THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 1, 1995 TAG: 9509010485
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
The federal government has dropped its objections to Chesapeake's voting system, paving the way for the city to hold its first School Board election as early as February.
The decision, announced Thursday by Mayor William E. Ward and a trio of triumphant city councilors, means that voters will be allowed to elect nine School Board members at-large, instead of being limited to voting for candidates from their districts.
The U.S. Department of Justice had charged that Chesapeake's at-large system for council elections created a pattern of racially polarized voting. Virginia is one of eight states that, because of past voting-rights abuses, must have election plans approved by the federal government.
``Today, the taxpaying citizens have won a fight,'' said Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance Jr., who supported the at-large system. ``Chesapeake voters are not racist. . . . I think many more minorities will be elected in the future.''
Similar disputes between the Justice Department and other Hampton Roads cities initially suggested that the Chesapeake council might lose its bid to change justice officials' minds. Norfolk was forced to adopt ward voting districts in 1992, and Newport News did so in 1994.
But a Chesapeake City Council that was itself split on whether at-large or ward ballots would be best vowed to defend its tradition.
The council commissioned a study to back up its position, pointed to successful black representatives such as Ward and monitored court cases that seemed to be in Chesapeake's favor.
``Rather than assuming that we were wrong, which I think was what the Justice Department initially did, this decision was made on the basis of facts and data,'' said City Councilman John M. de Triquet.
The biggest break for the city may have been a ruling in June by the U.S. Supreme Court that barred the use of race as a predominant factor in creating voting districts.
``Because of that, more than anything else I think, the Justice Department reversed its decision,'' said City Attorney Ronald S. Hallman.
Justice Department officials have reserved the right to object to future elections if their suspicions of decreased minority representation on the School Board prove true.
``I hope that never happens,'' said Ward, who supported a ward system.
``I would encourage all of our citizens to endorse this, close ranks and elect the most qualified School Board and City Council candidates,'' he said.
Others who had criticized the at-large system were less conciliatory.
``I feel like it's an injustice,'' said March Cromuel Jr., president of the Chesapeake branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. ``What's going to happen now, possibly, with at-large, you can have the majority of the School Board coming from one segment of the city.''
In the two other Hampton Roads cities that have held School Board elections there's an even split - Virginia Beach has at-large voting and Suffolk has ballots by borough districts. Portsmouth officials are debating which system they will use for School Board elections scheduled for next May. They'll have to get their plan approved by the federal government, too.
Chesapeake city officials now must wrestle with the logistics of holding School Board elections more than a year later than they had planned.
Originally, four of the nine board seats were to be put on the ballot in May 1994. The other five would have come up for election next May.
Hallman said that a law passed this year by the state General Assembly may require the city to hold its first ballot in February, not normally an election month. The second ballot then could be held as soon as May. The details will be hammered out with the state Board of Elections.
``We want to have it figured out within the next several days,'' Hallman said. ``People have to have time to register and meet all the deadlines.''
State Del. Lionell Spruill Sr., a former City Council member, said he thinks February is too soon for voters and candidates to be ready.
``I think they need time for the citizens of Chesapeake to really check those candidates out and see if they'll do a good job for us,'' he said.
Cromuel said his group would begin strategizing right away.
``The only thing you can do in order to try to have good racial balance is to have African-Americans to run for positions on the School Board and hope and push,'' he said. ``This is where voter registration and voter education is so important. We just have to try to make sure that we get as many people registered as we can and get the vote out.'' by CNB