THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996                 TAG: 9603090126
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON    PAGE: 18   EDITION: FINAL 
SERIES: COVER STORY: MAY 7 ELECTION 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   51 lines

IT'S A CROWDED FIELD: 60 PEOPLE ARE RUNNING FOR SEVEN SCHOOL BOARD SEATS AND FIVE SEATS ON THE CITY COUNCIL IN THE MAY 7 ELECTION.

COMPETITION WILL BE fierce but uneven for the seven open seats on the School Board.

Fifty people have qualified to run in the May 7 election, but candidates for the Blackwater and Beach Boroughs are unopposed, and only three people are vying for the Princess Anne Borough seat, and five for the Lynnhaven spot. By contrast, 16 residents have qualified to run for a 2-year at-large seat and 24 people are running for two 4-year at-large seats.

Only four board candidates have ever run for public office before, and only one sitting board member is running. Donald F. Bennis, who has served on the board since he was appointed by the Circuit Court last year, was one of two board members not asked by the special grand jury to step down because of the district's financial problems.

In the council races, 10 candidates are vying for five seats.

Again, the Blackwater Borough and Beach Borough races are uncontested; the at-large seat, with four candidates, will be the most hotly contested. The mayor has a single challenger. All but two of the 10 candidates have run before for elected office.

All the borough seats will hold only two-year terms to allow for redistricting in 1998. At that time, the city's district lines will be shifted to roughly equalize the populations of the seven districts. Now, Blackwater has fewer than 1,000 residents, the Beach Borough has about 8,000, and Kempsville has about 150,000.

Voters also will be asked to consider changing the system of electing their council and School Board members. Voters who like the current system - in which residents can vote for all 11 council and board members - should vote ``yes'' on the May ballot question. Voters who would prefer a modified ward system, in which the seven district representatives would be elected only by the residents of their district, should vote ``no.'' MEMO: This report was compiled by Lori Denney, Steve Earley, Lorraine

Eaton, Kevin Elliott, Jon Glass, Tom Holden, Patty Jenkins, Aleta Payne,

Bill Reed, Vanee Vines, Phil Walzer, Denise Watson and Karen Weintraub.

Photos and short profiles of all candidates are part of this series.

KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD

CANDIDATES ELECTION by CNB