THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 26, 1994 TAG: 9410260475
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Without discussion Tuesday, the City Council voted to transform itself from an at-large body to one elected by districts.
The decision came almost a year after the council failed to come to a consensus on reapportionment, triggering a petition drive and a public vote in favor of change.
The measure passed 6-to-5 - not a resounding victory, but good enough for Maury Jackson, the Council of Civic Organizations member who launched the successful petition drive.
``After four years,'' Jackson said, ``I'm glad to see we've finally crossed this hurdle.''
Council members Robert K. Dean, Barbara M. Henley, John D. Moss, Nancy K. Parker and Louisa M. Strayhorn, and Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf supported the new voting plan. Councilman John A. Baum, Linwood O. Branch III, W.W. Harrison Jr., Louis R. Jones and W.D. Sessoms Jr. opposed it.
Three City Council members and the mayor would still be elected citywide, but seven council members would be elected only by residents in their ward. Now, those seven members are all elected at-large, even though each must live in the borough he or she represents.
The state legislature, which must approve any change in the city's charter, is expected to take up the proposal next year. If approved, the new system would take effect in 1998.
Del. Robert Tata, who represents the Beach's R-85th District, said he thinks the General Assembly will not be deterred by the council's lack of consensus.
``Even though it's a split vote on the City Council, it would be hard to overturn what the people voted for,'' he said.
But Del. Harry R. Purkey, R-82nd District, was not as convinced by the vote and said he's not sure his constituents want a new form of government. Residents in his district are ``not thrilled with the ward system,'' Purkey said. The district includes the Kings Grant-Little Neck area and the North End of the beach, along the Great Neck corridor.
``If the voters in my district come back and tell me this is something they want, certainly I'm there to represent the voters,'' he said. ``I've just not seen that message at this point.''
If the Virginia Beach delegation is as divided on the issue as the council was, Purkey said the legislature might not approve a change.
``I get the feeling that if our delegation doesn't come to Richmond overwhelmingly in favor of this issue, that the rest of the body will tend not to go along with it,'' he said. ``A 6-5 vote (on council) doesn't seem to be a mandate.''
Henley and Strayhorn said they didn't agree personally with a ward system but would vote for it because the voters had. Parker, Dean, Moss and Oberndorf also said the voters persuaded them to support reapportionment.
Sessoms and Baum said they thought many voters had misunderstood the ballot's intent.
Voters were asked to give their opinion in an advisory referendum held in May. They approved reapportionment by a 51 percent majority in the nonbinding ballot.
A number of people who voted for the measure, however, said later that they had misunderstood its purpose. What they support, they said, is not a ward system, but council districts of equal size.
Now, districts range in size from fewer than 1,000 people to more than 100,000.
``I frankly think there are ways the city needs to perhaps change the representation,'' Purkey said. ``But I'm not sure that this referendum was an accurate barometer. For a lot of reasons. One of the reasons was the smallness of the sample.''
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL WARD SYSTEM by CNB