THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 19, 1996 TAG: 9610190229
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 62 lines
In two cities of mostly suburbanites, it may come as a surprise to some voters in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake that on Election Day they will be asked to pick candidates for a little-known public office that helps local farmers.
In fact, the slate for this year's field of Soil and Water Conservation directors will be the most crowded of any race on the ballot in Virginia Beach. The six candidates include a college provost and a former candidate for the School Board.
In Chesapeake, only two candidates appear on the ballot for two seats.
The Virginia Dare district, encompassing Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, is one of 45 statewide. The boards of directors of each district help farmers manage their land and reduce soil runoff into streams - all to keep the region's farms healthy and productive.
The local district's main office is in the Virginia Beach municipal complex, but the six-member board meets at Angie's Restaurant, at the corner of Centerville Turnpike and Mount Pleasant Road in Chesapeake.
They oversee farm conservation plans that might fall under the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. They also sponsor soil nutrient management programs that may enable farmers to earn tax credits.
In addition, the district will help manage the Agricultural Stewardship Act, which is a complaint-driven system for dealing with water quality problems at farms. The act becomes law April 1, 1997.
Lastly, the district manages educational programs that are targeted at schools, civic groups and garden clubs - generally people who live in suburban or rural environments.
Of the six directors, four are elected and two are appointed. None is paid. All four of the elected representatives' seats are up for re-election Nov. 5.
The district chairman is W. Lyle Pugh Sr., a Chesapeake farmer seeking re-election. The vice chairman is Fleetwood ``Billy'' Culpepper, a retired farmer from Chesapeake who was appointed to the board. Director Keith Harrison, another Chesapeake resident, is a farmer who resigned his elected post in September to pursue other personal commitments.
The three directors who represent Virginia Beach are Randy W. Jackson, the horticulture extension agent for Virginia Beach and an appointee to the board; Barry D. Knight, a hog farmer; and Eric Rollins, a part-time student.
Rollins has not filed a petition for re-election and has not attended a district meeting this year. Knight is up for re-election in Virginia Beach. He is among six candidates on the Beach ballot vying for his open seat and the one Rollins is vacating.
The other five candidates are:
Frankland P. Babonis, who ran last spring for the Virginia Beach School Board but withdrew in the final weeks of the contest.
Parker J. Bena, a self-employed consultant/lobbyist on economic issues.
E.T. ``Joe'' Buchanan III, the provost of the Virginia Beach Campus of Tidewater Community College.
William R. Henry Jr., a full-time house husband and volunteer emergency planner with the City of Virginia Beach.
George W. Schaefer, a retired employee of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Chesapeake ballot contains two names, Leonard M. Harrell Jr. and Pugh.
Voters in either city can opt to write in names.
KEYWORDS: CANDIDATES SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DIRECTOR'S RACE by CNB