Voters of the 82nd District are sending Republican incumbent Harry R. "Bob" Purkey back for a 13th term.
Purkey celebrated his victory at a festive party at the Crowne Plaza on Tuesday night. He ran on the
promises of creating more private-sector jobs and to protect his granddaughters, he said, from insurmountable bills being created by government overspending.
"The money is just not there," he said. Voters agreed, Purkey said, by giving him an easy victory.
Democrat Peter W. Schmidt and Independent John O. Parmele Jr. were vying to unseat Purkey. Schmidt and
Parmele tried before in 2005, with Schmidt losing in the Republican primary and Parmele being swept in the general election. Schmidt, who once served as the director of environmental quality under Gov. George Allen, switched parties.
Purkey, 75, has held his spot since 1986 in the district that includes Little Neck, Great Neck and the Oceanfront. He is a stockbroker and vice president of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc., and chairs the House Finance Committee. One of his most important goals, he said, is to keep public ownership of the port of Hampton Roads.
Schmidt, 60, is a former councilman whose platform had focused on transportation. He said that finding
new money, possibly through tolls and gas tax increases, is key to fixing local roads.
Parmele, 66, was making his eighth try for public office. He is a retired Navy master chief petty officer and focused his campaign on making cell-phone use while driving illegal.
Denise Watson Batts, (757)446-2504, denise.batts@pilotonline.com
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