THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 10, 1995 TAG: 9506100265
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUSIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BOYKINS LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
A street separates the Francis and Grizzard homes on Pinecrest Drive, but politics divides the families who've lived across from one another for years in this small Southampton County town.
In April, Inga E. Francis - on one side of the street - challenged Richard C. Grizzard - on the other side - for his job. For 28 years, Grizzard has been commonwealth's attorney for Southampton County and the city of Franklin. He's not ready to retire.
On Tuesday, the candidates will vie for the Democratic nomination for the post, capping what has not been a friendly contest.
``She's not my neighbor,'' Grizzard said, as the campaign neared its end. ``She lives in the same neighborhood.''
Francis, 37, believes Boykins - population about 800 - is big enough for both candidates. She's running, she said, because she wants the job.
She's always wanted to be a prosecutor. ``It's what I went to law school for,'' said Francis, a Fairfax County native who moved to Boykins in 1987 when she married the town's mayor, a law school classmate.
But Grizzard, 56, believes he should keep the job. And he hopes a majority of the 12,064 voters agree.
``I think I'm doing an excellent job,'' said Grizzard, whom associates have described as gruff and no-nonsense.
``I'm still a prosecutor,'' said Grizzard, who was raised in Branchville, about seven miles from Boykins. ``I always have been.''
Grizzard, with one full-time assistant, prosecutes cases ranging from petty larceny to murder.
Until recently, Grizzard and Francis limited their sparring to the courtroom. Their families had always been cordial enough, waving in passing, Francis said.
Now, she and her husband, Richard L. Francis, her partner in a private law practice on Main Street, are the only ones waving, she said.
Still, her 3-year-old often wanders across to Grizzard's yard, and his Chesapeake Bay retriever romps in theirs, she said.
Paul Edwards, who owns Boykins Florist on Main Street and who lives in another of the dozen or so homes in the neighborhood on the south of town, says both candidates are his friends. And both are extremely qualified.
``I wouldn't want either one across the table from me,'' he said.
Grizzard's campaign style matches his demeanor in dealing with the media about legal matters. Tight-lipped, he never comments on a case before court, and rarely afterward. To sway voters, he stands upon his reputation as a tough prosecutor, simply listing his lengthy credentials in newspaper ads.
In contrast, Francis has specifically stated how she would run the office, if elected.
She models her plan, she said, on the mentors she had worked under for nearly five years - the commonwealth's attorneys in Fairfax County, Abingdon, Tazewell and Suffolk.
She will be open with the public. She will notify victims, witnesses and jurors ahead of time about schedule changes.
``That is the way I was trained to do the job,'' she said.
She won't take campaign contributions, she said, so she can't be accused of owing anyone a favor. And she will enforce laws without regard to financial standing or race.
She also wants to forge a community partnership to work with youth to help deter youth crime.
She promises to push for the death penalty when applicable. And if she accepts a plea agreement - allowing a defendant to plead guilty to a lesser offense to gain a less severe punishment - she will explain why.
``There may be the best reasons in the world for those plea bargains,'' she said. ``But if the people aren't told that, that leaves them wondering.''
Francis would have worked for the man who is now her opponent, she said. But he didn't hire her last summer when his assistant's post was made full-time and his former assistant left for a higher paying position in Suffolk.
``I feel I would have made a difference in the office,'' said Francis, who is known for her sensitive handling of sexual abuse cases.
She believes the assistant's job would have made her the front-runner to replace Grizzard when he retires. Now, she believes, the person he hired - a newcomer to Southampton County - would probably have that advantage when his boss steps aside.
The winner of Tuesday's Democratic primary will probably be unopposed in the November general election because no independent or Republican candidate has filed.
The filing deadline is 7 p.m. Tuesday, the same time the polls close for the primary.
And soon after that, when the ballots are tallied, the voters will have decided on which side of a Boykins street the Democratic candidate for commonwealth's attorney should live. ILLUSTRATION: Francis
Grizzard
KEYWORDS: CANDIDATES COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY by CNB