Del. W.W. "Ted" Bennett, D-60th District, will not seek a seventh term, reversing an earlier decision.
With the 2000 Census in, the GOP-dominated General Assembly will draw the state's new district lines this spring.
Bennett said yesterday that he hoped his decision to retire "will help save" this district.
When he announced earlier this month that he would run again, he said that he had hoped he could "influence enough of the critical events to prevent Halifax County from being split up" and his district "re-districted out of existence by the Governor and his party."
"It appears I cannot do so," said Bennett in a written statement released yesterday.
Bennett's statement follows:
To the people of the 60th House District, House of Delegates and General Assembly of Virginia,
After considerable thought over the last few years, and more intensely over the past year, I have decided I will not run for re-election to the House of Delegates. I will finish out my term which ends December 31 of this year. That will enable me, hopefully, to complete work on a couple of things I'd like to push to fruition.
I hoped earlier this month, when I announced my intention to run, I could still influence enough of the critical events to prevent Halifax County from being split up and the district that I represent from being re-districted out of existence by the Governor and his party.
It appears I cannot do so. Whether my stepping down will alter their plans to eliminate this seat and three to four Democratic House seats in Southside, I do not know. Maybe my retirement will help save this one.
In any event, it is time for me to go. My entire family wishes for me to stop and take it easier. I have paid the debt I think I owe to the wonderful people of this district who have elected me six times.
It has been an honor to serve in the Virginia General Assembly, the oldest continuous legislative body in the new world.
It has been even a greater honor to represent the people of the place of my birth and my heritage. It is who I am. It is the place where I grew up and returned to live and work after graduation from college and law school. It is the place where my parents were born and raised. It is the place where my grandparents lived and raised all of us, and where Lessie and I were married and raised our children. It is home.
I thank all of you for the honor and privilege of serving you and allowing me the opportunity of trying to make South Boston, Halifax County, Campbell, Charlotte and Pittsylvania counties a better place in which to live, work, go to school, enjoy life, worship and continue their education.
Ted Bennett

The Continuing Education Center and Riverstone Technology Park were awarded $3.6 million by the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission during its Friday meeting.
CEC had sought $1.7 million in grant funding and the Industrial Development Authority had sought $1.9 million for Riverstone Technology Park located off of Route 58.
"It's a done deal," said a pleased Chris Lumsden, chairman of the Halifax Educational Foundation.
Lumsden and Del. W.W. "Ted" Bennett spoke on behalf of county projects during the two-day commission meeting.
Funding comes from the $4.2 billion Virginia is slated to receive over a 20-year period as a result of the tobacco settlement between 46 states and cigarette manufacturers.
"It will be state-of-the-art, allowing us to have as quality high-tech an education as anywhere," said Lumsden of the new CEC facility in South Boston.
The new CEC facility offers "the opportunity to expand quickly" when needed, according to the HEF chairman.
The new CEC offers 30,000 square feet, but an additional 10,000 is "under roof," said Lumsden, and would be available for growth.
Lumsden said that it was "most important to have enough functional space to meet current enrollment space at the CEC."
The CEC has been borrowing and renting space, according to the HEF chairman.
"This will allow us to bring other colleges in," he added.
High-tech distance learning also will allow the CEC to tap additional faculty and to offer a better opportunity for site programs.
Equally important to Lumsden is the message the CEC project sends.
"It sets education as a major priority for us. This project sends a message to residents and to visitors that education is very important to us, to our community. And I think that is important."
"That (funding) will actually finish the project, allow it to open in August," said Delegate W.W. "Ted" Bennett yesterday.
CEC officials needed the money by March 15 to be able to place orders for the state-of-the-art equipment and furnishings, explained Bennett.
"Dr. Cormier (president of Longwood College) is ecstatic over it," said Bennett of "the technology driven" CEC project.
However, because of the state budget stalemate in the General Assembly, Bennett said that the CEC will move into the new 30,000-square-foot facility in South Boston with no additions in either administration or faculty.
"It is clearly not enough," said Bennett. "They are about three positions short." The delegate said that funding for additional staff was lost due to the state budget stalemate.
The $1.9 million for the Riverstone Technology and Business Park will allow the acquisition of about 150 acres off of Route 58.
"This is going to allow them to acquire it and make it ready for us to build to suit any prospect, including broadband high-speed data transmission needs, including voice," said Bennett.
"Virginia Tech is working with us so that we can host the most sophisticated technology needs of any company in the world," the delegate said.

