THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 16, 1995 TAG: 9507150207
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANCIE LATOUR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
A civic activist has come forward as an independent candidate for City Council in November's special election.
William H. ``Bill'' Pierce will challenge Republican Dalton S. Edge for the seat left vacant when former Vice Mayor Arthur L. Dwyer stepped down amid accusations of misconduct and abuse of power.
For Pierce, the slogan of ``Dignity, Decency and Decorum'' has already emerged as the core of his campaign. He said he hopes to lift the city out of the ``history of scandal'' that created the very seat for which he is running.
``The whole operation of city government has been characterized by scandal and contentiousness,'' said Pierce, 63. ``If you look back to 1990, we had a mayor who stepped down because of misconduct. In 1995, we had a vice mayor who stepped down because of misconduct. And in between, there are too many scandals for me to mention.
``I think the majority of people in Chesapeake has lost confidence, and we are tired of being held up to ridicule,'' Pierce said.
The Rivercrest resident said he is counting on his maturity and experience to restore professionalism to council deliberations.
A retired management analyst for the U.S Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army, Pierce pledged to make government more cost efficient as the city continues to respond to the increasing demands of residential growth.
High among his priorities is ending what he described as the duplication of similar services within the school system and City Hall.
``I'm hoping that I can convince others that there is a better way to do business,'' Pierce said. The civic activist said the city could save up to $15 million by consolidating personnel, transportation and other services that now exist separately for schools and the rest of the city.
But even more important to Pierce is an issue in which he has a personal stake: the election of school boards in Chesapeake.
In 1993, as a member of the Chesapeake Taxpayers' Association, Pierce spearheaded an effort to collect more than 13,000 signatures calling for a referendum on elected school boards.
Since that time, the mandate has stagnated, as the council continues to fight against charges of racially polarized voting leveled by the Justice Department.
Under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the federal agency must approve any change in elections in most Southern localities, including Chesapeake. The agency has denied the city's request to implement its traditional at-large method for the school board, ruling that it dilutes minority voting power.
In a council meeting on Tuesday, Pierce took to the lectern and criticized the city for the prolonged delay in holding school board elections.
``Everyone in the city wanted an at-large system, including me,'' Pierce said later in an interview. ``But if it becomes that unrealistic, the city should have had public hearings and asked the public whether they wanted the city to litigate or whether we should come up with a plan that satisfied the Justice Department so we could hold elections as soon as possible.''
Unlike council members who also run businesses and work in full-time jobs, Pierce said that, as a retiree, he would make his council position his full-time job.
He pledged to keep regular office hours five days a week so citizens will have access to him. As an independent, Pierce said, he would have another important advantage: He would not be beholden to any party agenda or outside interest groups that could influence his vote.
A member of the Chesapeake Groundwater Committee, Pierce received an undergraduate degree in history from Troy State University, and a master's degree in public administration from Auburn University. Both schools are in Alabama. He is a native of Reno, Nev. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
William H. ``Bill'' Pierce
Counts on his maturity, experience
by CNB