VIRGINIA BEACH
Engineers, a School Board member, and civic and business leaders have lined up to finish Councilman Ron Villanueva's term.
On Tuesday, the City Council will launch discussions about appointing the replacement for the newly elected state delegate.
The actual appointment is unlikely to occur until January, Vice Mayor Louis Jones said.
But council members have been talking to potential candidates and individually discussing the best way to select the replacement.
"At this point I don't have a preference," Jones said. "I really want it to be a fair process."
Villanueva won the 21st District House race earlier this month, though the margin of 14 votes is narrow enough that his opponent can ask for a recount paid for by the city.
Meanwhile, another council seat could open up.
Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson is running for the 8th District Senate seat vacated by Ken Stolle; she will compete in the Republican run off on Dec. 5.
According to the city's charter, council members must appoint a replacement within 60 days of a member's resignation date.
Councilman Bill DeSteph said he'd like to see his colleagues deal with each seat individually, starting with Villanueva's spot.
"I'd like to start talking about it and nail out a plan now," DeSteph said.
Villanueva's term lasts another year, while Wilson has three years left.
If two seats are open, the council may want to appoint a caretaker, somebody with experience but no interest in running for election in 2010, Jones said.
The last person appointed to the City Council was Harry Diezel in 2002, who then went on to win election.
Diezel replaced Robert C. "Bob" Mandigo, who resigned after he was found guilty of assaulting his estranged wife. Diezel was selected in a fairly public process after candidates submitted resumes and were interviewed in an open meeting.
Whether that same process will be used again is up to the council.
Villanueva said he has spoken with about 10 candidates who are interested in the position.
"I hope they pick somebody who brings a new skill set and adds to the diversity of the council," said Villanueva, the city's first Filipino-American member of council and the only current minority.
Mayor Will Sessoms said candidates will be evaluated on their qualifications, not race.
"But to say that wouldn't be on my mind, would be a lie," Sessoms said.
The Beach's population is almost 30 percent minority, mostly African American. The council's lack of diversity has drawn criticism.
"It's pretty important that we highly consider and solicit a minority," Councilman Bob Dyer said.
Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com
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Wally, I believe light rail
Wally, I believe light rail is a done deal for VB regardless of the outcome of any referendum (that is if council approves we have one in the first place). Will Sessoms voted for the light rail referendum before he voted against it.
Light Rail Referendum
Since Councilman Villanueva honored and is committed to the Virginia Beach citizens' right to a light rail referendum, it would stand to reason that a replacement with the same view be selected by the standing council.
No one inflates better than
Mike, when a City takes 37 years to reach a billion dollar budget and doubles in just ten years without population growth and a school loss of 6,000, it really does not take much analysis to chop $50 million It should be a layup to identify waste when you grow a budget light years beyond the rate of inflation. Essential services does not have to be touched as well as other vital services. All we need to do is cut the massive subsidies to those who are looking for "no risk" projects. The elimination of subsidies and a cut in wasteful spending on projects that are not in the public interest is long overdue. Any astute accountant can find a $100 million in a heart beat so I can't understand your assertion that it is not achievable. Even a fifth grader can figure out that subsidizing private businesses are not a profitable venture aside from the fact that its downright unfair for the competition. You may have heard about the free open market. Its about taking risks just like your competitors do day in and day out. How is we have an $84 million shortfall that suddenly is creating shock waves but no one blinked an eye when the City Manager got council to plunk down $60.1 million i
right
You are right. He was on the one the many task forces that the School Board has had. However, I still hold to my belief that he did little or nothing for the citizens. He is not alone in that, of course.
ronalds70240--Villanueva was not on the School Board
@ronalds70240: You are getting folks mixed up....Villanueva was never a member of the School Board. Please try to open your mind just a bit more. I bet you really do not want to be so confused.
working candidate
Maybe we will finally get someone who will work for the best interest of all citizens. What a disappointment Villanueva was as a member of the School Board and even more of a disappointment as a member of City Council. He did not even have the courtesy to respond to a question I had. I voted for him before but not this past election, and never again. And I am a registered Republican. I hope that the powers that be will think of us when the choice is made and not who will be a best fit for their agenda. In this political climate, though, do I dare hope?
