DATE: Friday, September 26, 1997            TAG: 9709250168

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 09   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letters 

                                            LENGTH:   65 lines

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - VIRGINIA BEACH

I have just returned from a walk throughout our neighborhood.

It's trash collection day and while I am not a dumpster diver, casual observance revealed one black bin overflowing with recyclables poking out the top.

Another house had both bins overflowing with non-recyclables at the top of the blue bin.

Folks, if we're not going to take this seriously, the city is going to take away our chance to do something good for the environment, (again) and we'll be up to our ears in our own waste. Maybe that's what we deserve.

Please recycle, and do it properly.

Evelyn Powell

Sept. 12 Drunk drivers will hit the next tree over

A heartfelt thanks to all the traffic engineers who recommended the removal of our beautiful trees on Shore Drive through Seashore State Park.

Perhaps now the drunk driver who runs off the road will hit the tree behind the one just taken down. What else are we going to do to enable drunk driving?

This is a sad waste of our precious natural resources!

Billy Almond

Sept. 15 Stand on issue is long overdue

I am writing in response to the lawsuit that Ms. Carolyn Lincoln of Virginia Beach and her woman's advocacy group (whoever they are) are pursuing in Norfolk's Federal Court.

The lawsuit, in part, was published in The Virginian-Pilot on Aug. 7, 1997, by staff writers Marc Davis and Karen Weintraub. The lawsuit challenges the new election system because it dilutes minority voting rights and accuses the Virginia Beach City Council of manipulating the wording of last year's referendum.

The lawsuit goes on, according to the newspaper, saying that Councilman John Baum proposed the wording of the referendum to ensure an at-large system and increase his chances of election to the City Council. Say what! Is that true, John Baum?

Now I say to you Ms. Lincoln, what took you so long to take a stand on this issue. The race is over. And, I might add, it was a very hot and contested issue for some time. In fact I suspect it probably is still an issue with many people in Virginia Beach.

I agree that the ballot question was skewed to cause confusion. The State Board of Elections challenged the ballot language. That should tell you and the people of Virginia Beach something.

The bottom line here is where were you and your ``magnificent nine'' when the equalization of voting districts and at-large voting context was being waged in Virginia Beach?

City Attorney Mr. Leslie Lilley stated that ``this process was perhaps the most open process that we've had on anything.'' No wonder, the U.S. Department of Justice had its eye on Virginia Beach.

And finally, my two concerns, I would like to see district residents only voting for the candidate of choice who also lives in their district and also have the ability to vote for all at-large candidates.

My other concern, let us ensure that all Virginia Beach referendums are written on a level playing field. Makes sense to me!

Jim Smith

Aug. 15

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