Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 19, 1993 TAG: 9310190190
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From staff and Associated Press reports
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long
After five months of heated campaigning and negative advertising, Democrat Mary Sue Terry and Republican George Allen appeared to have much in common.
Allen and Terry agreed that creating jobs is the top priority for the next governor. And both disavowed the outcome-based education reform that Gov. Douglas Wilder scrapped after parents and others complained it focused too much on teaching values rather than academics.
"We'll begin in the Terry administration with a clean slate," Terry told the audience at WTVR-TV. Parents should teach values, she said, but "safety net programs" are needed for children who aren't taught values at home.
Allen said he would stress "not attitudes, but academics." He called for standardized testing of students every two years from fourth to 12th grades.
Terry promoted her plan to spend $100 million to hire more teachers for students at risk of failing.
Allen denounced the plan. He said early intervention programs should be "voluntary inner-city programs run by parents . . . as opposed to stultifying mandates from the state."
Terry said Allen supports vouchers for private school students "that could destroy the bedrock of public education in our schools."
Allen mentioned several times that his 5-year-old daughter attends public school in Albemarle County. Afterward, he declined to say whether he would send her to Richmond public schools if he's elected.
Terry said she would urge colleges to hold the line on tuition increases, offer more scholarships and consolidate degree programs. Allen said colleges should sign contracts with students pledging to hold tuition increases to the inflation rate.
"It's getting so only the wealthy elite can afford to go to colleges," he said. "We have to look at the consumer, the student."
Rick Pfamatter, a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate working as a waiter, asked the candidates how they would create jobs.
Allen promised to create "125,000 job opportunities," while Terry said "jobs will be my No. 1 priority."
The hour-long exchange took the form of a town meeting, with 35 undecided voters questioning the candidates in a TV studio. Instead on standing behind lecterns, Terry and Allen stood in front of the audience and answered questions in folksy tones, often relating stories about their families or personal experiences.
There were fewer negative attacks than in the first two debates, but both candidates tried to tie the other to unpopular politicians. Terry brought up Allen's support from "the radical right," while he asked about her backing of Democratic presidential candidates going back to Jimmy Carter, all of whom lost Virginia.
Terry did not respond directly, but recited her support of gun control, abortion rights and her opposition to school vouchers. She told reporters afterward, "This election is not about who I voted for for president."
The tensest moment came in the opening minutes of the debate, as the front-running Allen urged Terry to agree to a cease-fire on negative television ads and walked across the stage to challenge her to shake hands on it.
"George, I'll be happy to shake hands with you, but we'll have to talk about how these negative ads began," Terry replied.
And as the debate ended, the first thing that appeared on the Richmond television station in whose studio the debate took place was a Terry ad attacking Allen and linking him to religious broadcaster Pat Robertson.
During the debate, Allen accused Terry of refusing to authorize a state police investigation of former Petersburg City Councilman Clyde Johnson in 1986 when she was attorney general. Johnson, a Democrat, was eventually convicted of child molestation and sentenced to 120 years in jail. Allen said Terry refused three investigation requests by state police because Johnson was a political "crony."
"That's not true, George," Terry replied. She said she turned down an initial request because state police had not given her enough information to warrant an investigation. She was never asked to consider the matter again, Terry said, adding that Petersburg police were able to gather enough information on their own to convict Johnson.
"If there is an injustice there, I don't know what it was," Terry asserted.
Lt. Bill Rohde, a Petersburg police detective who worked on the case, said that because of Johnson's office, local police were concerned about possible ramifications for their department in investigating him.
Rohde said Terry's refusal to let state police take over the investigation did not impede Johnson's prosecution.
Elliott Wiser, WTVR's news director, said the campaigns couldn't agree until last Wednesday on the firm to choose the audience.
"That's why we only had 35 people in the audience," Wiser said. "If they'd had two weeks, more people would have come. They were still trying to contact people today."
Wiser also said the campaigns spent an hour last week haggling over what type of chair the candidates would use on stage. They finally settled on tall stools, but neither Terry nor Allen used them.
Keywords:
POLITICS
Memo: ***CORRECTION***