DATE: Saturday, November 1, 1997            TAG: 9711010737

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ERIKA REIF, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  129 lines

ON PENINSULA, IT'S DAVID AGAINST GOLIATH DIAMONSTEIN'S CLOUT, CHALLENGER SAYS, ISN'T WORTH THE TRADEOFFS

At 5 a.m. each weekday last month, Allen Face parked his black Ford Ranger on the median of one of the busiest intersections in Newport News. A generator in the truck bed pumped electricity to spotlights, which pointed toward a large campaign sign with his name in bold, white block letters.

Face, standing alone near the truck, waved at morning rush hour traffic.

His style and background are unconventional. Yet the self-employed engineer, a Republican who has never held elected office, is giving Del. Alan A. Diamonstein what could be the race of his career.

Face, 49, has more money and volunteers than he did two years ago, when he nearly kicked Diamonstein out of the seat he has held for three decades.

Yet the upstart, who is waging what he grandly describes as a ``David vs. Goliath '' fight, doesn't underestimate his competitor. ``One of the three most powerful Democrats in the state,'' Face said about Diamonstein. ``A virtual institution.''

Diamonstein held his seat in the last election by a 6.6 percent margin, 974 votes out of nearly 15,000 cast. The district heavily favors Republican candidates in statewide and national races, yetthe 66-year-old is chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

As a member of the House Education Committee and chairman of the Higher Education subcommittee, Diamonstein has sent state funds to Christopher Newport University. He helped increase the university's general funding almost 30 percent, and secured $7.4 million toward renovations and a performing arts center during the 1996-98 budget cycle.

He established the Virginia Reading Recovery Program, adopted by 106 jurisdictions, designed to catch illiteracy problems at a young age. He spearheaded legislation giving regional school boards authority and funding to place problematic juveniles into alternative education programs.

An attorney since 1958, Diamonstein serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and is one of eight lawmakers on its conference committee who hammers out budget differences between the House and Senate.

His strategy this election appears simple - campaign harder.

``In 1995, Diamonstein spent a lot of time sort of working on the caucus and paid less attention to the race,'' said Jay Reiff, director of the House Democratic Caucus. ``This year, he has made his own campaign his No. 1 focus.''

Since July, Diamonstein and his volunteers have knocked on more than 9,000 doors. He has placed ads on television and radio, and has sent out mailings almost daily.

By contrast, Face said, he hasn't been able to afford most of that type of advertising. A key part of his strategy is ``showing his face'' on the busiest intersections of the long, narrow 94th district. He has made campaign spending an issue on his yellow roadside ``spendometer'' signs, asking: ``Has he spent enough yet to get your vote?''

State Board of Election reports from Oct. 1 indicate that Diamonstein has raised $299,374 and Face, $27,382. In 1995, Diamonstein spent about $315,000 to Face's $63,000.

Face said Diamonstein's level of spending is ``in bad taste, but there's certainly nothing illegal or immoral about it.''

Face, a 1966 Granby High School graduate, moved his engineering business from Norfolk to Newport News in 1992. He said his skills as a consultant and manufacturer in the concrete floor industry would help him maneuver among powerful, extremely confident politicians in the General Assembly.

``It's always a process of dealing with people that have very large egos. Believe me, architects and engineers are licensed, professional people, and they are jealous of what they know,'' he said. ``But we've been successful in going out and working with those folks and convincing them to do it our way.''

Each candidate also has his own style of convincing voters. At a debate on Oct. 22 at Christopher Newport University, the candidates' demeanors were glaringly different.

Face smiled often, spoke directly to the audience of about 400 people, and introduced his wife and daughter during opening remarks. Diamonstein remained serious, glanced often at notes, pointed a pen for emphasis, and introduced his campaign team at the start.

That night, Diamonstein defended his campaign expenditures, saying, ``I'm good at what I do. And I want to make sure that the people I represent know what I've done and what I've accomplished. That, unfortunately, takes money.''

During an interview, he said, ``You let people know and hope that they'll make their minds up based upon issues, not upon partisan politics.''

Face, however, makes no apologies about waging a partisan battle. Many of his signs say ``No Car Tax,'' pointing up his agreement with Republican gubernatorial candidate James S. Gilmore III.

``It's a philosophical argument that I'm making, and it's a philosophical product that I would be bringing to the Assembly,'' Face said on a recent morning. ``I absolutely believe that government has to be made smaller. . . . They believe adamantly that government is a mechanism that will solve people's problems.''

Face attacked a central piece of Diamonstein's campaign appeal - that his seniority gives him the clout to bring state funds directly to Newport News.

``The idea that what you really want your delegate to do is, year in, year out, to go up to Richmond and spend his time bringing the rest of your fellow Virginians' money back here, I find that notion abhorrent.''

During the debate, Diamonstein struck back, saying, ``What distresses me most is that my opponent says he won't fight for Newport News in Richmond.'' As examples, Diamonstein cited money he has channeled to the Virginia Living Museum and Peninsula Fine Arts Museum.

``When you criticize the past, you got to have ideas about how you'd change it and how you'd make it better,'' Diamonstein said while going door-to-door one afternoon. ``You don't just say education in the past was bad. You say, here's what I would change. And that's what he doesn't know. And that's what he doesn't do.''

Republican activist Jim Funk, who serves on the York County Board of Supervisors and as adjunct professor of government and public affairs at CNU, acknowledged what Diamonstein's seniority means.

``If Mr. Face is going to stand up and discuss education, he's got a tough row to hoe there - because it's going to be tough to convince people that he can do a better job, particularly with the committees Mr. Diamonstein sits on.''

When asked what losing Diamonstein could mean to the city, Funk compared it to the 1995 state Senate race when the Democratic incumbent of 32 years, Hunter B. Andrews, lost to Republican Martin E. ``Marty'' Williams on the Peninsula.

``What you lose is the seniority, and you lose the clout. What you gain is a new face and a new perspective on things,'' Funk said.

From his law office in Hampton, Andrews said it would be inappropriate to comment on Diamonstein's situation.

``I was in the same position. I was chair of the Finance Committee when I was defeated,'' Andrews said. ``That's politics. That's what the whole system is about. None of us are anointed or appointed. It's up to the people.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Diamonstein

Face

Graphic

Whom will you hire?

The 94th House District

For complete copy, see microfilm KEYWORDS: CANDIDATE ELECTION HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE 94TH

DISTRICT

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