
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 30, 1990                   TAG: 9003300784
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

BILLBOARDS

WHAT'S this? A politician who doesn't want his name etched in the public mind at every opportunity?

It happens. Roanoke City Councilman Howard Musser, a Democrat running for re-election May 1, has asked that his name be painted over on billboards owned by J. W. Inge III, president of a local sign company.

Trouble is, from Musser's point of view, the other two candidates touted on Inge's billboards are Republican Roland Macher and Democrat-turned-independent James Trout - and Musser's running on a ticket with fellow Democrats James Harvey and William White.

Inge, of course, is under no obligation to comply. They're his billboards, and he can endorse whomever he wants. Sorta like an editorial page of a newspaper, you might say.

But Inge may be learning a lesson that a lot of folks who work for newspaper editorial pages have learned: Sometimes, your advice not only is unheeded but also is unwanted.

by CNB