DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9711020121

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   91 lines

COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE RACE IN NORFOLK PITS CHANGE, TRADITION

On the stump, Democrat Sharon M. McDonald says she would build a better mousetrap for the 21st century. Republican Charles E. ``Charlie'' Gibson tells voters he would stick with the tried-and-true, with a few adjustments to how the city's commissioner of the revenue office works.

Their rhetoric helps explain the unusual turn of political events last month when the retiring Democratic incumbent, Sam T. Barfield, announced he was crossing party lines to support Gibson.

Barfield, who has held the office for 28 years through seven elections, took exception to McDonald's aggressive talk about the need to improve customer service and efficiency of the office.

Gibson, who worked for 36 years in the commissioner's office, has not missed an opportunity to lavish praise on his former boss.

Before retiring last year, Gibson was Barfield's senior chief deputy.

The effect of Barfield's endorsement on Tuesday's election is unclear, but it has sharpened the race.

In campaign appearances, McDonald, 42, tells voters that the decision is simple.

``Your choice is between the past and the future,'' she told high school students at Norfolk Collegiate during a visit last week.

McDonald, who has a background in banking and business, calls herself ``an agent of change.'' She pledges to eliminate long lines by expanding satellite offices and hours for citizens' convenience. She also says she'll set up Internet access to the office and run the place ``like a business, not a bureaucracy.''

She touts her educational background - a master's degree in business administration from Old Dominion, and her business experience, including running a firm specializing in conflict resolution.

Gibson, 64, tells voters that they'd want an experienced doctor if they needed heart surgery, and then he pitches his ``EKG'' slogan: ``Experience, Knowledge, Gibson.''

Gibson, who ran the office's business license division before retiring, promises to offer neighborhood outlets during the peak tax season, and to maintain the professional atmosphere of the office and its ``open-door'' policy.

While Gibson acknowledges that he doesn't have a long educational record - he doesn't have a college degree - he says his on-the-job experience gives him an edge.

``I am putting my experience out there,'' Gibson told the same group of Norfolk Collegiate students. ``I feel more like the incumbent.''

The commissioner of the revenue assesses the tax value of personal property, issues business licenses and fees, and assists residents with state income tax forms.

McDonald contends that there are innovative ways to do the job. At a recent candidates' night, when asked how they would fund satellite offices, McDonald said she envisioned opening offices in libraries and in recreation centers, which wouldn't cost the city any money.

McDonald also said she would work with employees to provide flexible hours, enabling the office to extend working hours for customers.

Gibson said that a field office at Military Circle costs the city about $65,000 to staff. He said field offices could be opened on a temporary basis during peak business cycles, such as renewal time for car decals, when lines have been known to snake out of City Hall. Gibson also said he wanted to hire 10 additional auditors to increase collection of business taxes.

Both candidates are making their first run for elective office. Gibson has had a little more seasoning on the campaign trail: In a three-candidate GOP primary in May, Gibson won handily with 58 percent of the vote.

McDonald, who has close ties to the city's Democratic Party and has helped raise funds for numerous candidates, is having her efforts repaid.

As of Sept. 30, McDonald had raised $46,983 in contributions, more than twice as much as Gibson's $21,740, according to contribution reports.

The Norfolk City Democratic Committee had given McDonald $4,000 as of Sept. 30, her largest single donation. Suburban Management Corp., a Norfolk real estate management firm, donated the Wards Corner office that McDonald set up as campaign headquarters, a contribution valued at $11,250 through Sept. 30.

Gibson's largest single donor, as of Sept. 30, was Norfolk businessman Frank E. Spicer Sr., who has given $1,250.

While the candidates say they would run the office without regard to partisan politics, the election is considered significant by both parties. In recent years, the GOP has shown its muscle by winning three of five of Norfolk's constitutional offices: sheriff, clerk of the Circuit Court and commonwealth's attorney.

Winning the commissioner of the revenue seat would expand the GOP's bragging rights, if nothing else.

The treasurer's office, held by Democrat Joseph T. Fitzpatrick, will remain Democratic. Fitzpatrick is running unopposed this election. ILLUSTRATION: Photos

Gibson

McDonald KEYWORDS: ELECTION VIRGINIA NORFOLK COMMISSIONER OF THE

REVENUE RACE CANDIDATES

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