THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503120011
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 191 lines
City Council nominated eight residents last week to fill out the unexpired term of Councilman John D. Moss who is stepping down Wednesday to relocate to Tennessee.
The field includes two former council members and a former planning commissioner.
Those nominated were: Nony Abrajano, William J. Cashman, Judith Dockery, Harold Heischober, Manuel Hipol, Reba McClanan, Delceno Miles and Jody Wagner.
Hipol, a doctor and leader of the Filipino-American community pulled out Friday, in deference to Abrajano, another Filipino leader.
City Council members were each allowed one nomination. They will interview the nominees March 17 in public before deliberating behind closed doors.
Interviews suggested that Cashman, an engineer and former city employee, held an early lead. But Tuesday, council member Linwood O. Branch III asked the council to open the process to more candidates, because he was concerned that none of the eight could garner the six votes necessary to win.
``We may need to start agreeing on someone who's not nominated,'' Branch argued. The council decided to stay with its chosen process, but agreed to reopen the nominations if it is unable to select one of the candidates.
Following are quick sketches of the eight nominees.
Nony Abrajano, 50, has the chance to be Virginia Beach's first Filipino-American council member, representing one of the city's largest ethnic groups. It's a job he'd love to tackle.
In 1986 he retired from the Navy as a chief petty officer, where he was a yeoman. Since then, Abrajano has built several businesses in Virginia Beach, in financial services, import-export and wholesale, under the umbrella of AD International.
``I'm not looking for political advancement,'' Abrajano said. ``My goal, if I'm chosen, is to unite the Filipino-American community.''
Abrajano is a co-founder of the Filipino-American Community Action Group and helped found the Minority Round Table to bring together different groups. He also is on the citizens advisory committee for the Police Department's 4th Precinct.
``I'm interested in reducing crime in the city,'' Abrajano said. ``The youth gangs are getting out of hand. We have to take responsibility, we have to take ownership.''
Abrajano said the city has to find ways to bring new jobs into the city with businesses ``that don't have to consume too much water.''
William J. Cashman Jr., 46, an engineer and principal with Langley and McDonald, has a simple reason for wanting to be on the City Council: ``I think I can help.''
A self-described pragmatist, Cashman said he gets along with everyone on the council and generally agrees with the group's plans to control residential growth while encouraging commercial development.
The Kempsville resident is a former transportation planner with the city. He has led efforts to turn the Pembroke area into Virginia Beach's downtown.
Cashman's involvement may also work against him. The only criticism that has surfaced about him among council members is that his company, the largest engineering firm in southeastern Virginia, does so much work for the city that he would have to excuse himself from participation in major policy decisions. The firm's current projects include the proposed amphitheater, Corporate Landing office park and the Virginia Marine Science Museum expansion.
Cashman said the firm's work for the city and the development authority account for only about 3 percent of its billings.
Judith Dockery is no stranger to public service. She was on Virginia Beach's Planning Commission for eight years and is still a special justice for General District Court, handling mental commitment hearings.
Dockery, 58, is a lawyer in general practice, handling mostly civil and domestic cases and working as a certified mediator. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina and a law degree from Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary.
Dockery said she liked serving on the Planning Commission and being deeply immersed in the details of the city's development. ``I kind of miss not being involved in it,'' she said.
Yet she also said, ``I don't necessarily see this as my first step toward running for the council in '96. I don't have any burning ambition.''
Dockery is cautious about her opinions of the debate over reapportionment and wards. She said she has not seen Del. Robert Tata's (R-Virginia Beach) latest bill on reapportionment.
But of wards, she said, ``In general it appears that that's what the public wants. It appears it's going in that direction. I don't see a major problem, depending on how it's structured.''
Harold Heischober served on City Council from 1980 to 1992 and was mayor from 1984 to 1986.
Yet, even with that kind of inside track, Heischober was pessimistic last week.
``I don't think I'm going to get the votes,'' said Heischober. ``Probably the question is moot. I'm hearing eight or 10 different names.''
He said he is willing to serve out Moss' term, ``if I have what they need. I do have the time and the disposition, and I suspect I know enough to help someone.''
Heischober turns 75 on March 20, and knows some people might hold that against him.
