Jennifer O'Donnell contributed to this report.Staff writer
Jennifer O'Donnell contributed to this report.
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL RACE ELECTION RESULTS by CNB