Virginia Beach: For City Council

Virginia Beach needs City Council members who think big, who advocate for the kinds of decisions that have made Virginia Beach so successful: establishment of the Green Line limiting development in the southern part of the city; investment in parks and open space; restoration of the Boardwalk and seawall - decisions that have prompted families to move here, businesses to invest and the Navy to stay.

Of the three candidates seeking on Election Day to fill the at-large seat vacated when Rita Sweet Bellitto moved to Seattle, Dennis Free offers a collaborative, independent voice and a command of the issues the city faces.

He rose through the ranks of the Virginia Beach Police Department and now is second in command at the Sheriff's Office. He has never run for public office but has the support of Sheriff Ken Stolle, Clerk of Court Tina Sinnen, Commonwealth's Attorney Harvey Bryant, City Treasurer John Atkinson and four state delegates.

Free is proud of the redevelopment at the Oceanfront, noting that the resort area was dying in the 1980s and that the city's improvements, including at 31st Street, spurred significant private property investment. He says the same about Town Center.

He is reluctant to support a light rail extension until he sees ridership and cost estimates but notes, correctly, that "we have to have mass transit."

He has irresponsibly hemmed himself in with a "no tax" pledge, a stand that speaks of allegiance to a vocal minority rather than a desire to respond to the needs of the time.

Free, who has taken a leave of absence to campaign, advocates a regional approach to some services, suggesting room for common ground on bigger problems as well.

His opponent, Prescott Sherrod, was appointed this summer to fill Bellitto's empty chair until the election. He offers a collaborative spirit and brings much-needed diversity to the all-white council.

Sherrod, a defense contractor and former member of the Virginia Beach Development Authority and the Minority Business Council, echoes many of the themes current council leaders have pushed: offshore wind farms; light rail, though "not at any cost"; redevelopment of eight strategic growth areas to attract more businesses and to offer pedestrian-friendly places where people can live, work, shop and eat.

Sherrod says he will work to mend a three-year rift between the council and the School Board. He supports public-private partnerships and opposes oil and gas exploration off the coast because of the risk it would pose to both tourism and the Navy - a common-sense position that puts him at odds with the council's majority.

He is seen as a vote for Mayor Will Sessoms' vision, and in fact, Sessoms pushed to get Sherrod appointed and contributed $10,000 to his campaign.

But Sherrod, despite his experience with development issues, has not shown the deep understanding of city issues that his opponents share. And he has a tax problem that detracts from his credibility as a money manager for the city.

Sherrod, who owns an engineering technology consulting firm, owed the state and federal governments nearly $400,000 and twice in the past decade has had IRS liens against him. Sherrod says he learned of the underpayments through a government audit and has worked to reduce the debt. But it's hard to make a strong case for a candidate to help decide what taxes Virginia Beach's residents will pay when he hasn't paid his own.

Even so, Sherrod would be a far better choice than the third man in the race.

In 1994, after dozens of Sandbridge homes had fallen in the ocean because of beach erosion, residents asked the city for help. They proposed establishing a tax district, increasing their own taxes to replenish the sand and save their property. At the time, Sandbridge property was assessed at $195.5 million.

Virginia Beach residents and the Army Corps of Engineers decided Sandbridge was worth protecting.

Then-City Councilman John Moss campaigned against the plan. "There's no justification to spending money to fill up the ocean with sand," he said at the time.

Sandbridge's beaches have been replenished every four years, starting in 1998. No more homes have been lost to the sea. This year, Sandbridge property was assessed at $1 billion.

Moss' hard line against such decisions was consistent across his seven years on the council between 1986 and 1995. He opposed the city's purchase of the Lake Ridge property in 1994 - a steal at $9.5 million. The 1,200 acres along Princess Anne Road are now part of Princess Anne Commons, which holds a medical complex, college campus and sports fields that fill with kids every weekend. Sentara's purchase of 71 acres alone brought the city more than it paid for the entire parcel.

Moss said the money should've been used to reduce taxes or diverted to the schools, the kind of complaint that shows just how short-sighted a councilman Moss was then and would be now.

Moss declined to be interviewed by The Virginian-Pilot Editorial Board, but his positions on Beach issues are clear.

If Moss had his way, Virginia Beach would not have helped Sandbridge. The city would not have guided development of the educational, medical and recreational complex on Princess Anne Road. It would not have spurred the mix of shops, restaurants, offices and homes at Town Center. And Virginia Beach would not be considering extending light rail past Newtown Road.

Someone with such a small vision of the future would be a relentlessly destructive force on the City Council, and for the Beach's future.

Dennis Free, on the other hand, sees what's possible. He will bring a thoughtful voice and perspective to the council, as well as an ability and willingness to forge compromise. He deserves election.