A public hearing on an application by Southside Community Services Board (SCSB) to drop the 24-hour supervisory requirement at Gateway-Halifax Apartments heads the agenda of tonight's meeting of South Boston Town Council.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at council chambers on Yancey Street.
SCSB wants to modify their 1991 Special Use Permit by removing the 24-hour supervisory condition at the apartments for the mentally disabled, located at 630 Berry Hill Road.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the application on February 14, and voted to recommend the special use permit not be modified.
Representatives of SCSB had originally appeared before council at their December meeting to request that 24-hour supervision at the complex be dropped, due in large part to funding shortfalls.
The revelation during that meeting that SCSB had, in effect, not adhered to the 24-hour supervisory requirement for the complex for several years drew a sharp rebuke from council.
A large group of neighboring residents, who had initially opposed the location of Gateway Halifax, appeared again at the Planning Commission public hearing, and expressed their opposition to having the 24-hour supervisory requirement removed from the special use permit.
The first of two public hearings on community development and housing needs will be held at tonight's council meeting.
Two public hearings must be held before a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application is submitted to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
The hearing will receive public input on local community development and housing needs in relation to CDBG funding for town projects or to comment on the town's past and proposed use of CDBG funds.
Proposed projects include a $25,000 planning grant for extension of town water and sewer service to the Shepherds Gate community, and a $800,000 Community Improvement Grant for the Tobacco Warehouse District Project.
Dixie Youth Allotments
Council will discuss the allocation of $9,000 budgeted for Dixie Inc. for 2001-2002 at Monday's meeting.
South Boston Majors and Pre-Majors Baseball League President David Myers has requested that council appropriate $3,000 to help defray the expenses of their league which now plays at C.H. Friend field.
The Finance Committee recommended at last Monday's Council Committees' meeting that the funding issue be placed on the council agenda to determine funding for both the Dixie Inc. and the Dixie Majors and Pre-Majors Baseball leagues.
Election District Resolution
Council will consider a resolution at Monday's meeting requesting that Halifax County establish two comprehensive election districts for South Boston.
At present, one of eight electoral districts for Halifax County is located entirely within South Boston, with representation for the remainder of town residents being divided among five other members of the Halifax County Board of Supervisors.
Council discussed the issue at length at their June 2000 retreat, and concurred that more voting representation was needed for South Boston residents on the Board of Supervisors.
Loan Authorization Request
Town staff will ask council to authorize both a $1 million VRA loan for assistance in landfill closure and a $1.5 million bond anticipation loan for sewer infiltration and inflow work.
The purpose of the borrowing is to finance improvements to the town's water and sewer system, including certain infiltration and inflow and landfill closure projects.
Council needs to consider a resolution authorizing the bond on first reading on March 19, and hold a public hearing and adopt the resolution on second reading at the April 9 meeting of council.
Contract Authorizations
Council will consider authorization of contracts for sewer pipe and manhole rehabilitation projects, with bids received totalling $1,336,283 ($1.5 million with contingencies) at tonight's meeting.
Upon council approval, the contracts will be let immediately.
A citizen comment period will follow the council agenda.

With the General Assembly still struggling with financial issues, a number of state entities are at a near standstill in the budget-making process.
The Halifax County school system is among them.
As a result, tonight's 7 p.m. meeting of the Halifax County School Board at the Mary M. Bethune Office Complex in Halifax is expected to be routine and it may be relatively brief.
A move to open Halifax County schools in late August is expected to be the primary action, with the School Board giving school system officials the nod to request a waiver from state officials.
State law prohibits Virginia's public schools from opening schools prior to Labor Day without obtaining a waiver from state officials.
Halifax County School Superintendent Dennis Witt said that in order to qualify for the waiver, a school system must average missing eight days of school in any five of the previous 10 years.
Witt says Halifax County meets the criteria - and then some.
"We're good through about another three or four years," he pointed out.
Also tonight, the School Board will consider some possible revisions to its Code of Student Conduct for the upcoming 2001-2002 school year.
Other than those two items, the School Board will review a handful of routine reports.
While some mention of the work on the coming year's school budget picture may arise, there is nothing that can be done at this point.
With no numbers regarding state revenues from the General Assembly, the school board is unable to advance its budget.
And, because money is at the heart of the issue, discussion on the recently proposed Phase II capital improvements project is also at a standstill.
"We're in something of a stalemate right now," Witt said of the school budget-making process.
"We are working to prepare a budget. But we can't put revenue numbers in until such times as the General Assembly gives us those numbers."
Witt said he feels that the school system's teachers and support personnel need a three or four percent pay hike and some additional assistance with health insurance benefits in order to stay close to neighboring localities.
Assistance for the support personnel is much needed, he said.
"We want to make sure our support personnel don't get too far down in salaries and benefits as compared to other classified employees," Witt said.
"We have to pay attention to their needs as well. Sometimes it requires a little more attention to them than to the teachers' group to keep things in line and make sure that everybody gets a fair shake."
Witt says the school system will need help from the county in order for it to help its employees.
"We want it (the county budget) to be manageable," Witt said," and we want to be as efficient as we can on our side."

