VIRGINIA BEACH
When is a seal not a seal?
Perhaps when a former SEAL picks off the leaping marlins and erases the city's name and slogan.
Mayoral candidate and former Navy SEAL Scott Taylor said those alterations mean that the iconic image on his campaign signs and handouts - of strawberry leaves encircling the Cape Henry Lighthouse and Cross - is not the Virginia Beach seal.
The campaign dropped the fish and the words "City of Virginia Beach Virginia" and "Landmarks of Our Nation's Beginning" to avoid legal conflict, said Allen Fabijan, Taylor's spokesman.
Beach officials aren't sure whether that's enough.
"We've never been presented with this issue of a modified version of the seal before," said Rod Ingram, deputy city attorney.
City Clerk Ruth Hodges Fraser, the keeper of Virginia Beach's seal, sent an e-mail to Taylor on Monday after she received a complaint.
"The Virginia Beach City Seal is trademarked and intended to be used only for official city documents," Fraser wrote. She demanded that Taylor remove the seal from his signs.
The city seal can adorn deeds, letterhead and even mugs, but only for city purposes, Fraser explained in an interview.
It's not her first foray into seal protection.
Fraser pounced on Bobby Mathieson last year for using his police badge, which contained the seal, on his campaign Web site. Mathieson responded by blurring that portion of the badge and won the race for a seat in the House of Delegates.
Taylor doesn't just have problems with using Virginia Beach's seal.
Some of his campaign literature contains the Virginia state seal. The commonwealth prohibits its logo from being used for political purposes, as tattoos or on a cake, even if it's slightly modified, said Bernie Henderson, the deputy secretary of the commonwealth.
The offense carries a $100 fine and 30-day prison sentence. But Henderson said that political uses of the state seal are usually settled with a "gentle warning."
Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com
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Stop all Virginia Beach City
Stop all Virginia Beach City business and court cases until this important issue is resolved. With the Iraq War, stock market crash, and State budget problems it must have been a slow news day at the Pilot.
Scott Taylor
I was undecided until this story. Now it's Scott Taylor all the way! I live near one of the boards talked about in this article. This shows again what is wrong in this city. Someone from the inside must have complained about this. You can hardly see the "seal" on the board. I had to walk up to it to even figure out what this article was talking about. No way do I see it as a problem. I have been to forums in Kemp. Taylor and Moss had a great grasp of the issues. I'm still not sure what Myra was talking about and Sessoms was not there for one event and left early at another. Maybe he was out with some of those developers who gave him over 500,000.00. Why should he listen to anyone other than "Good Old Boy" oceanfront money anyway?! My brother was hurt in Iraq. He got more "experience" on leadership in six minutes than anyone in Politics will get in 6 years. Taylor walked in my brothers shoes. How dare anyone say a NAVY SEAL who put his life on the line to protect us has no EXPERIENCE!!! Scott is my Palin. The last thing we need is another insider as Mayor.
whoops
I got a bit long-winded in my first comment. To sum up, this newspaper sees fit only to publish tidbits that benefit the paper, its owners, or the people it supports. They rarely mention anything good about Taylor, or the weekly debates held by the civic leagues where people could listen to the candidates, and meet and talk with them afterwards. They discount him as young, inexperienced and therefore unfit to lead. Since when are the events that shape our character limited as to when in our lives they can occur?
The only reason Sessoms no longer Vice Mayor is that he didn't hold to the agreement to wait until Oberndorf retired to run. The two brag about the Dome Site Project and the 31st Hilton, forgetting these examples show that they ignore the voice of the people. We said no to the Hilton, and we need parking more than an entertainment center for two of the six most congested blocks on Pacific.
Not News Worthy
IMO: Not worthy of any news coverage.
Vote Oberndorf on 4 November!
???
This is such a non-story, it's ridiculous! Since when is a picture of a lighthouse violating anything??? HE DIDN'T USE THE SEAL!!! Using a picture of a lighthouse is in no way a violation! The fine and jail time would be applicable IF HE HAD USED THE SEAL! This article is misleading. In that case, every store in VB better remove any pictures they are selling of a lighthouse, as they would be violating VB's precisious lighthouse. VB can't trademark a lone lighthouse, which is what was being used in the campaign. As for the previous post, apparently Sessoms has bought your vote. I guess all those signs worked for someone. Who cares about substance, right? By the way, you may want to be informed of at least who is running before posting a comment about the race - There is no one named Weeks running for Mayor. Apparently there is a lack of ideas for Taylor stories - I'll give you one: Mr. Taylor's campaign is the ONLY campaign in the state that is made up 100% of volunteers. Now, there's a story.
Too Inexperienced to Know Any Better
The use of both government seals proves the point that everybody is already saying about Scott Taylor, "He's too inexperienced". This is the mistake of a true amateur. I'm sure he's a nice guy but the largest city in Virginia deserves an experienced leader like Will Sessoms.
Don't waste your vote....A vote for Taylor or Weeks is a vote for Meyera.
Well now
Why isn't this a front page article???? This is clearly news of vital importance!! With a world economy in crisis, city crime on the rise, and our country's future at stake, this is the kind of reporting that we need to see!!
Seriously. It's beyond obvious as to who this publication's editors and authors support for mayor this election. Since the start of this campaign season, articles have painted Sessoms in the most glowing of ethereal light, Meyera as the to-be-beaten candidate, Moss as the hard charging rebel, and only randomly mentioned Taylor. Where is there notice of the fact that he is walking around this city, meeting people, asking them what they want for their city? Where is the fact that he is the only candidate to speak up for the fact that our military have more to give than just their lives, that they could be active, contributing members of our community after they leave the service and that we should find ways to encourage them to stay? Or the fact that he was the first to focus on the fact that wages in this city are sickeningly low, making it almost impossible for a single person to survive on his/her own, that our city spends too much time focusing on
Who cares
Wow what a waste of time. I cant believe this is media worthy. Good job you have exposed a lighthouse.