Kerry DoughertyI'd almost forgotten just how, ah, exciting Virginia Beach city government could be.
What, with half a dozen years of benign-yet-bumbling municipal rule, many of us had developed amnesia about how the city used to operate, when some in the resort city treated politics as a gladiatorial sport. Remember the Sportsplex? The 31st Street hotel? TPC golf course? Shameless canoodling with developers?
If the investigation into misleading, mysterious and probably illegal campaign literature in the recent mayoral race is any predictor, things are about to take a turn - a U-turn.
If you were recuperating from Black Friday madness on Saturday, you may have missed the news. According to The Pilot, Roger Oberndorf, the unsmiling gent on Mayor Meyera Oberndorf's elbow for many years, met with the commonwealth's attorney last week to report irregularities in some campaign literature apparently aimed at convincing African American voters to support Will Sessoms for mayor.
Sessoms beat the long time mayor in a four-way race.
The material showed Barack Obama and Sessoms looking like bosom buddies. In reality, Sessoms is a Republican who supported John McCain while Oberndorf, who usually describes herself as independent, backed Obama.
Sessoms insists that he was as shocked as the Oberndorfs when he saw the pictures of himself and his new best friend, Barack Obama.
"My support for John McCain was a clear as day," Sessoms said Monday.
It was odd to see an avowed Republican shoulder-to-shoulder with the Democratic presidential candidate. Odder still was that the literature lacked disclaimers - mandated by law - that reveal who authorized and paid for the ads.
Roger Oberndorf was offended.
"We always made a point of sticking to the letter of the law," the mayor's husband said Monday. "I always kept an eye out for those disclaimers."
He said he didn't approach Beach prosecutors until last week because he wanted to "cool down" first.
If the sleazy campaign material can be traced to its source, the culprits could face civil penalties of up to $2,500 or be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Told you city politics was getting interesting again.
On Monday, Commonwealth's Attorney Harvey Bryant would confirm only that "information was presented and we are investigating."
Excellent.
Look, the results of this investigation or even a prosecution are not going to overturn the results of the election.
Still, it's a serious matter. Mucking around with election laws is repugnant to most voters, regardless of political affiliation.
No one at this point admits knowing who produced and paid for the Obama/Sessoms valentine. Some Sessoms poll workers told the newspaper that they were given the literature during an election eve training session at the law offices of Williams Mullen at Town Center.
Partner Thomas Frantz said Monday that his firm frequently allows outside groups such as churches and political campaigns to use its conference rooms. Frantz said the space was made available to the Sessoms mayoral campaign because another of the firm's partners - former City Councilman William Harrison - is a close friend of Sessoms'.
Frantz said he was "1,000 percent certain" that the literature itself had not been produced or created by anyone in the firm.
"We condemn it," he said.
So does the mayor-elect.
"I was hot as a firecracker about it, still am," Sessoms said.
Sessoms recalled that he first saw the brochure when it was shown to him by a Pilot reporter and it "blew my mind." He ordered the literature to be pulled.
The mayor-elect said he wasn't at the training session the night before the election. Had he been, Sessoms said, the literature would have been destroyed.
Until the investigation is complete we won't know whether this is intentionally dirty campaigning or out-of-control Election Day antics.
Stay tuned.
Pilot researcher Maureen Watts contributed to this column.
Kerry Dougherty, (757) 446-2306, kerry.dougherty@cox.net
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Update on the issue?
I also feel Mr. Sessoms and Mr. Williams know more than they are saying about this flier and is letting Dave Iwans fall on his sword. What consultant has a flier made up that his principal is posed with a candidate Sessoms had spoke out against? Who then tells paid staff to hand out those fliers only in urban polling centers? Who by “mistake” only leaves off the paid for an authorized by line on those inaccurate fliers? What campaign puts out info on it's principal that goes against the core of who Sessoms supports? How was it not supported by the campaign but the paid consultant, and person slated to speak be at public forums in Will's place for his many missed public Q and A sessions paid for them? How is someone a paid decision maker, and spokesperson for the camp but then not because he paid from them out of pocket? Was this paid out of Iwans pocket in advance or after the news hit the airwaves? Am I the only person who sees this as much deeper than just a simple typo?
far from stupid
joanek2346
There were so many new voters registered in Virginia Beach around 18,000 and 60 percent were under 24 and inexperienced.
Unlikely they were inspired to register by McCain. Obama inspired them to believe they had a voice.
These illegal flyers look like concert flyers not political, and handed out at the black polls.
