Town Council Candidates Bennett, Burke Face off Tonight

Dan Burke

Steve Bennett

By CAPE CHARLES WAVE STAFF

October 25, 2012

Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Palace Theater, Cape Charles residents will have a chance to hear and question the two candidates running for Town Council.

The candidates are, in alphabetical order, Steve Bennett, a Bay Creek resident with years of political activity in Cape Charles, and newcomer Dan Burke, who moved to the Historic District 16 months ago.

Town Council elections normally are in May. The November 6 special election, concurrent with the Presidential 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.

Thursday’s candidate forum was organized by Town staff with the cooperation of Arts Enter.

The moderator will be Northampton County Supervisor Willie Randall.

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Steve Bennett was elected to Town Council in 2008 but was defeated for re-election in May 2012. Limited information is available about his candidacy, as he has not responded to requests by the Wave dating back to August when he announced his candidacy.

The Wave reported August 20 that according to Bennett’s bio on linkedin.com, he was a construction manager at Baymark Construction Corporation in Norfolk. Baymark Construction is owned by Richard “Dickie” Foster, the developer of Bay Creek, where Bennett and his wife, Nan, lives. A reader subsequently informed the Wave that Bennett no longer works for Baymark Construction. Bennett himself made no statement, and the linkedin.com bio has not been updated.

According to an Internet list of campaign contributors, in 2010 Bennett  identified himself as an employee of Clark Nexsen, an architecture and engineering firm with an office in Norfolk.

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 “sound fiscal accountability, open government, and common sense.”  He pledges in his campaign literature to be accessible; seek out input on major decisions; and to vote on no major decisions prior to good faith public hearings being held.

Burke also states that he will work to “cut the fat from the existing Town Budget.”

The Burkes live on Madison Avenue in the Historic District.

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