DATE: Thursday, May 29, 1997                TAG: 9705290421

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   85 lines

PANEL TO DECIDE FATE OF NORFOLK'S MAYORAL ELECTION A RETURN TO THAT SYSTEM COULD GIVE A GREATER NUMBER OF RESIDENTS A VOICE IN CITY POLITICS.

A cross-section of the city's civic, business and professional community will decide whether residents should elect their mayor - and go back to the future.

For the past 80 years, City Council members have chosen Norfolk's mayor from among their ranks. That power dates back to at least 1918, when the city changed its charter to a city manager/council form of government.

But citizens on the 15-member commission, appointed Tuesday by council, will take 10 months to study whether to return the mayoral vote to the people.

Council members, acknowledging a growing community sentiment toward an elected mayor, said they are willing to give up their power.

``If you tell us we should have a popularly elected mayor, we'll go to the General Assembly and ask for a charter change,'' Mayor Paul D. Fraim said Wednesday at a City Hall briefing for members of the blue-ribbon panel.

Fraim also raised the possibility of an advisory referendum to let citizens register their sentiment at the polls.

In a resolution approved Tuesday, the council said having a directly elected mayor ``may bring a broader citizen perspective'' to council's policy-making.

The council appointed former congressman G. William Whitehurst to chair the commission. Whitehurst said Wednesday that ``the pros outweigh the cons'' for a popularly elected mayor.

Whitehurst cited two reasons for change. Since Norfolk in 1992 began electing council members from single-member wards rather than at-large, only a slice of the population actually votes for the council member elevated to mayor by council, he said.

``Since the mayor's office is one that reflects leadership for the city at large, that person should get a mandate from the entire community and not just one portion,'' Whitehurst said.

Also, taking the vote out of council's hands reduces the potential for factions and conflict among its seven members, he said.

Even so, Whitehurst said the issue is not a foregone conclusion.

The council charged the commission with preparing a written report by April 1998.

``I know the consensus we achieve will pass muster, will stand scrutiny,'' Whitehurst said.

Norfolk and Suffolk are the only cities in Hampton Roads without a popularly elected mayor, and both communities are now examining the issue.

Fraim and other council members said the earliest that citizens could elect a mayor would be after the 2000 census. At that time, wards would be redrawn to reflect population shifts.

There are broader issues: Because Norfolk is regulated by the Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department must sign off on an at-large elected mayor. Two members of the commission - civic activist William E. Swindell and Norfolk State University math professor H. Marks Richard - were plaintiffs in a 1980s lawsuit that forced Norfolk to end its at-large system of electing council members.

Councilman Herbert M. Collins Sr., also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said Swindell and Richard were experts on the issue and could address racial concerns posed by an at-large elected mayor.

Fraim said the commission's task is only to recommend whether the mayor is popularly elected.

Other issues - such as the power of the mayor or the size of the council - will require separate discussion, Fraim said.

In addition, Councilman W. Randy Wright has proposed replacing Norfolk's city manager/council form of government with a strong mayor/council form, elevating the mayor to a full-time position.

Wright and Collins said the move to consider an elected mayor represents a significant shift toward giving citizens more control over their government.

``This is a big, giant step for this council,'' Collins said.

The commission's first meeting is next month. It will hold at least one public hearing on the issue.

Besides Whitehurst, Swindell and Richard, members of the panel are: attorney Joseph P. Massey; businessman Ewin A. Ottinger; real estate developer Donald L. Williams; businessman W. Sheppard Miller; civic league activist Kenneth C. Alexander; local government financial policymaker Sheryl D. Bailey; community activist Bettie Minette Cooper; businessman Bruce E. Melchor III; educator Evelyn S. Peevy; civic activist Virginia C. Roger; real estate developer Ronald W. Boone Sr; and community activist Carolyn Graddy. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Mayor Paul D. Fraim's panel will have 10 months to compile a report

examining the pros and cons of a direct vote. KEYWORDS: ELECTED MAYOR

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