In Suffolk voters' first chance to pick mayor, choices abound

SUFFOLK

He teaches political science, knows the city as a native and won his last five campaigns.

So state Sen. Fred Quayle, R-Suffolk, spoke with some authority about the upcoming mayor's race in his hometown, a historic event that drew seven candidates by the filing deadline on Tuesday.

"When you have that many people in a race, it really can be a dangerous situation," Quayle said. "It's really hard to gauge it."

The November election will mark the first time voters here will choose their mayor, making Suffolk the last city in South Hampton Roads to do so. Three council seats also will be up for election this fall.

Until now, the seven City Council members chose the mayor among themselves. The politics and maneuvering behind the decision often divided the council, said Dean McClain, the Suffolk division director of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. He's looking forward to having voters make the call.

"It was sad to see sort of a civil war on council that elected the mayor," McClain said.

With more than four months of campaigning ahead, the candidates have their work cut out to distance themselves from the crowd. They also will have to cover more ground than any other city politician in Suffolk's history.

Unlike the other council seats, which split voters by borough, the mayor's race will subject candidates to a citywide mandate for the first time. They will have to appeal to vastly different neighborhoods across Virginia's largest geographical city, from the new families in the fast-growing northern tech corridor, to the longtime residents downtown, to rural residents who want their ditches cleaned.

"I think it's going to be very dynamic," said Art Bredemeyer, chairman of the Suffolk Democratic Committee. "It's a big city and a big challenge."

A candidate forum is planned for Oct. 22 at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, and others are likely. Endorsements for mayor from the local Republican and Democratic committees also are expected - more new territory for this City Council.

So how does each candidate expect to stand out?

n Linda Johnson, current mayor and a real estate agent who has served on the council since 2000, said she will run on her record. She said she thinks she helped restore fiscal responsibility in the city and that she's proud of her effort to give voters the chance to elect a mayor.

"We're doing it because I pushed it," Johnson said.

n Andy Damiani, a downtown businessman and former mayor, served 22 years on the City Council before he stepped down in 1992. He wants back in, and he said he has the leadership and experience the job requires.

"This is not the time for, I hate to say this, on-the-job training," he said.

n Mike Debranski, a School Board member who runs his own Jostens franchise, said his education and career experiences uniquely position him for the role of mayor.

He has a doctorate degree and has been a high school principal, a football coach and an athletic director. It all shows a "pattern of wanting to improve, to help people along the way," he said.

n Tom Powell runs his own advertising company, and at 37, he is the youngest candidate in the field. He believes his energy will rejuvenate the city. He plans to augment his campaign with a Web presence on Facebook, MySpace and Flickr.

"We'll be everywhere," he said.

n Roger Leonard, a former Navy man who worked with nuclear weapons, has attended almost every council meeting of the last two years, and he has rarely passed on an opportunity to tell council members his opinion.

"I believe I've paid the most attention to the city to what's been going on," he said.

n Dwight Nixon, a pastor who also serves on the city's Economic Development Authority, said he wants to help Suffolk prepare for the future, with a focus on building the city's recreational infrastructure and retaining good teachers.

"It gives me the opportunity to serve the Lord by serving his people," he said of the chance to become mayor.

n Deborah Wahlstrom, a

former teacher who now runs her own software business, says her analytical skills set her apart. She made the filing deadline Tuesday but must still have her 500 signatures certified. Her campaign business card includes a platform of nine issues, such as reducing taxes and planning for transportation.

"Of course my list goes on and on," she said.

Ira Steingold, an eighth potential mayoral candidate, did not gather the necessary signatures by Tuesday's deadline.

Meanwhile, no new candidates emerged in the three council races.

Incumbents Leroy Bennett and Curtis Milteer Sr. will face challenges from Trisha James and Jay Quigley, respectively, while Robert Barclay IV is the sole official candidate for the Sleepy Hole Borough seat, which Johnson is vacating.

Dave Forster, (757) 222-5563, dave.forster@pilotonline.com