THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 10, 1995 TAG: 9508100258
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Let's examine three common sense issues that should affect the
voter's decision in November. These issues are experience, benefits to
taxpayers and values.
Mr. Wright is knowledgeable about every area of the Clerk's job and duties.
He has an extensive background in both law and court cases and in drafting
codes and ordinances. As a businessman, he understands the needs of business.
Randy has expertise in handling records and documents by his many years on the
State Board of Commerce.
The taxpayer would benefit from Mr. Wright's election. He knows what it is
to be on a payroll and how to meet a payroll. He has balanced budgets both in
the private sector and in the public sector through his years on the City
Council. The total quality management leadership style embodied by Mr. Wright
will mean a large tax savings to voters and will also improve service.
The issue of values needs to be raised when evaluating any candidate. The
voters have read in the paper almost daily of Mr. Wright's community
involvement and service for more than a decade. You may not agree with his
every vote or action on Council or his opinion on a subject, but you can't
deny him the courage of his convictions. Anyone can call him at home or at the
office and get a return call and a reply. He is an elected official who is
honest and follows strict ethical considerations in his professional and daily
life.
Lastly, the voters should consider this: Most candidates for office are
seen only at election time. You can see Randy Wright's actions in the
community almost daily via TV and newspaper. What has his opponent done for
the citizens over the last 15 years?
Elizabeth F. Clark
Dellwood Drive
She's most appreciative
I would like to thank the Norfolk Police and Fire Department/Rescue Squad
for their promptness and professionalism at the time of an auto accident I was
involved in.
Also, two witnesses, as well as many others, immediately came to assist us.
I am sincerely grateful to each person who cared enough to give us their time
and compassion. This is a great place to live! Thank you.
Sally Miller
12th Street
Public housing debate
``City Talk'' is currently airing a conversation with the two co-chairmen
of the city's housing task force. The conversation gives a view of how city
government sometimes misses the boat, even though they've sailed that route
before. They seem beguiled as to how to solve the human dilemma of public
housing.
Norfolk once took the lead in issues affecting its citizenry. It took the
lead under the Federal Housing Act of 1949 and it got rid of its slums. Slums
were then a major burden on the city. Councilman Herbert Collins states that
public housing is now a burden on the inner city. Councilman Mason Andrews
concedes that the welfare of all of our citizens is interrelated. Still,
Norfolk is spending nearly a year to ``see what we can learn'' from other
places - really, what we can learn from other failed systems. The NRHA has
done enough studies to answer all of these questions. Once again we are
turning to the urban planners to solve very human problems.
Councilman Andrews says that an income mix should be one device used to aid
public housing. He points out how Columbia, Md., mandated an income mix and
did well with that concept. He neglected to state how Norfolk mandated just
the opposite. He says he wants jobs but has suggested in the past that the
city has no responsibility for making jobs.
Mr. Collins should be more accountable to the public housing community. As
co-chair, he should be able to name all the subcommittees. He should be more
familiar with the schedule and meeting places. He should be more visionary
when molding the lives of fellow citizens.
E. Lee Johnson
St. Denis Avenue
How much is $4 trillion?
The United States is the largest debtor nation in the industrialized world.
The U.S. debt is over $4 trillion. Congress is cutting programs and services
to reduce the deficit.
I have a solution to bring in revenue to the government in the billions to
further reduce the $4 trillion deficit.
But first, how much is $4 trillion?
If you counted a dollar a second, it would take 32 years to count a billion
dollars; 32,000 years to count a trillion dollars; 128,000 years to count $4
trillion (the current U.S. debt is between 4 and 4.5 trillion dollars).
A million $1 bills, if laid end to end, would reach from New York to
Philadelphia. A billion $1 bills would span the earth four times around the
equator. A trillion $1 bills would stretch 200 times the distance to the moon
and back. Four trillion $1 bills (our debt) would stretch 800 times the
distance to the moon and back.
A solution for government revenue to reduce the U.S. debt:
Seventy percent of all prison inmates are misdemeanor offenders. These
inmates should be used as prison labor for farmers to harvest their crops
throughout the United States. Federal, state and local authorities and the
inmates who do the work should share in the funds collected. Now, an inmate
receives $25 when released without a future job or any means of support.
