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"NEWPORT NEWS &mdash; As an elementary school student, Joe S. Frank campaigned for Adlai Stevenson, the two-time Democratic nominee for president in the 1950s.  Frank, 67, said he remembers knocking on doors and passing out literature for Stevenson, who lost to President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956.  \"People thought I was cute,\" said Frank, who became an Eagle Scout at age 13.  Frank is retiring after serving as Newport News mayor for the past 14 years.  On July 1, he will be replaced by McKinley Price, who defeated Councilwoman Pat Woodbury in Tuesday's election.  Frank said he's always stayed involved in politics, whether it was making homemade signs for Council candidates as a teenager, volunteering for numerous campaigns as an adult, becoming chairman of the local Democratic party, or serving on City Council.  He remembers one of the first times he went to a City Council meeting — around 1960 — and he spoke in favor of the city purchasing its first ambulance. His father, Harry, had died after a heart attack and he believed his father and others would have had a better chance of survival with an ambulance system.  At the time, Frank said people who were sick were often driven to hospitals in a hearse, as his father was. The city purchased its first ambulance shortly after he spoke to City Council, Frank said.  While he served on many volunteer boards and was always involved in local politics, Frank didn't run for office until 1988, when he ran for City Council.  Frank, an attorney and lifelong Newport News resident, said he remembers some local business people showed up at his law office and asked him to run for City Council. He said he was reluctant to, so he gave them a long list of people to call and to commit to funding and volunteering for the campaign.  \"I thought I had found a way out. I thought they would never do that much work to get me to run,\" Frank said.  But they did as he asked, and he's been an elected official ever since. After serving eight years on City Council, Frank won his first term as mayor in 1996.  Frank said one of his main goals during his years as mayor was to diversify the city's economic base. He said he believes the city has been successful, as reflected by building City Center, the decision by Areva to build here, the expansion of Canon and Jefferson Lab, and other economic development initiatives.  \"The community for too long had been too dependent on the military and the shipyard,\" Frank said.  One of the driving forces behind City Center, an upscale retail, condo and hotel development, Frank said, was that Newport News needed more high-end attractions.  Frank's detractors point to City Center as an example of the city trying to be something that it's not.  \"I think he had a vision for the city that did not match the demographics of Newport News,\" said city critic Jack Gergely.  Frank will also be known for his quest to build the controversial King William Reservoir. The project failed in 2009 after many years of litigation, concerns over environmental impact, and questions about whether the city needed the increased water capacity.  Frank said he still believes that in the long-term the city will need additional water supply.  Councilwoman Madeline McMillan said she admires Frank, but he was wrong on the King William issue. She said Frank became so immersed in King William, that for a long time he wasn't willing to admit defeat.  Aside from policy issues, Frank's supporters say he was always willing to show up for community events.  Wendell Braxton, CEO of the Office of Human Affairs, a nonprofit agency, said Frank volunteered to read to children and was involved in the OHA's affordable housing program.  \"Every time you called on him, he was always available,\" Braxton said. But the 60-70 hours per week on mayoral duties was wearing on him, Frank said, and it was time to retire and spend more time with his seven grandchildren.  His wife, Jane Susan, said they had to sacrifice a lot of family time over the years, especially visiting children and grandchildren.  \"We've had to ask for forgiveness from our children on occasion,\" she said.  Frank, who plans to go on a cruise this summer, said he will enjoy simply having control over his own schedule.  \"I won't have to call my secretary just to see if I can have dinner with my brother on a Tuesday,\" he said. "
<https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20100509-2010-05-09-dp-local-frank-farewell-0509may09-story.html>