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. [Read more…]
Town Council Responds to Old School Cape Charles Lawsuit
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
August 17, 2012
Cape Charles Town Council has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought against it by the citizens’ group Old School Cape Charles.
After Town Council voted June 14 to sell the old school and surrounding property adjoining Central Park to a private developer, Old School Cape Charles, LLC, sued.
Led by local resident Wayne Creed, Old School Cape Charles had offered to lease or buy the school property for use as a community center. The group contends that the Town rejected its proposal “without . . . logical basis or explanation,” choosing instead to sell the property to Echelon Resources, Inc., for $10. The lawsuit seeks a Circuit Court order declaring the Town Council’s actions “unlawful and invalid.”
In its response August 7, the Town’s attorney argues that:
— Old School Cape Charles lacks standing to appeal to the Court;
— The Town’s resolution is not a zoning decision that can be appealed, and issues concerning zoning actions “are not ripe for determination”;
— Alleged procedural errors have not been proved;
— Old School Cape Charles failed to state how the sale of the property was not in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan; and
— Old School Cape Charles also failed to state why a “lame duck” Town Council may not bind a future Council, and why the Council’s decisions were “arbitrary, capricious, or violative of constitutional rights.” [Read more…]
Northampton County to Tax Delinquents: Pay up or Else
Above is page 1 of the 517 page County list of back taxes. Over $2 million is owed. Click on the image to access the full document.
By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave
August 16, 2012
Northampton County’s new stand on back taxes is far-reaching: pay up or face seizure of assets, garnishment of wages, garnishment of bank accounts, or liens on property — and no payment plans or relief will be offered.
“We are not trying to cause difficulties in people’s lives, but we are trying to get their attention,” said Northampton County Administrator Katie Nunez at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
Nunez said “tax delinquency” is defined as not having paid that year’s assessment by December 5. First, she said, the County treasurer will send out notices to those who are delinquent. They will have 30 days to pay, after which the sheriff can be sent with a warrant to seize property.
Supervisors Oliver Bennett and Willie Randall were clearly uncomfortable with the harshness of the new policy.
“What happens if an elderly couple miss a tax payment?” asked Bennett. “Within a month, do they lose their car?” [Read more…]
3 New School Principals Face a Challenging Year
By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave
August 15, 2012
Northampton County Schools are starting the new school year with three new principals — one for each school in the County.
The new principals attended yesterday’s Northampton Board of Supervisors meeting, where they were introduced by Northampton Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Clemons.
Alvin Coleman is the new principal at Northampton High. Previously he was a principal in the Hampton City school system.
Elizabeth Fennell is taking over at Kiptopeke Elementary. She comes from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where she was an assistant principal.
The new principal of Occohannock Elementary is Ron Yorko, moving from Northampton High, where he was assistant principal.
“I’m excited about what we’re about to do in the 2012/13 school year,” said Clemons. His new hires come after a year of turmoil in the school system, and two of the three schools are not expected to obtain full state accreditation.
Clemons told the Northampton supervisors that Occohannock Elementary will probably earn accreditation this year, but Kiptopeke Elementary does not meet state standards for its math scores, and may not be accredited. [Read more…]
TOWN COUNCIL
$96,000 Peach to Washington Sidewalk Study Approved
Town Manager Heather Arcos displays map of the planned multi-million dollar Community Trail system. The first phase was the Central Park sidewalk; next comes a trail from the Park along Peach Street to Washington Street. (Wave photo)
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
August 13, 2012
Cape Charles Town Council voted August 9 to award $96,000 for an engineering study for the next phase of the Town’s “multi-use trail system” – also known as sidewalks.
Land Studio Professional Corporation will “develop construction documents for implementation of the multi-use trail along North Peach Street and Washington Avenue of the Cape Charles Community Trail Master Plan.”
Land Studio PC also did the engineering studies for Central Park.
In addition to sidewalks, the trail system includes lighting, drainage, and trees and shrubs.
Town Manager Heather Arcos displayed a map of the Community Trail planned phases. The first phase was the walkway in Central Park, completed at a cost of $1 million.
Grant funding through the Virginia Department of Transportation provides 80 percent of trail costs, with the Town paying the rest.
The trail will include a median on Peach Street from the park to Washington Avenue and sidewalks on either side. Trail construction could begin in 2014 if funding is allocated.
“Further phases of the project will continue until the Town is linked by trails. It will be many years before the full Multi-Use Trail Plan has been implemented,” Arcos told the Wave.
The next scheduled phase will be the south side of Peach Street. [Read more…]
Should Town Encourage Rt. 13 Commercial Development?
By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave
August 8, 2012
Should Cape Charles, with its new wastewater treatment plant, make it easier to commercially develop nearby Route 13? That’s a question that will be on the table Thursday night at the Town Council meeting.
The Public Service Authority (PSA), which once hoped to provide sewer service around Exmore and Cheriton, has scaled back its goals. Now, the PSA is focusing on the strip along Route 13 between SunTrust Bank running south to the Corner Mart, with a branch to the Fairview mobile home park. The wastewater generated there would be pumped to the new Cape Charles plant.
“When taking the temperature of the community, we found significant interest by the commercial property owners,” said Bob Panek, who is both the assistant town manager of Cape Charles and the chairman of the PSA. “So we decided to concentrate on service for the commercial properties. Then we could build on that, should the grant funding climate improve in the future.”
A preliminary cost estimate for the small system is $1.5 million to $2 million. There are about 53 acres of commercially zoned property near the Cape Charles traffic light, and 32 acres zoned industrial. The PSA contacted 65 parcel owners to see if they were interested in a wastewater system. [Read more…]
Judge Sets Town Council Election for November 6
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
August 7, 2012
Cape Charles will hold a special election November 6 to select a replacement for the late Town Councilman-elect Donald L. Clarke.
The winner of the election will serve a term of approximately three years and eight months, until July 1, 2016.
Clarke was elected to Town Council May 1, but passed away on June 13. He was due to take office July 1.
The special election was ordered by Northampton County Circuit Court Judge W. Revell Lewis, III, and was in response to a petition filed by the Town Council.
Persons wishing to run in the special election must file their candidacy at least 81 days prior to the November election, making the filing deadline August 17 at 5 p.m.
The November 6 Special Election will be held concurrent with the Presidential election, so the Town will not incur any extra election expense. [Read more…]
Google Certifies Cape Charles Wave as Local News Source
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By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
August 4, 2012
The Cape Charles Wave has been accepted by Google News as an authentic source of local information. Google News listings began including the Wave on Friday, as illustrated in the screen shot above.
The above screen shot is not “clickable,” but the actual Google News screen is, meaning that readers can access any of the above news media directly from the Google News screen.
Google News readers who search “Cape Charles” get a listing of online news from local sources such as the Eastern Shore News (also listed as Delmarva Now), the Virginian-Pilot, TV stations with online news such as WAVY-TV (shown above), and many more.
The Google web crawler is automated, and searches for the words “Cape Charles” on the Internet. But the only sources allowed under the “News” category are those that have been reviewed and accepted by a Google official.
To be accepted, the Cape Charles Wave had to demonstrate that it publishes information that would normally be found in a newspaper, such as news reports, feature stories, opinion columns, obituaries, classifieds, and letters to the editor. The Wave was also required to have a public “face” — meaning that its editors and reporters are clearly identified by name. [Read more…]