Appoint me
I will do this job for free, I will drive out the riff-raff from the oceanfront, build an oceanfront ivy league school (UVA- Virginia Beach) right over the top of those junky hotels and roach motels. We will finally develop the cooridor from the convention center to the oceanfront. Hopefully after our ivy league school brings in a few nobel prizes, federal research money and attracts start-up companies to employ its graduates, then we can get an NFL and NHL team! We need to think about our future, not preserving a past that never really was. Jets need to be replaced with nuclear power plants. Old needs to be replaced with new by us, before arabs and chinese come in and buy all this after the US dollar collapes. (our interest rates are below inflation and population growth rates creating the perfect storm for currency failure)
Well, this makes it a little easier
With one and potentially two council members departing it will make upcoming council elections easier. We will have fewer incumbents to vote AGAINST when we REPLACE the entire council. Current city council members, here is your pink slip. You have failed us, and it's time for you to go. All of you.
And This is Something to Get Excited About?
So now they'll "fail" us on the state level...only this time the player's are the REALLY big boys...Dominion Resources...Va Natural Gas...the Feds...the State Police...the Va Department of Education... VDOT...state laws and legislation that affects just about everything you and your employer do and spend.
Empty Suit
I have an empty suit I could loan the city for a small fee.
Hang it up in one place, and it'll have a better attendance record than he ever did!
I am really tired
of this 'must be a minority' carp. How about the most qualified, no matter what color or sex? What a concept! But the better is what another poster suggested - do away with these 2 seats. They aren't needed, and would save the city a quite a bit in pay and benefits.
wasting your breath....
there's a single criteria for this job, a developers rubber stamp vote flunky.
If they truly want diversity
How about they appoint someone from the VA Beach Taxpayers Alliance, Reid Greenmum for example.
Having a VBTA member on the council would be more diverse than any racially based appointment ever could be.
yeah right
The VBTA is full of failed wannabe politicians. Why on earth should they be given a position that the public has repeatedly said they haven't earned?
Academic discussion anyway, they could probably only get DeSteph to vote for them.
Greenmun?
If Council appoints Reid to fill Ron Villanueva's vacant seat, will they appoint his best friend Harvey to Rosemary Wilson's seat if she's elected to the state Senate?
Oh, come on
I've no doubt Reid would be a competent and dedicated member of Council. Even if we don't agree on a lot of things, you must give him credit for staying involved. That's a lot more than you can say about most citizens of Va Beach.
But let's look at the tenure of his pal John Moss when he served on Council. Mr. Moss went in with the same economic agenda as Mr. Greenmun would. But Mr. Moss served a term of office notable only for the amount of staff time he occupied doing spurious budgetary analyses. He achieved almost nothing but regular attendance, took staff away from other worthwhile projects and could not convince his fellow council members that there was any merit to any of his pipe dreams.
What makes you think anyone from VBTA could be any more successful? As Mr. Barrett points out, they have a point of view, but not one that any but a minority of VB citizens shares.
Good laugh
Oh, that's a rare suggestion. That is, reward an organization whose candidate for Mayor finished last and got less than 16% of the vote in the last local election. That would be like sending the runner who finished last in the Olympic trials to represent our country. Or appointing Deeds to be Governor because he got less votes than McDonnell. Or, well you get the point. The particular name you mention has distinguished himself in front of City Council a few years ago by claiming he could cut $50,000,000 from the budget , and when Council took him up on it, and invited him back to detail what cuts he would make, he was a no show, did not appear, slinked away from his boast, failed in his test. Afterall, he got his ten minutes of fame on TV when he made the boast, no need to take the liability of showing that he did not have a list of the cuts. I seem to remember a member of Congress who tried to pull that off; got found out too.
Why not throw your hat into the ring
Since you are an esteemed "public official", at least in your own eyes, why don't you offer up your valuable services. Think about it. If you were on City Council then you would not have to spend all your time kissing their butts in order to get your projects approved. I am sure Mr. Fine would give you the extra time off for Council business.
Reid Greenumum
Reid would be an excellent choice.
job description
Must be a yes man or woman, capable only of group think, no concern for fiscal responsibility, and of course must enjoy spending Other Peoples Money (OPM). Must have no sense of responsibility to those who earned the tax $$'s. Ability to gamble with money that is not yours is essential.
Our most recent pleasurable experience was the spending of $40 million of taxpayer $$ for an abandoned freight rail right of way. It had been on the tax rolls with an assessment of $9.5 million and was generating taxes in excess of $100,000 each and every year. Now it is owned by the taxpayer and is generating NO taxes as a result. We paid four times the asses'd value in a down economy for a property with few worthwhile uses and for which no one else had even a remote interest in acquiring. Our goal for the overpriced property is Light Rail a boondogle concept slated to cost $1 BILLION to build and $10-13 million annually to operate. This is your council at work.