These guys knew exactly what they were doing far from stupid and want the Dome,Rudee loop and Laskin Rd money over 150’000 million….scot free for PPV’s..
Law Firms are hurting and need business. A $2500 fine is a drop in the bucket..
You can’t possibly be that naïve..Did you see the polls?
Keep in mind this age group is the same age group that’s going to war and putting their life on the line so you have a right to vote. While you sit and read about it in the paper.
They are that last people who should have their votes stolen with blatant lies… If they get away with this travesty …It will break my heart
MISSING THE POINT
Some of you are really missing the point here. It really doesn't matter whether Sessoms won or lost the election based on the fliers. What matters is that whoever published them broke the law. We also have no way of knowing if voters were "stupid" enough to cast their vote based on this flier just because Sessoms won. One thing is certain thought, whoever is behind the fliers is "stupid" to think they can get away with it. I also believe its entirely possible that Sessoms knew nothing about the fliers. I did not support Sessoms, but he didn't get where he is professionally by being that "stupid".
OUTRAGOUS
This is Outragous…An insult to our Country and every man and woman who has risked or lost their Life to protect our rights to select those who will represent us..
We cannot allow this election travesty to stand
They knew exactly what they were doing….. I would gladly pay a $2500. for $150’000 + million of free taxpayer money for ppv’s.
If we let this happen,, just auction off council seats because we will be left with Fearful, self serving, leaders Bowing to the greedy power mongrels and their attorneys who think they will get away with this.
If you don’t care about taxes or the demise of your Constitutional rights.
Show respect for the men and women who put their lives on the line. That you may enjoy freedom and an opportunity vote…Please email your elected officials and let them know we will not tolerate this.
Yup
That's what people have been talking about for the last 2-3 weeks. Is it worth being repeated yet again?
I have to ditto MichaelC on
I have to ditto MichaelC on this one. It is up to the individual voter to research the candidates prior to casting the vote. As much information that is available in the newspapers, and the internet, it's hard to believe that a person didn't have enough time to decide on a candidate. Nowadays you can probably find out what each candidates favorite restaurant is. I find it hard to believe that Will Sessoms won the election because of that particular phamplet. I didn't vote for him, but I also don't believe every phamplet I read either.
re: stupidity
Voter stupidity has no bearing on the law. The law was broken and the person(s) responsible deserve the appropriate punishment, regardless of election outcome. There's no justification for this. Anyone who defends, justifies, or dismisses this incident will be showing his/her true stripes. Fraud is fraud.
it's ok to be indignant now
Now that the winning has been accomplished with the help of the fliers, it's ok to be hot.
VOTER STUPIDITY IS A BIGGER PROBLEM THAN BROCHURES
If the voting citizens are so stupid that they didn't read or watch the news and know which mayoral candidate was supporting which Presidential candidate, it's their own damned fault. It's also their own damned fault if they voted for a city mayor on that basis, since it has nothing to do with how well he or she would run the city. Yes, that brochure was sleazy and crooked, but if it made any difference in who voted for whom, we have a much more serious problem with voter stupidity than we have with unethical campaign practices.
this isn't new in va bch
I was working a primary, for Chap Peterson a few years back for Lt. Gov when I saw some of the same stuff going on, actually worse because it was racial stuff going on Mr. Sessioms party has, is and will continue to use any means to be elected, what i saw at the polls being passed out, was only passed out to Af. Americans, I wrote a letter then to the editor of the Pilot that was never published.
We already have
a puppet mayor; just one replacing the other. In effect, Meyera's husband Roger was really the mayor. Why do you think he was making the complaint? Remember when he stepped forward to take the criticism when Meyera was being interviewed over the Oceana debacle? The bottom line is that most of the city council is a puppet for the developers. One vote city council rarely makes a decision on these matters.
Political Flier
C'mon, Kerry....grow up and stop trying to be an investigative reporter. Stick to reporting your drivel and leave the politics to the big boys. However, if you know who did it, call a cop!
What if it worked?
A $2500 fine would have been a bargain.
Now I understand!
I wondered how Obama could possibly win...now I understand! He had Will's implied endorsement!!
What would you expect?
Amazing that you seem shocked at the unethical sleezy practices used by the sessoms campaign. Did you expect a higher standard? Look at the group of people that paid to put him in office. Tell me where you would find any ethics, scruples, or honesty in that group. The good-ole-boy network now pulls the strings of the soon to be puppet mayor, and will rule city hall. Citizens lose.
Sessoms knew what he was doing. Knew how to swing the vote, and did what was necessary, legal or not, to win. Now you know how city hall will be run. Citizens lose.