3 Candidates File for November Town Council Election
Larry Veber
Dan Burke
Steve Bennett
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
August 20, 2012
When Cape Charles voters enter the election booth on November 6 to choose their next President, senator, congressman, and more, they will also see a local race that for the first time in Town history is sharing space with a national election.
Way down at the bottom of the ballot will be a three-way race for one Town Council seat. The candidates are: Steve Bennett, Dan Burke, and Larry Veber.
Unlike the national contests, the local candidates will not be identified by political party, since Council races in Cape Charles are non-partisan.
Because the special Town election will take place concurrent with the Presidential election, no extra expense is incurred.
Virginia election law does not provide for runoffs. Whichever candidate receives the most votes wins. Where three candidates are vying for one seat, the winner hypothetically could receive as little as 34 percent of the vote if each of the other candidates received 33 percent.
Town Council elections normally are in May. The November special election is due to the death of Don Clarke, who was elected May 1 to Town Council but passed away in June before taking office.
After Clarke’s death, Town Council appointed Veber to serve in an interim capacity until a special election could be held.
Steve Bennett and Larry Veber were both elected to Town Council in 2008, and were both defeated for re-election in May 2012. Of the five candidates running in May, three were elected, Veber placed 4th, and Bennett came in 5th.
When Town Council had to pick an interim replacement for Clarke, the majority supported Veber.
Steve Bennett is a construction manager at Baymark Construction Corporation in Norfolk. Baymark Construction is owned by Richard “Dickie” Foster, the developer of Bay Creek, where Bennett lives.
Dan Burke is the newcomer in the race. After a career with oil exploration firm Schlumberger Technologies, with many vacations spent in Cape Charles, he retired here with his wife, Linda, last year. Burke’s motivation for running is to provide “a new perspective on financial accountability and open government.” The Burkes live on Madison Avenue in the Historic District.
Larry Veber is head of Lawrence Veber Associates, an executive search firm for the supermarket industry. His wife, Trina, is a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Harbor Realty in Cape Charles. Larry Veber has run in five Town Council races over the past 10 years. His elected terms were from 2002 until 2006 and again from 2008 until June 30, 2012. The Vebers live on Tazewell Avenue in the Historic District.
The Cape Charles Wave will publish more information about the candidates and their platforms as it becomes available.
The time for fact-checking is before you publish, not after. Steve Bennett has not worked for Baymark Construction for years.
Information on Mr. Bennett’s employment came from linkedin.com, where individuals post their own resumes. If the information is not current it is because Mr. Bennett has not kept it current. The Wave requested biographic and other information directly from Mr. Bennett but did not receive it by press time, and has not received it to date. So the information on linkedin.com was printed. The Wave has contacted all three candidates to emphasize that we desire to provide Cape Charles voters with factual information to assist them in making an informed choice at the polls. The extent to which we can do this is somewhat influenced by the candidates’ cooperation. Both Mr. Burke and Mr. Veber have responded to the Wave, but Mr. Bennett has not. – EDITOR
A journalist might have written “Mr. Bennett did not respond to requests for information.”
A blogger just went with the unverified resume.
This is an open response to Ms. Patterson, who during the two months of the Wave’s existence, has been our most avid, and most critical, commenter.
Ms. Patterson, we are gratified that you and over 4,000 others are reading the Cape Charles Wave. The editors are trained journalists, but we are not Superman or Superwoman. We make mistakes. So does the New York Times.
When you insinuate that I am a blogger, not a journalist, you cut me to the core. I have no interest in writing a blog.
Here’s the bottom line: do you want us to dry up and blow away, or would you be satisfied for us merely to be perfect? I ask because, if indeed you support the idea of an online newspaper for Cape Charles, perhaps you might be interested in contributing.
We started this endeavor with three persons and the expectation that the staff will grow. We’re not looking for cookie-cutter ideologies, but we do need volunteers who know how to write, enjoy doing so, and are interested in performing a service to the community.
Interested? Please email us!