THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 10, 1996 TAG: 9605090199
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: Decision '96
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 161 lines
STABILITY WAS THE BIG winner Tuesday in the city's first School Board election.
Three incumbents will remain on the board.
The board's racial make-up will stay the same: five whites and four blacks.
The two challengers who won seats have ties to the school district or the education establishment.
And board members who have children in city schools will still be in the minority.
Most voters interviewed at the polls Tuesday had mixed feelings on whether board elections would significantly change things in the district. Still, there was a common thread in their assessments: Board elections are the way to go.
``People elected are the ones the voters want,'' said Hodges Manor resident Shirley Vinson, summing up a sentiment many expressed on Election Day.
Tuesday's winners in the race for five seats: board Vice Chairman James E. Bridgeford, Lawrence W. I'Anson Jr. and Louise G. ``Sis'' Walden - all incumbents - and dentist Elizabeth Daniels and Old Dominion University education professor David I. Joyner.
Their four-year terms officially begin in July.
The debut election attracted 16 candidates, ranging from retirees to homemakers. But incumbents were among the favorites Tuesday.
Altogether, Bridgeford, I'Anson and Walden grabbed 28 percent of votes cast for board candidates.
Running on a four-person ``biracial ticket,'' they said they wanted to show city residents that people of different races and backgrounds can work together for the good of the entire school district.
How well that message resonated with voters is hard to say.
The incumbents also had 12 total years on the board and the backing of the Portsmouth Committee, an influential political action committee.
``I think the most important thing is . . . that we were willing to give it a shot,'' I'Anson said Tuesday night, referring to Walden's idea to form the ticket.
Challenger Douglas N. Eames, an engineering and management services consultant, was the ticket's only unsuccessful member. Eames, who has three children at Churchland Elementary, said he felt ``politics'' played too much of a role in the outcome.
``We've turned the School Board into a political issue as opposed to something for the parents,'' he said. ``I just think it's a sad state when we don't elect parents to the School Board.''
In that sense, his concerns were similar to those expressed by unsuccessful challengers Karen S. Jordan and B. Keith Nance, both of whom are neighborhood activists and parents. They spearheaded the elected-board petition drive nearly four years ago.
Jordan received about 6 percent of the votes cast for board candidates, Nance 5 percent.
Jordan arrived at Cameron Pitts' Airline Boulevard headquarters about 8 p.m. Tuesday and moved from person to person, trying to get the latest results. By 8:25 p.m., she still didn't know the voters' verdict. Television stations had not begun to broadcast anything about the Portsmouth School Board election.
``This is so frustrating,'' she said. ``It's like waiting for a baby to be born.''
It was about 8:40 when Nance and Jordan peeked at a sheet of paper Sheriff Gary Waters held. It contained hand-written results.
``One thing that you did get - you got (an) elected School Board,'' said one supporter, patting Nance on his shoulder.
Neither seemed surprised by their losses.
``Some people said that we were too political, that we had a political agenda,'' Jordan said. ``We don't.''
Nance, an insurance agent and president of the Park Manor Civic Club, said he didn't think any particular issue swayed voters.
Even in defeat, both he and Jordan said that pushing for the switch to an elected board had been worthwhile.
``The people won tonight because they got to make a choice,'' Nance said. ``They never had that opportunity before. That was the victory today.''
Jordan, a homemaker and president of the Simonsdale Civic Club, said she wasn't sure whether she would try again.
The two challengers who pulled off victories - Daniels, 57, and Joyner, 59 - said hard work on the campaign trail and efforts to inform voters of their credentials paid off in a big way.
``I'm not surprised,'' Joyner said Tuesday. ``I thought this was about the way it would turn out. I knew I had the qualifications, but I wasn't sure whether I was a good enough `candidate.' ''
Joyner, who taught at the former Cradock High for seven years, is now an ODU professor of educational curriculum and instruction.
Daniels, a member of the Community Curriculum Advisory Committee and chairwoman of Church and Community in Action's education committee, also had the distinction of attracting more votes than any other board candidate.
She received nearly 14 percent of the votes cast. Campaign spending was a factor, she said. Daniels' $3,786 in campaign expenses accounted for 42 percent of the $9,101 that 11 board candidates reported spending, according to reports filed last month.
``You have to contact the voters, which is difficult and always expensive when you're talking about contacting a large number of people,'' Daniels said. `` . . . I know I tried hard. I'm just very pleased.''
Others had little to celebrate.
Elijah ``Buddy'' Sharp III, president of the United Civic League of Cavalier Manor, came in sixth place with 4,847 votes.
V.W. ``Vic'' Goodman, a retired Health Department administrator, had the support of the Portsmouth Education Association. Even so, he got slightly less than 5 percent of votes cast for board candidates.
Although he won't be on the board, Goodman said he would get more involved in school matters, acting as a watchdog. He's undecided about whether he'll run in the future.
``I think (incumbents) got the message loud and clear that they're not communicating with the public,'' Goodman said. ``They were really detached.''
Why did he lose?
``I have no idea.''
In the past, City Council members appointed residents to the nine-member board. That process sometimes proved controversial, leading city activists to charge the council with being unresponsive to their calls for racial or neighborhood balance on the board.
In recent years, some decisions made by the board itself also led others to question how ``in touch'' appointees were with parents and everyday citizens.
In 1994, residents voted by a 4-to-1 margin to switch from an appointed to an elected board.
Several residents interviewed at the polls Tuesday said the debut election was satisfactory because candidates focused on issues they cared about, such as vocational-technical education and school maintenance.
Although a few challengers harshly criticized incumbents at forums early in the campaign, candidates themselves later noted that such bashing quickly died down.
``I felt they had the children's interest at heart,'' said Churchland resident Felicia Scales, referring to the tone of the election. ``It could have been a lot worse.''
But James Fullwood, a 76-year-old Mt. Hermon resident, said he placed little value in what board candidates said while stumping for votes.
``I tried to pay closer attention to their qualifications because they all pretty much follow the same line. They say what they think you want to hear anyway.'' MEMO: Staff writers Lorraine Eaton, Angelita Plemmer and Marie Joyce
contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MIKE HEFFNER
Neighborhood activist, parent Keith Nance was unsuccessful in his
bid.
Karen S. Jordan helped spearhead the elected-board petition drive.
Photos
James Bridgeford
Elizabeth Daniels
Lawrence I'Anson
David Joyner
Louise Walden
KEYWORDS: ELECTION PORTSMOUTH PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD RACE
RESULTS RETURNS by CNB