THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 3, 1997 TAG: 9702020002
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 26 lines
Who do our elected officials really represent, their constituency or special-interest groups?
Virginia Beach Sen. Ken Stolle has introduced a bill to give Oceanfront hotel owners a six-month extension on the deadline to install sprinkler systems. They have only had seven years to comply with the law. Is Sen. Stolle concerned about the safety of the tourists visiting our city or the bank accounts of the hotel owners? It is pretty obvious.
There should be no extension, and the hotel owners not in compliance should be fined $1,000 for each day after the deadline that they are not in compliance. Further, all information provided for travel brochures, agencies and potential tourists should list the names of the hotels that do not have sprinkler systems.
I have relatives and friends who visit Virginia Beach yearly, and I will make sure that they don't stay in those hotels. If many of our residents did this, the sprinklers would be installed posthaste.
JOHN SPILLANE
Virginia Beach, Jan. 27, 1997