Currently, there are 700,000 illegal immigrants who are harvesting crops
under slavelike conditions, costing federal, state and local governments
``millions'' to capture and detain them.
Bruce H. Banks
Pecan Point Road
A racist request
Thank you, Vice Mayor Paul Riddick, for showing that racism is alive and
well on the Norfolk City Council.
If one of the white members asked to set aside an area for white upper
class, the black residents would ask for a resignation.
I would like to thank the rest of City Council for the foresight of
creating more jobs in the city of Norfolk.
Lee Atkison
E. Ocean View
Misrepresenting support
So now the Republicans in Norfolk are so desperate to have Al Teich elected
that they have professional paid letter writers to the Editor. On July 27,
1995, in the Compass, a letter appeared that was written by S. Catron of East
Ocean View Avenue extolling the virtues of Teich and how much more qualified
he was than Randy Wright. In checking the public filings of candidate Teich,
there is an S. Catron of East Ocean View Avenue who received $771.50, a ``paid
consultant.''
Apparently the Teich campaign has to resort to paying for its Letters to
the Editor since there is little support in the community. After paying
$771.50, I think Mr. Teich would be very disappointed if Ms. Catron didn't
vote for him. It's pretty obvious now that Mr. Teich will resort to these
kinds of ``dirty campaign tactics'' to get elected to the position. Shame on
Al Teich and his paid Republican dirty tricksters!
I am a citizen volunteer for Randy Wright, not a ``paid consultant,'' and
want to bring to the attention of the good people of Norfolk that somebody is
trying real hard to pull the wool over your eyes. Randy Wright has worked hard
for the people of Norfolk in everything from PTA president, chairman of the
State Board of Commerce, Jury Commissioner, SEVAMP Executive Board, City
Planning Commission and elected member of the Norfolk City Council to name
just a few of the many areas he has served in. How is it Mr. Teich claims to
have run a business but was pulling in a state government check for supposedly
teaching full time at ODU? I thought teaching was a full-time job. Where did
he find the time to do both?
I resent the ``paid consultants'' trying to tell me who to vote for in the
position of Clerk of Court. It's even more clear to me now that we need Randy
Wright, who has a proven record of service to the community and is supported
by hundreds of community volunteers. Randy Wright doesn't need to pay people
to write his letters. We support Randy Wright because Randy Wright has
supported us for over two decades when we needed him, and we need him for
Clerk of the Court now. If Mr. Teich will mispresent his support with paid
letter writers, what else will he try to misrepresent to the voters?
L. Robert Layton
Bayville Street
Wright has experience
In her letter Mary Hamilton expresses dissatisfaction with her retirement
options and the candidates in the election of Clerk of the Circuit Court of
the City of Norfolk. If one wishes to look for something fulfilling, I
encourage people who are retired to volunteer at their church or a local
hospital.
In the election of Clerk of the Court, only one candidate has the
experience necessary to perform the Clerk's job in a cost effective manner.
Randy Wright is the clear choice in November for many reasons. One of his top
goals is to improve service by making the office user friendly to all
persons.
Mr. Wright was asked to seek the elected position of Clerk by key members
of both political parties. Mr. Wright has acquired strong support from
Norfolk's legal community as well as businesses and taxpayers. These groups
support Mr. Wright because he is the most qualified candidate. Randy has vast
experience on taxpayer issues, legal affairs and handling documents, fees and
licenses. Mr. Wright's abilities are known widely due to his years of service
to the community.
Let me close by giving the voters a simple analogy between Mr. Wright and
his opponent. Imagine you needed a surgeon. On one hand, you have a choice of
a man with 20 years' experience day in and day out; a man who has the
confidence and respect of his peers to a point where even his critics
recognize his ability to do the job. On the other hand is the prospect of
being forced to settle for a person who has no experience working in the
office he seeks and has not been active in community affairs for the better
part of two decades. Keep your hard-earned dollars in your pocket and vote for
Randy Wright, Clerk of Court in November.
Betty J. Graham
Moose Avenue
LENGTH: Long : 184 lines
Quoted out of context
The facts and truth are often the first casualties in any political contest. This is certainly the case in a recent paid political ad attacking Randy Wright, who is a candidate for Clerk of the Court of the City of Norfolk. Mr. Wright only stated that he intended to remain active in community affairs as he has done for over two decades. The quote attributed to him is both erroneous and out of context. by CNB