Update on Ward 7 seat

Norfolk Council Tuesday agreed to two things that I think are important in naming a replacement to occupy the Superward 7 seat being vacated by Councilwoman Daun Hester on June 30. First, the council has decided that the appointee will agree not to run in the special election in November. I think that is critical, in that council should not be creating an incumbent, a situation Virginia Beach failed to avoid.

Second, the council will make the decision on the caretaker after the two new members, Tommy Smigiel and Andy Protogyrou, are sworn in July 1. That is only appropriate, given that the vacancy doesn’t really occur until that date.

No word yet on how this process will work. Personally, I’d like to see Daun Hester be the temporary replacement, as she has already said she will not run in November. If not Hester, then I’d like to see an open process whereby resumes are submitted to council, public interviews of candidates, and public selection of the replacement.

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As for the November election, few names have surfaced as potential candidates. What this says about the lack of a bench in Norfolk is astounding. I find that it reflects poorly on the “leadership” of our city. Because the council has always dipped into a limited pool of people to appoint to various boards and commissions, there is a glaring lack of people available with experience in how our city government works. The person elected will represent half of the city! It would be nice if we could look to the next generation of leadership being independent of the power structure that has dominated Norfolk for decades.