Half a million bucks can buy a lot of name recognition

VIRGINIA BEACH

Will Sessoms has raised more cash than anyone running for mayor, but he's had that advantage for a while.

The question now is, what does one do with a $428,112 campaign kitty?

How about cut a $300,000 check? According to the latest campaign finance reports, Sessoms paid that amount to DIA Inc., a Norfolk public relations and advertising firm.

The money will pay for an advertising campaign that targets and times radio, print, television and direct mail advertising to introduce the candidate to the voters. Among them will be a recently launched radio campaign and two 30-second spots airing during the Monday Night Football game the night before the Nov. 4 election.

Dave Iwans, DIA's president, said he scheduled the ads, at $3,000 each, to air during a Washington Redskins game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, hours before the polls open.

"A few eyeballs will be on that game," Iwans said, "am I right?"

All the candidates for mayor say they will visit civic leagues, make public appearances and push their opponents on issues. Sessoms' half-million-dollar budget, though, means he can afford the most advertising.

"Most people running for city council don't have half a million a dollars," said Quentin Kidd, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University in Newport News. "This is unprecedented in Virginia Beach."

Mayor Meyera Oberndorf raised $22,870 through June 30, just 5 percent of Sessoms' take. But she has high name recognition as a five-term incumbent known for personal appearances, a commodity nearly as coveted by politicians as money.

The mayor's husband and campaign manager, Roger, said her name value means she doesn't need the TV exposure others do. Besides, he added, radio is always his first stop in advertising.

"Radio is extremely effective," Roger Oberndorf said. "Oh yes. You're caught in a traffic jam and the radio's on? Yes."

Scott Taylor's campaign will use Internet technology to raise money and awareness. He is pushing voter registration drives for younger voters to attract a base. Taylor will use his money - $19,785 so far - to buy radio and TV ads, but not at the level of his competitors.

"I'm not going head to head with Meyera's 96 percent name saturation and I'm not going head to head with Will's dollars," Taylor said. "It's really a guerrilla strategy."

John Moss, a former councilman and head of the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance, has a built-in support system from his years as the alliance spokesman. He has repeatedly described his run for mayor as grass-roots and said little about fundraising. Moss could not be reached for this report, but records show his coffers have about $8,000.

CNU's Kidd said the danger of relying too heavily on advertising is that it makes some candidates think they can ignore personal campaigning.

"You can't lose sight of that," Kidd said. "A challenger... can't be blinded by the fact they've got a lot of money. They've still got to beat the streets and go to the civic club meetings, the Rotary associations and the breakfast club meetings. All of that stuff is really important at the local level."

Richard Quinn, (757) 222-5119, richard.quinn@pilotonline.com