THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 3, 1996 TAG: 9605030501
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
In 1984, Bruce T. Benn was student body president of the senior class at the former John Yeates High.
His eight-year stint in the Marine Corps Reserves started with a bang: He finished boot camp as a lance corporal, the highest possible rank at that stage.
He taught school for about five years in Suffolk, Texas and Newport News.
And last year, after receiving his master's degree in educational administration, he landed a job as an assistant principal at Virginia Beach's Bayside High.
Benn, the youngest of six School Board candidates vying for three seats on Tuesday, is something of a Boy Wonder. Even so, some residents still view him through only one lens - as ``Mack's son.''
His father is former school district superintendent and board member Mack Benn Jr. The elder Benn, 68, was appointed to the board's Sleepy Hole seat in 1992.
``People may say I'm only doing it because of my father or because I'm following in his footsteps,'' said the 29-year-old Benn, referring to his campaign for the board's Sleepy Hole seat.
``But people who really know me know who I am and what I'm about. That will play more in my favor than anything else.''
Mack Benn stepped down from the board last year because he said he could no longer give the job his all. Clarice C. Johnson took his place, but she's not running to keep the seat.
In the Sleepy Hole race are: Benn; Robert M. Brooks Jr., a father of two school-age kids and an official with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control; and James E. Perkinson Jr., a Tidewater Community College building manager.
With three contenders, that seat attracted more candidates than the other boroughs with seats up for grabs: Whaleyville, where the Rev. Mark Croston Sr., the board's vice chairman, is running unopposed; and Nansemond, where board Chairman Arthur Smith is competing with retiree and former board member John R. Riddick Sr.
Could family ties make the difference in Sleepy Hole?
Old-timers say it's iffy.
``It probably doesn't make a difference one way or the other,'' said city activist and Sleepy Hole resident Talmadge Jones, who spearheaded the drive for an elected board in Suffolk.
``The apathy of people when it comes to these elections is really what scares the heck out of me,'' Jones said.
Perkinson, a Sleepy Hole challenger supported by the Education Association of Suffolk, took the high road.
All of the Sleepy Hole contenders have gained ``visibility'' in some way, so Benn's roots haven't been an issue, he said.
Brooks, the other Sleepy Hole challenger, agreed.
``It never really popped into my mind other than, `Bruce is Mr. Benn's son,' '' Brooks said when asked whether the father-son link spelled political advantage.
Mack Benn said he initially discouraged his son from running because of the time required to serve well.
Once he realized his son wanted to go for it, he said he supported the effort by tapping into his network and spreading the word about Bruce's candidacy.
Like any father would do, Bruce says.
Mack Benn downplayed possible advantages he might be able to offer his son on the campaign trail.
``I guess it depends on who's looking at it,'' he said. ``For some (the connection) could be viewed as a liability. It's hard to say.''
Mack Benn worked in the district for 35 years, retiring as superintendent in 1988. He was a key player in straightening out the board's financial troubles in 1991, when independent auditors found a $2.2 million deficit in the 1990-1991 school budget.
The bad publicity led to the ousting of former Superintendent C. Lindsey Suggs. Benn was asked to fill in as acting superintendent.
He returned to retirement when the state attorney general said he could not retire and then come back to his old job and collect a salary.
Benn the candidate - a bachelor who lives in the guest house behind his parents' home on North Shore Drive - said he wasn't counting on his dad's connections to help him win a seat.
He's quick to point out that he's holding his own in his administrative job in Virginia Beach, the state's second-largest school district.
And he's running, he said, to give back to his hometown by bringing a youthful ``spark'' to Suffolk's seven-member board.
``I've always looked at challenges, things to accomplish,'' Benn said.
``. . . I don't see (my youth) as a problem. Experience is very important, but sometimes you need someone with a spark, someone with the energy and enthusiasm to work through problems.''
Some of his ideas are familiar, however.
For instance, he's called for the addition of a high school ROTC program, as well as the creation of a daytime alternative program for troubled students.
Others also pitched those ideas in Suffolk's first board election two years ago.
However things turn out, Benn said he would be happy if he felt voters judged him primarily on his own accomplishments.
``To have a father like Mack Benn - who taught me so much and gave me the kind of tough love that made me who I am today - is always going to be an asset to anybody,'' he said.
``But in terms of politics, it's a decision voters have to make. They have to decide who has what they're looking for as a person.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Bruce T. Benn is the youngest of six School Board candidates vying
for three seats.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION SUFFOLK SUFFOLK SCHOOL BOARD RACE
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