DATE: Wednesday, September 17, 1997         TAG: 9709170724

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A4   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: FOCUS: ELECTION '97
DECISION '97

                                            LENGTH:  150 lines

86TH DISTRICT WHY ARE YOU RIGHT FOR THE JOB? THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES IN SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS' CONTESTED RACES TALK TO CITIZENS.

BEVERLY ``BEV'' GRAEBER

Born: June 14, 1936, Norfolk

Years living in city/district: 31

Education: Columbia University, New York, N.Y.; The College of William and Mary, Norfolk division, majored in sociology.

Occupation: Professional volunteer

Party affiliation and official endorsements: Republican. Endorsed by Gov. George F. Allen; U.S. Senator John W. Warner; U.S. Rep. Tom Davis; Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Griffith; Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe; Norfolk Clerk of Court Al Teich.

Political experience/community service: Borough council member, Madison, N.J., 1983-1985; School Board member, Madison, N.J., 1975-1981; president of the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital's auxiliary; chairwoman of Alice Davis Circle at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters; Crime Prevention Coalition; Riverfront Civic League; Virginia Symphony Board; sustainer advisor to the Junior League; elder at First Presbyterian Church of Norfolk; volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, the Sentara Breast Cancer Center, and the Homeless Shelter and Soup Kitchen.

How citizens can reach you: Friends of Bev Graeber, 1329 Laurel Crescent, Norfolk, VA 23505, 489-1449; 489-9686 (fax)

All of my adult life, I have worked and volunteered to make my community a better place to live, work, and raise a family. I want to bring this same energy and dedication to Norfolk as your delegate. I'm not running for office for personal gain or to enhance my career. I am running for the House of Delegates because I truly believe that, by working together, we can make a positive difference in our community. The major concern facing our district over the next two years will be how, as neighbors, we can work together to make Norfolk an even better place in which to live.

The first step toward this goal is the improvement of our school system. As a product of Norfolk Public Schools, I know how important quality public education is to our children's future. Having served on four different school boards, I have seen firsthand how we must stress the basics in education, equipping our children with solid foundations in reading, writing and arithmetic. Each child is unique, with his or her own specialized needs. By reducing the size of our classrooms, we will be able to provide our children with the one-on-one attention that they need in order to excel. Through the hiring of more teachers, we can ensure that those students who may fall behind receive the necessary remedial help.

We must also recognize that children learn best in classrooms with discipline and structure. We must work closely with teachers and administrators to make sure that they receive the support they need to maintain control of the classroom.

The second step to improving our community is the creation of jobs and opportunity, which goes hand in hand with education. A better educated work force leads to higher paying jobs and is attractive to businesses wishing to relocate.

Small businesses are vital to a thriving economy. They create the most jobs and produce twice as many new products and services. We must work to reduce burdensome taxes and senseless regulations to help our local businesses continue to grow and prosper. We also need to improve our transportation infrastructure to provide greater access to local businesses while at the same time maintaining the integrity of our neighborhoods.

To keep our neighborhoods and families safe, we must hold criminals responsible for their actions. We must work together to pass tough, new mandatory minimum sentences for those who sell drugs to our children and tougher sentences for those who commit violent crimes against women. Through aggressive anti-drug education and prevention programs, we can keep our children from using drugs in the first place.

As your delegate, I shall always remember that the most important and sacred gift you could give me is your TRUST . . . your trust to listen . . . your trust to learn . . . your trust to work together to make our Norfolk an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.

DON WILLIAMS

Born: Jan. 3, 1942, Roanoke

Years living in city/district: 35 years in the 86th District; 46 years in Norfolk.

Education: Norview High School, Norfolk, Class of 1960; studied real estate courses for real estate broker's exam at Old Dominion University.

Occupation: Builder

Party affiliation and official endorsements: Democrat. Endorsed by the AFL-CIO, Tidewater Builders Association, Tidewater Association of Realtors.

Political experience/community service: Norfolk City Planning Commission; Mayor's Committee on Ocean View; Executive Committee of Greater Norfolk Corporation; Commission on the Popular Election of Mayor; Norfolk Works, Board of Directors; Kiwanis Club, Board of Directors; current member and former president of Tidewater Builders Association; member and former chairman of deacons, Brentwood Baptist Church; Norfolk Crime Line; Norfolk Environmental Commission; Norfolk Public Schools Vocational Advisory Council; former chairman of the Ocean View Coordinating Committee; Military Diplomats of Hampton Roads.

How citizens can reach you: Don Williams for Delegate, 8400 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia 23505, 423-6137; 423-6130 (fax)

My name is Don Williams and I am the Democratic nominee for the 86th District House of Delegates seat. I would like to thank The Virginian-Pilot for this opportunity to tell you about my campaign. I grew up in Norfolk and have spent most of my life here. My wife Rose and I are both products of the Norfolk public schools, as are our two children, Lee and Chela. We now have two grandchildren in the public school system, and three others will start school in the coming years, which brings me to the reason I entered this race. If elected, my priorities in the House of Delegates will be better schools and safer streets.

There are four questions we must ask ourselves when assessing our education system: Are our children and grandchildren being adequately prepared for life after high school? Have they mastered the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic? Do our teachers have the tools to teach? Are our school environments safe and conducive to learning?

I will do all I can to make sure that we can answer YES to each of these questions. So how do we get there? I support requirements that students reach certain academic standards before advancing. Students shouldn't advance until they are prepared to do so. However, we must remember that as we raise our standards, we need to make sure that no child gets left behind. We need to give schools the resources to address, through remedial aid, the areas where students need to improve. If that means more teachers for remedial classes so that we can have more one-on-one attention, then that is what we must do. Smaller class sizes will benefit all of our students.

We must not forget about our vocational programs. I served on the Norfolk public schools Vocational Advisory Council. Vocational programs offer non-college-bound students the chance to develop marketable skills in trades for life after high school. I believe these programs to be vital to our kids and our economy.

I will also work to bring more computers into the classroom. Computers are here to stay and the sooner we can introduce them to our students, the sooner they can begin to prepare for the world of tomorrow.

We must also make sure our schools are safe. Teachers should be able to remove troublemakers from the classroom so other students can learn.

Finally, I believe that our best protection against crime is a high-standard, quality education system that does its best to ensure students are learning and no one is falling through the cracks. In addition, I will support Megan's Law, which allows communities to inform residents when a sex offender moves into the neighborhood. I will also support legislation allowing the state to lock up child molesters in mental institutions after their criminal sentences expire.

I hope you will consider supporting my candidacy. I promise to work hard to prove myself worthy of your support. ILLUSTRATION: Photos

Beverly ``Bev'' Graeber

Don Williams KEYWORDS: ELECTION VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE

VIRGINIA 86TH DISTRICT PROFILE CANDIDATES

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