Campaign manager quits in Colonial Heights

The campaign manager for Colonial Heights Commissioner of the Revenue Marjorie C. DeDanko, who is seeking re-election in November, resigned last week amid personal differences.

Earlier in the race, Pete Pettry had strongly criticized DeDanko's opponent, Gayle R. Braswell, calling in July for a Virginia State Board of Elections investigation into Braswell's fundraising activities. Now, he said, he supports Braswell.

"Marjorie is arguably in the lead; she's got good grass-roots exposure. If she wins, it is because of the hard work of the campaign team," Pettry said. "It became evident to me that [DeDanko] is not committed."

DeDanko, a one-term commissioner of the revenue, said Pettry left the campaign last Tuesday.

"He felt that I needed to go to city events. I have responsibilities in the office, and I can't just go to places," she said. "I am elected to serve, and I have to be in the office to serve the people who elected me."

With three weeks until Election Day, the Virginia State Board of Elections is also looking into complaints involving both campaigns, said David Allen, the board's campaign-finance manager.

Questions recently have been raised regarding disclaimers on DeDanko's Web page and Braswell's use of a vehicle, he said.

Braswell's campaign has been cleared from an investigation of a car-wash fundraiser that her campaign advertised would benefit the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Allen said.

Pettry called for the investigation in July, saying the SPCA had not agreed to participate in the fundraiser. As a result, the Richmond SPCA sent Braswell a letter in which it asked Braswell to remove SPCA references from her Web site and campaign materials and suggested the Richmond SPCA does not participate in any political campaign activities.

The SPCA incident, DeDanko said, was an issue she and Pettry disagreed on. "Every mistake [Braswell] made he slammed at her. . . . I didn't care how she ran her campaign. Everything she did, he had to cause problems," DeDanko said. "What Pete did needed to realize is that this is small-town politics, not Washington, D.C."

"I will be so glad when it is all over," she said. "I will be glad when Nov. 3 gets here."

Braswell, who lost to DeDanko in the same race in 2005, said Friday that she has no intention of bringing Pettry to her team.

Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or .