THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 11, 1995 TAG: 9503110285
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
William T. Ryan, the Clerk of the Circuit Court for the past decade, has agreed to retire and not run for re-election in exchange for a gentleman's agreement with City Councilman Randy Wright to retain the court's current staff, should Wright win the clerkship in November.
Both Wright and Ryan were seeking the Democratic nomination for the office. The office has an eight-year term and pays about $90,000 a year.
The agreement was worked out by Wright and Ryan's chief deputy, Gary Wright, who is not related to Randy Wright.
Councilman Wright said he was only being consistent with promises made last month to keep the existing staff.
``For someone who is coming in from outside, I would be crazy to walk in there and fire anyone,'' Wright said.
Ryan, 72, will end 34 years with the Norfolk courts, the last 10 as clerk. Ryan won in the regular election in 1987 for an eight-year term. He won a special election two years previously to complete the term of his predecessor.
Ryan said he reconsidered his decision to run again after Wright's show of force at a Democratic City Committee meeting last month.
Wright's supporters, including a majority of the City Council, packed an auditorium at Suburban Park Elementary School.
``I'm a realist,'' said Ryan from his office in Circuit Court.
The Democratic primary will be held in June. If no challengers emerge, Wright will take the nomination.
Several Republicans are considering running for the office, say some party members, although none has emerged as either a front-runner or a definite candidate.
Ryan supervises a staff of 50 with a payroll of $1 million annually.
Wright, who owns a printing shop, has little experience working within the court system but has said he will learn how to perform the job.
The existing staff is very good, Ryan said, and can run the office with little supervision.
Wright also has said he will make the office more of a center of power within the Democratic Party and the city, similar to how it operated during the days of William Prieur. Prieur was clerk for four decades until 1967. He was the local arm of the statewide Byrd machine. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
William T. Ryan, left, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, and City
Councilman Randy Wright, right, have reached a gentleman's
agreement.
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT by CNB