THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 4, 1996 TAG: 9611020015
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 36 lines
In his article ``Conference center is needed'' (Another View, Oct. 16), Chesapeake Mayor William E. Ward severely chastised The Pilot for a series of articles documenting how the city of Chesapeake conducted the procurement process for this project. These articles, plus numerous letters to the editor in the Chesapeake Clipper, raised valid concerns regarding the propriety of the procurement process.
Mayor Ward's basic premise is that what is legal is right. Based on this premise, he justifies his tirade against anyone who questions the propriety of the convention center initiative by challenging them to prove that anyone acted illegally or improperly.
In this regard, Mayor Ward's tactics are improper and his logic flawed. Every citizen has the right to not only expect but to demand that the conduct of public business is beyond reproach. A paraphrase of 1st Thessalonians 5:22 is, ``Avoid the very appearance of evil.'' If the spirit and intent of this guide had been employed by Chesapeake officials, questions regarding the propriety of the convention center would never have been raised.
In addition, every citizen has a right to insist that public business is conducted in the most cost-efficient manner. Numerous citizens, regardless of political affiliation, have been outraged at the lease-purchase method of funding this project. A bad business decision is the only way to describe this method of funding the convention center.
In my opinion, the Pilot articles on the convention center constitute a masterful piece of investigative reporting. The writers obtained factual information from city records and presented their findings to the public in a fair and responsible manner.
BILL PIERCE
Chesapeake, Oct. 23, 1996 by CNB