As Foes Mount For Dragas, Friends Emerge, Too

Helen Dragas has some prominent allies in her fight to remain on the University of Virginia's Board of Visitors. Chief among them is U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat who has spoken on Dragas' behalf with several state legislators who have a say in her fate. Dragas, a Virginia Beach real estate developer, faces a tough road to confirmation in the General Assembly after spearheading a controversial effort last June to oust U.Va. President Teresa Sullivan. Within weeks, Sullivan was reinstated by the university's governing board amid a public uproar. Then Dragas was awarded another four-year term on the board by Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell - an appointment that is contingent on approval by the Assembly.