DATE: Friday, June 6, 1997                  TAG: 9706060612

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY TONI GUAGENTI, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   89 lines

AT BEACH, GOP RACE FOR REVENUE CHIEF TAKES A NEGATIVE TURN MORAL CHARACTER AND CAMPAIGN TACTICS BECOME ISSUES FOR RICHARDS VS. RICHARDSON.

Henry H. Richardson III would like Beach voters to think about what he promises to do for them in the future. The campaign run by his opponent, Rickie L. Richards, would like voters to think about what Richardson has done in the past.

Both are vying for the Republican nomination in Tuesday's primary for commissioner of the revenue in Virginia Beach.

What's typically a nondescript elective post has suddenly taken on the tone of a bigtime national horse race in which the moral character of at least one of the candidates is called into question while campaign tactics of the other are under fire.

Richardson, a hotel owner, says he has stuck to the issues: repealing the personal property tax, creating neighborhood offices, making customer service his top priority.

The commissioner of the revenue's primary task is to fairly assess the value of personal property, such as cars, boats and business equipment.

This week, though, Richardson's opponent raised the issue of integrity by releasing his Virginia Beach criminal record, which showed no violations. He called on his opponent to do the same.

A standard background check by The Virginian-Pilot confirms that Richards has no criminal record.

The same check of Richardson's history revealed that he was convicted of driving while under the influence in 1993.

Richardson said Thursday he's been up-front with the GOP about his conviction, after which he took eight Alcohol Safety Action Program classes to regain his license, which was suspended for six months.

Richardson said he made a mistake.

``I abhor drinking and driving, quite frankly,'' Richardson said. ``I think I've paid whatever debt was due; it never happened before, it'll never happen again.''

Richardson says his community service record since that time speaks for itself, including working with the second police precinct at the Oceanfront to solve the drunken driving problem in the resort area.

``I've just tried to focus on the positive to make my life productive,'' he said. ``I've got two children. I obviously don't want them killed by a drunk driver.''

That community service and his life working in the private sector separate him from the other candidate, he said.

Richards says he, too, has stuck to the issues: emphasizing efficiency and improved customer service, eliminating the personal property tax, and using technology to increase services and simplify procedures.

The two don't differ all that much on the office's function and its future role. The winner of the November election will earn a minimum of $87,389.

Richards said he's tried to show the differences between the two: Richards is a 21-year veteran of the Virginia Beach Finance Department, while Richardson runs three resort hotels with his family. Richards, a CPA, has a degree in business administration from Old Dominion University, while Richardson went to college for two years.

Richards said he's the best candidate to challenge the Democrats in November. The Democrats' nominee is Philip J. Kellam, who works in the commissioner's office with retiring incumbent Robert P. Vaughan, who is also a Democrat.

``There is nothing in my background that would hurt my candidacy,'' Richards said.

Richards said he didn't want to bring up his opponent's DUI.

The press release on Richards' criminal record came from his campaign manager, Paul Merullo, Richards said Thursday.

``Paul Merullo said it would be a good idea'' to ask Richardson to release his record, said Richards, who's seeking his first elective office.

``I intended not to bring up anything about his background,'' Richards said. ``I was just making the statement that I don't have anything out there; I did not see the press release.

``It was not my intent to sling any mud. If (the DUI) came out, it came out; I was not going to be the one who did it.''

But the tone of the race has left a sour taste in the mouths of some Beach Republicans.

``I'm disappointed that there are those type of accusations that have come into the campaign,'' said J.P. Godsey, head of the Beach's Republican Party. ``We as a party wanted to focus on the high ground, on the issues for the citizens of Virginia Beach into the next century.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos

Henry H. Richardson III was convicted in 1993 of driving under the

influence. ``It'll never happen again,'' he says.

Rickie L. Richards blames his campaign manager for a news release

asking their opponent to reveal his own legal past. KEYWORDS: ELECTION COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE VIRGINIA BEACH

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