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3 Take Plunge Against Norton

A onetime Broadway actress known only as Faith, a freight train conductor running as a socialist and a Republican who put his name on the ballot because nobody else from his party was in the race are attempting to unseat the District's only voice on Capitol Hill, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D).

But Norton, by most accounts the city's most popular politician, is hoping that strong ties to neighborhood activists and the ability to wrestle millions of dollars for the city from Republican lawmakers will vault her to a fourth term in Congress.

On Election Day, Nov. 5, city voters will decide this four-way contest for the city's congressional delegate and will also elect an unpaid an "shadow senator" and "shadow representative" to lobby for D.C. statehood. The "shadow" positions have no official standing in Congress; the D.C. delegate serves in the House and can vote in legislative committees but not on the House floor.

"My constituents feel that I a.m. always paying attention to them and working hard for them," Norton said. "Even when people tell you that they love you, you never take that political love for granted.

"I have been able to get out of the Republican Congress $200 million for street repairs, $75 million to [improve the water system], $15 million for the police department and $12 million for schools."

Norton has acquired a reputation as a strong grass-roots politician and skilled dealmaker. Her opponents -- none of whom has held elective office -- want to chart a different course for the city.

Faith, who performed on Broadway and in several movies as Faith Dane, said she was "shipwrecked in the District 17 years ago" and since has run for public office five times. She often has advocated making District and federal buildings venues for the fine arts.

"I want to make the District an independent state with free theaters, cinemas and acting classes," Faith said. "I would put Tina Turner in the Treasury Department and [Luciano] Pavarotti in the Pentagon."

Sam Manuel, 46, a Conrail railroad conductor and member of the Socialist Workers Party, has campaign literature that reads, "Statehood for D.C. Defend education and social services. Abolish the financial control board." Manuel, a former student activist at Georgia State University, describes himself as a longtime supporter of the Cuban revolution and a reporter for a Socialist news weekly called the Militant.

Sprague Simonds, 32, a business analyst at Fannie Mae, jumped into the delegate race when no other Republican did. "I wanted to vote for a Republican and there was nobody running," he said. "So I thought about who be a good candidate, and I thought about myself."

Norton "spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to get more money for the city," Simonds said, "but at the same time she fails to talk about the spending side of the fiscal equation."

The contest for the "shadow senate" seat being vacated by Jesse L. Jackson pits a fiery organizer from the Umoja Party, who was accused of threatening a school board member, against a Democratic Party activist and a veteran Republican. "Shadow is a negative term. I don't know what a shadow senator is," said George Pope, 47, the Umoja candidate. Pope said he plans to keep his in-your-face style if elected. "I will bring more attention to the plight of the District of Columbia than anyone else would dare to do."

Paul Strauss, the Democrat and a 32-year-old District lawyer, said he would take a kinder and gentler approach. "I want to change our relationship with the federal government by fighting to get full representation for the District," Strauss said. "I have worked as a lobbyist. . . . As a lawyer I can communicate effectively with the lawmakers."

But Gloria Corn, a 48-year-old District writer and a Republican, said, "The District is closer to receivership then it is to statehood. I intend to work for obtainable goals."

Corn said that as a Republican she would have an advantage working with a Republican House. "My opponents, no matter how bright and sincere they may be, are like alchemists who are promising gold from base metal," she said.

Corn also is running for "shadow representative," which District law allows, and in that election is facing Sabrina Sojourner, 44, a Democrat and a management consultant. "I want to continue the push for statehood," Sojourner said. "It is a long-term struggle, and I am not afraid of a long-term struggle.

"It is not just about Congress. It is about letting other citizens around the country know that District residents are disenfranchised."