Hopewell and CH: Tale of two Mayors

Ascension by acclimation is a wonderful way to appoint people who serve in positions of power at the local politics level. Sending a message to the community that says, for instance, that City Council is as one in the naming of who will be mayor does indeed send a positive message to the city. It does so even if we know, in our heart of hearts, that factions and divisiveness are alive and well.

Certainly, it’s nice to put on the happy face. To present to the public the idea, at least in part, that “united we stand” is the outcome from council’s voting on who should represent the City as Mayor and Vice Mayor is commendable. Take for instance Hopewell Councilman Tony Zevgolis’ comment from Hopewell’s mayoral election: … “I am hoping that when nominations and voting for Mayor and Vice Mayor takes place in open session, the vote will be an (sic) unanimous with all 7 votes for each position,” he wrote. “Wouldn’t that look good and send a positive message to the public.”

Alas that was not to be in Hopewell. When all was said in done during the private session, the voting turned out to be 5-2 in favor of Brenda Pelham over Wayne Walton. Walton and Jackie Shornak, the person who nominated him, were the two dissenting votes. They also chose not to participate in the closed door session where the rest of council hashed out who would take the honors.

The Vice Mayor honors went to Christina Luman-Bailey, but this time Councilman Zevgolis also sided with Walton and Shornak making the vote 4-3. It was still enough for Luman-Bailey to become the Vice Mayor. It would seem that Councilman Zevgolis’ desire for a vote by acclimation may never happen.

On the other hand, it appears that Colonial Heights had no such problems in naming Greg Kochuba as their new mayor. Kochuba was elected by a 7-0 vote. Diane Yates will continue to serve in her position as Vice Mayor after she was elected by a 6-0 vote, with Councilman John Wood abstaining.

There is no telling what kind of politicking went into Kochuba’s election as Mayor. The council presented a front that Hopewell Councilman Zevgolis would appreciate.

While the 5-2 and 4-3 votes for Mayor and Vice Mayor in Hopewell does show some difference in opinion for the Hopewell City Council one might assume that no such differences exist in Colonial Heights, where no dissenting votes appeared in the minutes. The only hint of dissent was Councilman Wood’s abstaining from the Vice Mayor voting.

Councilman Joe Green said that his decision to elect the next mayor required much deliberation to appoint an individual who could not only lead during council meetings, but also provide a strong representation for the city at ribbon cuttings, business openings, and other citywide events. Green said that Colonial Heights City Council had many qualified people, which made his decision difficult. But based on a combination of qualifications and availability, Green said, he felt Kochuba was the right choice for Colonial Heights mayor.

For us citizens the only best way to figure out what is going on is to pay attention to the meetings. Hopewell’s mayoral elections are an indication of the disposition of the board. In Colonial Heights the public gets no such hints. It’s time for all the citizens of both cities to pay attention to how the members of the each council vote on issues. Present whatever kind of front they will for Mayor and Vice Mayor elections nothing trumps how the council members vote.