DATE: Saturday, October 25, 1997            TAG: 9710250339

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   73 lines

RADIO AD CREATES ILL WILL IN NORFOLK HOUSE RACE

What began Monday with a political ad mistakenly run on radio has spurred some ill will in the campaign for the 86th House District.

The origin of the tempest was a Republican ad sponsored by Beverly ``Bev'' Graeber that aired just twice.

The ad accused Democrat Don Williams of not paying taxes, operating without a contractor's license and being sued by a supplier.

On Sunday, Williams' camp somehow got word of the ad before it aired and asked Graeber not to run it. Williams said the ad attacked his son, not him.

``Again, your charges are dead-flat wrong,'' Williams wrote. ``Your ad is simply a slanderous attack upon my son, and I am certain that he will seek legal recourse if it airs.''

Not to worry, said Graeber's folks. They said they had decided Friday not to run the ad and had passed the word to local radio stations. The ad was accurate, they said, and was pulled for strategic reasons, not because of problems.

Somehow, the ad ran anyway, on WVCL-FM/Cool 95.

``It seems that a series of miscommunications led to the insertion of the tape `Diner' instead of the tape `Attack (No.) 1-Graeber RA-08A,'' wrote Richard Bowen of WVCL-FM/Cool 95 to Scott Morris of Union Media, who is handling Graeber's ads.

The Williams campaign said the ad was slanderous.

There was some truth - if not the whole story - in the ad.

Williams' company, Alexander Builders Inc., was late in paying real estate taxes on several pieces of Chesapeake property from 1985 to 1994, according to city records.

But the past-due taxes are now paid, including penalties and interest, according to the Chesapeake real estate assessor's office.

Williams has been president of Alexander Builders Inc. since 1985. It is currently in good standing with the State Corporation Commission, officials said.

Williams admits to the late payments, saying townhouse rents weren't sufficient to pay all the taxes during those years.

The Graeber ad also accused Williams of having an ``unlicensed contractor complaint'' filed against Alexander Builders Inc. in 1985.

Notice of a complaint is on file in Richmond, but there is little additional information. Such complaints are exempt from disclosure under state Freedom of Information laws, and the file on this violation was destroyed after a standard three years, according to a letter from the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation.

Graeber's ad also accused Williams of operating without a contractor's license for three years.

Alexander Builders was without a contractor's license from April 1987 to October 1990, according to state records. However, Williams said the company was dormant during those years and did no building.

``We were not doing any business during that time,'' said Williams. ``From my best recollection, I'd bet on it.''

Also, Alexander Builders Inc. was sued in 1991 by a supplier for delinquent payments. The lawsuit was withdrawn after the case was settled out of court for $2,800.

``In every step of this, the Graeber campaign did exactly what it should do and was extremely careful,'' said Ray Allen of Marcus & Allen, a Richmond political consulting firm that is handling Graeber's media campaign.

And the Graeber camp had their own concerns about the dispute.

``The question I want to raise,'' Allen said, ``was that Don Williams was in possession of an ad over the weekend that he had no legal right to be in possession of.''

Williams' people claim to have recorded the ad on Monday after looking at public logs at the radio station. But Williams' letter warning Graeber about the ad was sent Sunday, before the commercial had run. ILLUSTRATION: Graeber

Williams KEYWORDS: CANDIDATES HOUSE OF DELAGATES RACE ADVERTISEMENT

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