``You'll hear from time to time, `You're too old,' '' he said. ``My answer is, in China and Russia I'd be too young. I do what I can do.''
Heischober sees planning and economic development as two of the biggest issues facing council.
``We're beginning to be a little more progressive in our planning,'' he said. ``The land planning, the agricultural reserve for the southern part of the city, those are very important in this stage of our development.
``One thing we need right now is an alternative to building roads. We need mass transportation. They say mass transit never pays for itself. Well, neither do roads.''
Dr. Manuel Hipol said he doesn't think it's appropriate for two Filipino-Americans to compete for the position.
``I think it's good for a unified Filipino community,'' he said.
Hipol said the first time he knew he was being considered was when he saw his name in the paper. No one on the council had approached him about being nominated, he said.
Hipol, a doctor since 1963, came to Virginia Beach while serving in the Navy in 1974. He retired from active duty in 1980 and is in the Navy Reserve. He spent six months in a field hospital in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War.
Reba McClanan is the other former council member being considered. Like Heischober, she served from 1980 until 1992. She left the council in '92 to run for mayor against Meyera Oberndorf. McClanan lost.
``People saw the story about Mr. Moss leaving the council and urged me to do it,'' she said. ``I guess the idea is that it might be easier to let someone have it who has been on the council before and wouldn't take as much to bring them up to speed.
``It depends on what they perceive as the kind of person they want. If it works out I'm delighted to do it. If it doesn't I certainly understand.''
McClanan, 57, said the city most of all needs a vision.
``I'm interested in developing a long-range plan by involving the citizens and the whole city,'' she said. ``We seem to move back and forth depending on who's elected to council.
``That's something the city of Norfolk is to be commended for . . . putting together a plan that emphasizes their assets. They put the plan in place and moved forward.''
On reapportionment, McClanan said, ``I'm not persuaded wards are the answer but I'm still listening to the arguments for it.''
One candidate already tried to get on the council by spending thousands of dollars and months of her time. Now, Delceno C. Miles wouldn't mind getting on an easier way.
``I've already publicly expressed my interest and concerns,'' she said. ``I truly care about the direction the city is going in. I'd like to have a say in that process.
``I don't have any delusions of grandeur here. I want to help people get the quality of life they expect.''
Miles, 34, is in her sixth year at Madison Miles, the public relations and advertising company she co-owns. She is a native of Virginia Beach.
Miles ran for City Council in 1990 and lost. She came to the city's attention again in 1993 when her firm took on Dixie Stampede as a client. Dixie Stampede proposed to build a Civil War theme restaurant and entertainment complex, but ran afoul of minority groups who protested the company's plans.
The company eventually withdrew its plans, but Miles, who is black, drew fire for representing them.
``I'm confident I was in sync with their wishes, so I don't consider that baggage,'' Miles said.
If she doesn't get the appointment, Miles said, she would still like to run for the council again.
Miles has served on several boards, including that of the STOP organization, the state Board of Professional and Occupational Regulation and the Commonwealth Industrial Development Advisory Board.
The opportunity to serve on the council came just in time for Jody M. Wagner, 39, a lawyer with Kaufman & Canoles. Wagner was already thinking about running for the council next year when this opening came up and friends encouraged her to go after it.
Wagner's chief public service for nine years was for United Way of South Hampton Roads where she worked in multiple capacities as a volunteer, including three years on the board of directors, until leaving there in 1993.
``When I completed my United Way service in '93, I sat back and assessed what we had been able to accomplish,'' she said. ``I started thinking certainly there is a place for community service, but maybe there's a more effective way for me to be spending my time and that might be in the political arena.''
Last year she attended the Virginia Institute for Political Leadership in Charlottesville.
``I've sort of been laying the groundwork,'' she said.
As a corporate lawyer, Wagner said, she looked at economic development in Virginia Beach and found ``a lot of room for improvement.''
Wagner said the Beach should concentrate on attracting more clean industry, assembly work and white collar work. MEMO: Staff writer Karen Weintraub contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: Nony Abrajano
William J. Cashman
Judith Dockery
Harold Heischober
Manuel Hipol
Reba McClanan
Delceno Miles
Jody Wagner
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL PROFILE NOMINATIONS CANDIDATES
by CNB