THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 4, 1996 TAG: 9604040326
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Six incumbents and three challengers with ties to education or local government recently received endorsements from the political arm of the city's education association.
The group has endorsed candidates in the city's first School Board election and a regular City Council election, which will be held May 7. Five board seats, three council seats and the mayoralty are up for grabs.
Overall, 26 candidates are running for office: 16 for the board, seven for council and three for mayor.
For the board, the Portsmouth Education Association's Political Action Committee endorsed:
Lawrence W. I'Anson Jr., Louise G. ``Sis'' Walden and board Vice Chairman James E. Bridgeford - all incumbents; retired health department administrator V.W. ``Vic'' Goodman; and David I. Joyner, an Old Dominion University education professor.
For council:
Incumbents Bernard Griffin and Cameron Pitts; and current School Board chairman J. Thomas Benn III.
For mayor:
Mayor Gloria O. Webb.
It's hard to say how much of a factor the endorsements will be, especially since few residents view the group as a major political player in city politics.
Several of the endorsed candidates said the group's help wouldn't hurt. But they also said an endorsement was not tantamount to being in the PEA's hip pocket.
``I think during the talk I had with them, the only real commitment I made is that I would be available to answer questions and that I could be a voice for them if they had a concern and it was something I felt I could support,'' Goodman said.
David E. Hylton Jr., a city teacher and chairman of the PEA-PAC, said each of the nine candidates would receive a $150 contribution.
Endorsements also may bring in-kind support, such as teachers or other district workers offering to help candidates on the campaign trail.
The education association itself has about 1,000 members.
``We were looking for balance . . . and people who were not concerned only with single issues,'' Hylton said.
Council and board candidates were asked to complete questionnaires and attend screening interviews. Hylton said two candidates did not participate or did not participate fully: Board candidate North E. West and Rafiq Zaidi, who's running for a council seat.
West recently said he planned to drop out of the race. He said a business contract would require him to spend a lot of time out-of-town over the next six months.
He also said he did not anticipate media scrutiny of his business dealings described in public records.
Zaidi could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Some of the issues the PAC asked candidates to address: Their vision for the district, salaries of teachers and other district workers, community elementary schools, magnet programs and school privatization.
In 1993-94, the School Board investigated, and later dropped, the idea of hiring a for-profit company to run several city schools. The idea is commonly referred to as ``privatization.''
Like its parent organization - the National Education Association - the PEA has opposed the employment of for-profit companies to manage public schools. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Bridgeford
Goodman
I'Anson
Walden
Joyner
by CNB