THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 1, 1997 TAG: 9702010377
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 68 lines
Hoping to lower the level of rhetoric between Virginia Beach and Norfolk, a Beach council member fired off an emotional letter last month to the Norfolk mayor.
In a five-paragraph letter, council member Linwood O. Branch III pledged to ``divorce'' himself from involvement in public battles or other ``inanities.''
The animosity between the two bodies heightened last year when Norfolk completed a report that Beach officials fear will jeopardize their efforts to build the Lake Gaston pipeline.
The tension reached a fever pitch in December when the Beach council reluctantly signed off on a study for a light rail system connecting the two cities. During impassioned speeches, several council members said they did not trust their sister-city and accused Norfolk of working against the pipeline.
The Norfolk council followed up that burst of anger with a request for a meeting to clear the air.
Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim said he hoped Branch's letter would help encourage a new spirit of cooperation between the two councils. ``I value Linwood's friendship and I respect his judgment,'' said Fraim, who did not reply to Branch's letter. ``I think there's a message of hope in his letter, and that's what I'm going to concentrate on.''
Fraim took issue, however, with Branch's criticism of Norfolk City Manager James B. Oliver Jr. for talking publicly about Virginia Beach's reluctance to set a meeting date until the Lake Gaston pipeline clears its next hurdle.
``The City Council supports the statement of our manager, and we don't read them as implying any animosity. I'm sorry that someone else did,'' Fraim said. ``I've told (Virginia Beach Mayor) Meyera (E. Oberndorf) when she thinks the time is appropriate to give me a call and we could try to put a meeting together. The request to get together was not intended to be divisive in any way.''
Branch's letter reads as follows:
``Dear Paul:
``How much lower do we plan to sink? How much more bizarre? While you are canvassing the region talking about an arena deal and working together, your City Manager is pictured on the front page of Monday's Metro section chastising Virginia Beach over the date of a meeting - Incredible!
``While you and I cannot control what our individual Councilmembers or citizens might say, we do have control over City staff. Was this latest public display of animosity between our two bodies sanctioned by the Norfolk City Council, or do we now have our staffs joined in the fray?
``I do hereby divorce myself from this ridiculous, asinine, and endless game of one `upsmanship.' I choose not to play. What's more, I believe our citizens have tired of it. I take the pledge to, both publicly and privately, work only in a positive fashion towards furthering my city and our region. I place my hopes for overcoming the shackles of the past in the Hampton Roads Partnership, and in their ability to develop a regional agenda where all the cities may participate, where there is a well thought out plan of action we can present to our citizens. An agenda resulting in more and higher paying jobs and a better quality of life for those supporting this effort - that is where my energies will now be directed.
``As I said, by notice of this letter, I remove myself from participation in such things as public arguments over meetings or other who struck who inanities. I find it sad that in 1997 we would even need a joint meeting to discuss what Norfolk can do to help with Lake Gaston. Do we really?
``At any rate, I take the pledge. Until we all do, how can there ever be change?
``With Pride in our Region,
``Linwood O. Branch III, City Councilman''