Fraim kept tax-cut tricks up his sleeve The Virginian-Pilot © May 12, 2007

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Mayor Paul Fraim came late to the tax-cutting party in Norfolk, but when he finally arrived on Wednesday, he put on quite a show.

Decisive and unifying, Fraim was the people's mayor that Norfolk wanted when it changed its form of government last year.

With a unanimous vote from the council, Fraim scored the closest thing to a political standing ovation for a magic trick that brought a truce in the budget battle between teachers, public safety workers and the Tea Party II tax revolters.

It was such a fine piece of legerdemain that no one seemed at all bothered - or even much noticed - that he had resurrected the reviled car tax to glue the deal together. Nor were there any squeals about the bigger bites he put on boaters, smokers, businesses and the bus line. The mayor also levitated some revenue estimates with his magic wand.

But that seemed beside the point to the combatants. Everyone got what he wanted: Fraim restored the full funding for teacher raises, found an extra $1,000 bonus for police and, most importantly, rolled back the property-tax rate to staunch the bleeding of homeowners. The cut to $1.11 from $1.27 makes the average 25 percent property-tax assessment increase vanish.

Even the grumps in the Tea Party were won over.

"The City Council did well," said Vic Yurkovic, a Tea Party founder, in begrudging and surprised acknowledgement that the uprising had prevailed. For the members of the council, Yurkovic's pronouncement was the biggest reason for relief and rejoicing.

Fraim's performance should silence the talk of mid term recalls in a tax rebellion now so big and organized that it would have no trouble putting the question on the ballot.

And the 16 cent tax-rate cut takes away the most potent issue threatening the re-election next year of Daun Hester and Barclay Winn.

A month ago, Fraim promised "significant" real estate tax relief.

This week, his sorcery made good on that pledge.