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

DATE: TUESDAY, May 1, 1990                   TAG: 9005010490
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: BEN BEAGLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

VOTER TURNOUT LAGGING/ ABOUT 30 APPEAR TO BE VOTING IN CITY

"It's going to be lower than we anticipated," said Alton Prillaman, secretary of the city's Electoral Board.

Earlier, Prillaman had cautiously predicted a turnout of 35 to 45 percent. This morning, he revised the estimate downward into "the low 30s."

As of 10 a.m., 3,463 or 8.8 percent of the city's 39,181 voters had gone to the polls on a morning in which fog gave way to sunshine.

The turnout today, Prillaman said, would not compare to the 42 percent voter participation figure reached in the 1984 contested race for mayor.

Today's turnout, Prillaman said, will be "comparable to 1988." At the same morning hour that year, 8.1 percent of the voters had been to the polls.

A bond issue that struck no fire did not help increase the voter total. "I don't think that's stirred much imagination," Prillaman said.

The council race, though often sharp and acrid, apparently also fell short of being inspirational.

The race includes a Democratic ticket of Councilman Howard Musser, School Board member William White and James Harvey, a former councilman.

The other candidates are Roland "Spanky" Macher, a Republican; Councilman James Trout, a Democrat running as an independent; and the Rev. Cecil McClanahan, an independent.

In Salem and Vinton, where council candidates were running unopposed, the vote was extremely light this morning.

At 9 a.m, 165 Salem voters had been to the polls, or 1.5 percent of those registered.

In Vinton as of 10 a.m., 27 of 3,200 voters - less than 1 percent - had showed up.

Running unopposed in Salem are Councilmen W. "Mac" Green and Carl "Sonny" Tarpley. Unopposed in Vinton are incumbents Roy McCarthy and Donald Davis.

Statewide, voters in 140 cities and towns were voting for municipal officers.

In Petersburg, black college professor Calvin Miller was trying to give the city council its first black majority by defeating incumbent Joe R. East Jr., an American Indian.

Voters in the tiny town of Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore had 11 people running for six seats on town council.

Polls across the state opened at 6 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.