Stolle confirms he'll run for sheriff, says he has Parkinson's

RICHMOND

State Sen. Ken Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, a longtime power broker in the General Assembly, declared his candidacy for Beach sheriff Friday, potentially leaving a void in the legislature and creating a political domino effect.

An attorney and former Beach police officer, Stolle explained his decision as a desire to return to law enforcement after years in the halls of government.

"When I initially ran for office, it was on a strict law-and-order platform... and I find myself now fighting other battles," said Stolle, noting he has "accomplished everything that I had initially set out to accomplish" in 18 years in the legislature.

"I'm a police officer at heart," he added. "That's what I want to be in - law enforcement."

In an interview with The Virginian-Pilot, Stolle also disclosed that he has Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological disorder that can impair motor skills.

Stolle, 54, said the diagnosis was not a major factor in his decision to run for sheriff.

"What Parkinson's has done is it's made me re-evaluate my priorities, where I want to be in two years, five years, 10 years," said Stolle, who was diagnosed with the condition about three years ago and takes medication to manage it.

If elected, Stolle would succeed Sheriff Paul Lanteigne, a longtime friend, as the commander of 548 employees and the city jail. Lanteigne is not seeking re-election to the $156,000-a-year job.

Virginia Beach Police Capt. John L. Bell Jr., who said he was in the same 1976 rookie academy class as Stolle, has filed to run for sheriff as a Democrat.

Were Stolle to become sheriff, it could cause jockeying for the vacancy left in the state Senate.

Beach Republican officials mentioned state Del. Sal Iaquinto, R-Virginia Beach, Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson and former Councilman Linwood Branch as possible candidates in a special election for that seat.

A Democrat who might run in that circumstance is former state Sen. Moody E. "Sonny" Stallings Jr., whom Stolle defeated in the 1991 election.

One lawmaker who won't change titles if Stolle becomes sheriff is Del. Paula Miller, a spokeswoman for the Beach Sheriff's Office. Miller, a Norfolk Democrat, "will keep her job if she wants it," Stolle said.

Those who've worked and warred with Stolle over the years describe him as a tough-minded lawmaker who earned the respect of peers even when they disagreed on issues.

Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax County, called Stolle "a huge asset" in the General Assembly.

"Let me tell you, the institution is the loser when you've got somebody with that kind of intellectual firepower leaving," Saslaw said.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Stolle is "an extraordinarily effective senator."

The sponsor of "hundreds of bills" over the years, Stolle said he is most proud of his role in the abolition of parole, amending the law to assist wrongly convicted individuals and authoring anti terrorism legislation.

Stolle has also been a persistent advocate for public safety, and his voice on that topic will be missed, said John W. Jones, executive director of the Virginia Sheriffs' Association.

His command of legal concepts combined with fierce negotiating skills made him a formidable foe in policy clashes, said Del. W.R. "Bill" Janis, R-Henrico County.

"If you're a member of the House of Delegates, the five scariest words in the English language are, 'Sen. Stolle opposes your bill,' " he said.

That style has been known to frustrate some colleagues, as it did late in this year's legislative session when Stolle walked into late-night budget negotiations to observe a discussion of public safety funding.

Playing the heavy was never a role he relished, Stolle said, just one he inhabited.

"It's not something that I ever really enjoyed," he said.

"It's something I knew I had to do, and it was a responsibility I wasn't going to retreat from."

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com