President's Page

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It is May and once again we are closing in on summertime. It has been

an enjoyable spring, but we all know that the Virginia Beach version of

summer-with-a-vengeance is just a few weeks away.

Help wanted. The Virginia Beach Voter Registrar is looking for people

to work on election day serving as election officials, sometimes referred

to as poll workers. I served as an election official for 17 years, mostly as

the Chief Election Official at Bayside Elementary School. Election day is

a long day, but looking back, it was always very satisfying. With more

than one-hundred voting precincts in Virginia Beach, it requires at least a

thousand election officials to conduct a successful election. I encourage

everyone to consider signing up to be a part of the team that is on the front-

line of our electoral system. Virginia Beach has a state-of-the-art election

system. With paper ballots and optical scan readers, and complete checks

and balances at every stage of the process. Rest assured our system is

completely accurate and secure. The voter registrar and deputy registrars

are the best there are and totally dedicated to ensuring our elections are

secure, accurate and complete. If the rest of the country used the Virginia

Beach election model, there would never be any doubt about the accuracy

of the results. As an election official, you are not a volunteer, you are an

employee that gets paid for the day. Check full details, requirements and

how to apply at https://voter.virginiabeach.gov

What is the value of our civic league? I believe any fully functioning

and active civic league adds value to the properties in the neighborhood.

When you read the purpose of our civic league at the bottom of page one:

The purpose of the LST/HP/GS Civic League is to promote the quality of

life of the residents; to provide a forum for the discussion of matters of

community interest; to convey information on issues affecting the

community; to provide social opportunities as a means of enhancing

community pride and identity; and to maintain the community as a

desirable place to live. Are we achieving the purpose? Let us know your

thoughts. Your board members are listed on the left side of this page. We

are here for you.

We still need someone to step up to be the secretary on the board of

directors. The position requires attending membership and board meetings

to take and publish minutes of the proceedings. As with all civic league

positions, this is a volunteer position. As a plus, we are a fun group to work

alongside. The student representative position has been filled. Logan

Wilson, a neighborhood high school student, will be assuming that

position beginning in July.

We are still in the battle against the proposed new traffic signal at the

Independence Blvd – Paul Revere Rd intersection. The light has no

benefits to our neighborhood but does come with the increase of thru

traffic in our streets. The entire project is to provide a convenient

“additional” traffic-controlled outlet from the Thoroughgood side of

Independence. It is a nearly one-million-dollar waste of taxpayer money.

Thoroughgood is where our district 9 councilman, Joash Schulman

resides. He was instrumental in restarting this unnecessary project that had

been stopped by the late Louis Jones. We will continue to be in opposition

to the light, and we will also look forward to new representation for District

9 beginning January 2027.

This is the time of year where we pause civic league meetings, and the

newsletter. The next edition of the Lake Smith Ripples will be out on or

about September 1st. Your Civic League board will continue to meet

during the summer to address neighborhood needs. I hope to see

everyone at our neighborhood picnic on Sunday, June 22, from 2:00 to

4:00 in the afternoon. Bring a side dish to share.

Wishing you an enjoyable and safe summer.

- John Eason, President