DATE: Wednesday, November 5, 1997           TAG: 9711050811

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A3E  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JOHN MURPHY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   44 lines

ATKINSON WINS 6TH TERM AS VA. BEACH TREASURER

If you have been happy with this city's treasurer's office for the last 20 years, you shouldn't have any problem with the next four.

Republican John T. Atkinson clinched his sixth straight victory Tuesday, easily beating Louis Miles Pace, an Independent who challenged the seat just so Atkinson would not run unopposed.

``I'm obviously very pleased,'' Atkinson said in a telephone interview from the Virginia Beach Republican Party celebration on Tuesday night. ``I had an opponent. He may not have been a full-fledged opponent, but he was an opponent. . . I'm happy to have four more years. Ain't it great?''

Voters said they trusted Atkinson's experience.

Charles Turner, a resident of the Foxfire neighborhood, said he put his support behind Atkinson because he was pleased with the job Atkinson has been doing. Turner said he didn't know anything about Pace.

Atkinson campaigned on his accomplishments while in office, including:

He created tax payments by credit card, increased the amount of city money available for investment, created a dog-license billing system, automated the tax lien collection system and developed on-line real-estate billing access.

Atkinson is considering a couple other changes, such as allowing taxpayers to send checks electronically and reducing his office staff.

Downsizing will be possible after all the water and stormwater fee bills - more than half of the 2.4 million bills his office processes - are handed over to the Hampton Roads Sanitation District next year.

His office collects revenues, invests city cash, balances the books, sells city decals and dog licenses and pursues delinquent taxes. The job pays $87,000. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Atkinson

Graphic

ATKINSON 78%

PACE 22% KEYWORDS: ELECTION VIRGINIA RESULTS VIRGINIA BEACH

TREASURER'S RACE

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