Halifax County High School's varsity baseball team will face its first tests this week with a pair of scrimmages.
The Comets, who went 18-3 last year and made it into the Northwest region playoffs, will face their first test here Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. when they square off against group AA Brookville High School of Lynchburg.
Coach Kelvin Davis will then have a day to assess the outcome before his team hits the road Thursday to face neighboring Group AA Dan River High School.
This week's pair of scrimmages for the Comets varsity baseball team are part of a busy week in which five Comets teams will get their first taste of action in preseason scrimmages.
Davis says his team is ready to see some outside competition after having drilled for about three weeks.
"These scrimmages are a big plus for us," Davis said.
"We've been out here for about three weeks now. We've got our basic offensive situations and our basic defensive situations in place. Now we can get into a real game situation and work on these things and see where we stand."
Davis pointed out that no matter how hard you work at it, the drills, while good, don't have the effect as real-game situations offer.
"We've been coming out here and taking batting practice and taking infield and doing those types of things," Davis said.
"But they really aren't the same as game-type situations. We'll find out this week where we are. We're going to take a good look at these guys this week and see those players that we may have some questions about and find out where they are and what things we need to work on as a team."
Davis said the team is coming together well, that the players are mixing well and are becoming more and more team oriented.
"When we first started out here, our job as a coaching staff was to get the guys mentally ready, to get them started thinking "team" and thinking 'Comets baseball,'" Davis pointed out.
"I think the guys are more mentally prepared. I think they're thinking more "team" now. I think the guys are really blending together."
Davis said his players are ready for the scrimmages this week and are looking forward to facing the first challenges of the new season.
"I think our pitchers are ready to pitch against other guys and I think our guys are ready to go out and hit against other pitchers," Davis said.
"I know they get tired of playing against themselves all the time and want to go out and play another team."
While the Comets are anxious to get started, Davis says the team is facing some early injury situations.
One of those situations involves last year's starting shortstop, R.D. Cole, who is in the midst of rehabilitation from shoulder surgery.
"I guess he's about 60 percent," Davis said Friday.
"He sustained a shoulder injury over the winter and is recovering."
With Cole seeing limited action, Davis says he will look at Matt Clay to step into that spot and give it a try.
The other injury that Davis is watching is that involving Justin King.
King, a player that Davis was eying to help his pitching corp, is nursing a broken finger. He, too, is somewhat limited in what he can do right now.
"They're big players for us," Davis pointed out.
"They have to produce a lot for us either by pitching or playing shortstop and, in R.D.'s case, we also need his bat. They're big question marks for us right now."
The Comets varsity baseball team is not the only team that will see action in preseason scrimmage contests this week.
In fact, the Halifax County High School varsity boys soccer team opens a full week of scrimmage contests with a scrimmage against Dan River here today at 5 p.m.
On Tuesday the Halifax County High School varsity girls softball team will face Tunstall in a scrimmage here at 4 p.m.
The Comets boys jayvee baseball team will go to Lynchburg to scrimmage Brookville and the Comets jayvee girls softball team will travel to Tunstall for a scrimmage against the Tunstall jayvees.
Halifax County High School's varsity and jayvee baseball and softball teams will have another scrimmage game on Thursday.
The jayvee girls softball team will scrimmage Laurel Park here at 5 p.m. and the jayvee boys baseball team will scrimmage Dan River here at 5 p.m.
Halifax County's varsity boys baseball team will be on the road to face Dan River and the varsity girls softball team will hit the road to scrimmage Laurel Park.
The regular season gets underway Monday, March 19.

Roy Lee Waller, 71, of Sandy Ridge Road, Nathalie, died March 9 at Lynchburg General Hospital.
Mr. Waller was born in Halifax County, May 17, 1929, son of the late Floyd W. Waller and the late Honey Austin Waller. He was a member of Clover Bottom Baptist Church and the National Black Angus Breeders Association.
His survivors include a brother, Walter Lewis Waller of Lynchburg; sister, Minnie W. Grogan of Lynchburg.
He was preceded in death by his step-mother, Lizzie Layne Waller; brother, John W. Waller and sister, Odell Waller Arthur.
A graveside service will be conducted at 11 a.m. today, March 12, at Clover Bottom Baptist Church cemetery by the Rev. James Crocker.

Edna Jennings, 54, of Scottsburg died March 8 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Her survivors include a sister, Shirley Hill of Stafford and brother, Ray Watkins of Roanoke.
A funeral service will be held today, March 12, at 1 p.m. at St. James Baptist Church, Scottsburg with Revs. Byrd Blackwell and Ronald Claiborne officiating. Interment will be held in the church cemetery.