THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605090611
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN JOLLY DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WACHAPREAGUE LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Half the 188 registered voters in this tiny waterfront community turned out in the rain to vote on Tuesday.
One problem: the ballot was blank. No one had filed to run - not even the mayor or four of the six council members who wanted to return to office.
``We were so busy we forgot to file,'' Councilman John Richards said. The council, he said, was preparing an application for a $25,000 planning grant to upgrade sidewalks and street lighting.
``We were all hopping,'' Richards said. ``Then all of a sudden, somebody said, `WOW! Did anyone get the applications?' ''
When they realized their mistake, Mayor Roy Wallace and four council members printed a neon-green flier detailing their accomplishments and announcing their intention to run. They mailed them to constituents, appealing for write-in votes. The other two incumbents didn't want to be re-elected.
``I think we chipped in and bought 40 stamps,'' Richards said.
Down the road in Nassawadox, there was a 3-vote tie for one of the town council seats, so the office was filled by plucking a name from a tin can. Only three people had filed for six council seats. Write-in candidates won the other positions.
John Webb and Patrick Widgen got 3 write-ins each. To decide the tie, representatives of the Northampton County Electoral Board drew lots from a covered coffee can.
The cover was essential. It's mandated by state law.
Widgen won the draw, but officials aren't certain if he'll agree to serve. The same question is floating through a number of Eastern Shore towns where posts were filled by write-ins.
In Keller, no one ran for mayor. Bloxom and Painter each had three candidates for six town council seats. In Belle Haven, no one ran for recorder or for secretary of the council, and Hallwood was shy one candidate for town council.
Richards, the Wachapreague councilman, said none of the candidates in his town stood outside the polls to ask for votes. Townspeople already knew who wanted to do the unpaid work of running the community.
``It's the way of the Eastern Shore,'' Richards said. ``They've been doing it since Pocahontas. Everything is personal. Everybody knows everybody.'' ILLUSTRATION: HUY NGUYEN color photos/The Virginian-Pilot
Mayor Roy Wallace, right, Vice Mayor Reade Bonniwell, left, and City
Councilman John Richards were elected Tuesday - even though they
weren't on the ballot. They appealed to constituents, successfully,
for write-in votes.
John Webb and Patrick Widgen got 3 write-in votes each for city
council. Widgen won the drawing, but officials aren't certain if
he'll agree to serve. That's a concern in several other Eastern
Shore towns where posts were filled by write-ins.
Graphic
THE HIGHEST TURNOUTS
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
by CNB