In The News Washington Post, Prince William Edition (9/28/01) Soil, Water Panel Cultivates Interest 6 Vie for Once-Obscure Commission By Carol Morello Washington Post Staff Writer The last time an election was held for three seats on the Soil and Water Conservation Commission, only one candidate ran, and two people were elected on the strength of a few dozen write-in votes. This year, however, the ballot for a panel that is so low-profile that many residents don't even know it exists is jammed with six candidates, arguably making it the most contested race in the county. The three-year posts are nonpartisan, and all the candidates are listed on the ballot as independents. But three are officials on the local Republican committee, which has endorsed them, and one serves on the local Democratic committee, which in turn has endorsed him. The main function of the commission is to award about $200,000 a year in federal and state funds to help local farmers pay for ecologically sound investments on their properties. Typically, the grants pay part of the cost of building sludge tanks or fences that keep animals from wandering near streams to defecate. It's not a glamorous job. The sudden spate of candidates is in part a result of the near total lack of interest the position aroused in the 1998 election. After only one candidate appeared on the ballot, local political leaders began suggesting to aspiring young politicians that the commission was a good place to gain campaign experience as a prelude to running for other elected offices. Three Republican Party activists decided to run as challengers. All contend that the commission should be more actively involved in issues that affect suburbanites living in housing developments, as well as the handful of farmers who remain in business. Steven M. Danziger, Prince William GOP committee chairman and a business manager for Dominion Semiconductor in Manassas, said the impact of development on air and water pollution "needs to be pursued more aggressively" by the commission. Martin E. Nohe, the local GOP vice chairman and president of the Appliance Connection in Manassas, said he would use the position as a "bully pulpit" for environmental issues. "In Prince William, everyone is a farmer," he said. "We all grow half an acre of grass. I'd like to use the voice of the office to bring environmental issues to more urban parts of Prince William County." Daniel Berrios, a Republican committee member who describes himself as a "professional campaigner," said the commission needs to become "more pertinent" to residents. He said he would turn his campaign Winnebago into an outreach vehicle that visited neighborhoods where he would talk to residents about issues such as sinkholes. Among the incumbents is Melvin D. Bellinger, a retired economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He is into his third term to the one appointed seat on the commission, and is its chairman. He said he decided to run for one of the elected seats this year because he fears someone could use a seat "as a lark" and trivialize the commission's efforts. Robert P. Shiner, a retired accountant with the Commodities Future Commission, is seeking election to a second term, vowing to reach out more to landowners who are horsemen. The owner of three horses himself, he said small horse farmers are increasing in number as the county's dairy and cattle farmers are dwindling. Jeffrey M. Guide, a technical specialist at the Library of Congress and a Democratic committee member, said in his first term he had helped the commission revitalize its "Adopt a Stream" program and refocus its efforts on local horsemen. If reelected, he said, he wants to have the commission draft a disaster preparedness plan in case the county's rivers and lakes are poisoned by criminals or terrorists. © 2001 The Washington Post Company Return to Homepage

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