THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 12, 1995 TAG: 9510100068
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
WALKER AND EDUCATION
The editorial in The Virginian-Pilot on Sept. 29 entitled ``School Bus Democrats'' prompted me to write in support of Stanley Walker.
Sen. Walker's concern for full educational opportunities for all age groups has resulted in the restoration of funding for the Norfolk campus of Tidewater Community College, which had been threatened. Of equal importance to him was funding for Old Dominion University, Norfolk State and the Medical College of Hampton Roads. Our public schools, likewise, have benefited from Sen. Walker's efforts to increase financial support for them. His years of experience and devoted service have paid off for us in many ways.
As stated in the editorial, equating good schools with good jobs makes sense. Hopefully, the people of the 6th Senatorial District, when they go to the polls on Nov. 7, will see the importance of equating a good education with producing more responsible, concerned and productive citizens.
Mary Turner Chase
Powhatan Court
I'm sure that as fall approaches, the candidates for General Assembly will be telling us all of their reasons why we should vote for them.
When it comes to our candidates' positions on public education, Sen. Stanley Walker of the 6th District leaves his opponent behind in nursery school. Sen. Walker has long been a supporter of public education. He even served on the Norfolk School Board. As chairman of the Early Childhood and Day Care Commission and the Commission on Equity in Public Education, Sen. Walker has worked hard to improve access to preschool programs for children who otherwise could not attend. He was also instrumental in reducing class sizes in grades K-3 at schools where there are a high number of at-risk students.
As a result of Sen. Walker's efforts, the Norfolk Public Schools will receive an additional $5.2 million this school year. Sen. Walker understands the role that technology plays in the workplace, and in an effort to prepare our children for the future he helped to provide $1.5 million for technology for the Norfolk Public Schools.
Kate Sterling
East Glen Road
HE'LL VOTE FOR WRIGHT
I am both mystified and baffled by the mean-spirited attack on Randy Wright by the Republicans. What is so perplexing is that the Republicans approached Randy Wright last year and asked him to run for the Clerk of Court job as a Republican.
It's apparent that the Republicans considered him qualified then, but now that he is not running as a Republican, he isn't qualified. Is there some kind of divine anointing when you become a Republican that makes you qualified for any public office you want to run for, but if you are not a Republican, you are not qualified?
In my view, if the Republicans thought he was qualified last year, he is still qualified now, no matter his political party affiliation. What most voters are not aware of is that the Clerk of Court office, unlike any other government agency, is run like a business. It runs from the fees collected for services, so in fact, qualifications are an issue, because the only candidate with business experience, who knows how to make a profit and run a consumer oriented business, is Randy Wright.
I just think the Republicans are mad because Randy Wright wouldn't run as a Republican and now they want to try to falsely discredit him. I will vote for Randy Wright. He is the only one whom both political parties agree is qualified. If the Republicans really didn't think he was, why did they ask him to run?
Don Williams
East Ocean View Avenue
PREPARE FOR A GHOST MALL
And so the prophecy said: Norfolk will have to bail out Nauticus! My fellow taxpayers, I have another dark prophecy to warn you of. Get ready to bail out the new MacArthur Center when it becomes a ghost mall.
Jacqueline M. Welch
Bayberry Drive
A BETTER USE FOR 17 ACRES
They say MacArthur Center will be different because it will have upscale shoppers and the local public will not need to journey to Washington or New York to shop.
I am not personally acquainted with anyone who goes to New York or Washington to only shop. Shopping is often a reason given to explain a trip to explore, dine or partake of entertainment. How much can you carry on an airplane?
Many of us recall the opening of Waterside and the excitement and indeed the upscale shops included in Waterside. The excitement waned, possibly due to familiarity or parking difficulty.
Meanwhile, Williamsburg, Annapolis, St. Michael's and Charleston are mobbed by sneaker-clad shoppers, some who arrive by bus and many who spend a length of time. It's the atmosphere and the lack of an indoor mall. Malls are boring, actually, and of interest mainly to the bored.
A better use for this fabled 17 acres would be shops, boutiques, restaurants, taverns, some residences and green growers. The 17 acres were indeed mixed residential and commercial until sometime in the 1950s. The area is now bordered by St. Paul's Church, circa 1790; Freemason Baptist Church, 1846; the Courthouse (MacArthur Memorial), 1850; the Moses Myers and Willoughby Baylor Houses, both from the 18th century.
I submit that a less expensive use of this valuable space would be to re-create mid-19th century Norfolk to house shops, restaurants, green spaces, benches and such. An area like this would not only be special and not duplicated in Tidewater but would enhance Waterside, Nauticus, Freemason Street, the hotels and waterfront.
A mall will have a food court and restaurants, and people will not leave to visit elsewhere. People will do what they do at other malls, which is go quickly to their automobiles and go home. And we have made it easy to go home from Norfolk with roads leading out of town.
Fred Bashara
One Commercial Place by CNB