Meyera Oberndorf

Editorial Summary

(from candidate's website) Mayor Oberndorf has been member of the Virginia Beach City council for 28 years, since 1976, when she became the first woman elected to public office in the City. After ten years on Council, she was elected vice mayor in 1986. Two years after that, in 1988 she became the first directly elected mayor and the first woman mayor in Virginia Beach’s history. During her time on city Council, the City government has been recognized for a wide variety of achievements, including USA Weekends Best Place to Live in 2003; one of the five best managed cities in the country (Syracuse University/Governing Magazine 2000); Ladies Home Journal as the #1 city for Women in 2002; #2 City for families by Child Magazine 1999; 8th most efficiently run large city by the Reason Public Policy institute in 2001; every year ranks as the safest city of its size in the Country; has the lowest total tax burden of the major Hampton roads cities in 2002; and has the ninth lowest spending per thousand residents among the 50 largest cities. As Mayor of Virginia Beach, Meyera E. Oberndorf has strongly emphasized the importance of economic development. Through her leadership, new businesses are relocating to Virginia Beach, existing businesses are expanding, and new jobs are being created like never before. She has traveled to South Africa, China, Japan, Ireland, England and Norway to further economic development and cultural relations with other nations. She is also a strong advocate of e-government, and since the formation of her e-government commission, the City has won numerous awards for its web site, vbgov.com. In addition to her tenure on city council, Mayor Oberndorf serves on a variety of regional and National Organizations, including the US Conference of Mayors, the National League of cities, the Virginia Municipal League, and the Hampton Roads Mayors and Chairs. Mayor Oberndorf was recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of the 25 Most Dynamic Mayors in the U.S. She was named Outstanding Woman of Virginia by the American Legion Auxiliary and 1997 Newsmaker of the Year by the Virginia Press Women. In May of 1999, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Old Dominion University. In March 2002, she was bestowed the Women’s Achievement Award by the Zonta Club of Hampton Roads. She represents Virginia Beach more than any one person.