THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502080020
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
In response to ``Norfolk civic leagues will back Beach wards'' (news, Jan. 19): Not even the state should have a right to take from me the right to vote for the entire City Council of Virginia Beach. The entire council can be elected by one person if only one person shows up to vote.
The issue is not equal representation. At issue is the attempt by some to deprive me and every citizen of Virginia Beach of the right to elect our City Council.
We now have a right to vote for every council person and the mayor. Neither Les Fenlon nor his Council of Civic Organizations has the right to cut my vote by 54 percent.
Del. Billy Robinson of Norfolk says that wards would make elections less expensive. Will this newspaper give a cut rate for campaign advertisement, because only a small portion of its subscribers will be affected by the message? Will radio and television stations be able to keep their signals from going to a ward that is not affected by the campaigner's message?
It is time for the people of Virginia Beach to stand up and let the state legislators know that Mr. Fenlon and his CCO were not elected to represent us but our legislators.
Bill Harrison and the other council members who did not support the ward system need to be more active and more vocal on this issue. Election time is not far off.
CHARLES F. BOWDOIN
Virginia Beach, Jan. 23, 1995 by CNB