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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 16, 1990                   TAG: 9005160555
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

COMMENDS NICKENS FOR MERGER STAND

HARRY NICKENS, Roanoke County Supervisor, is to be commended for publicly taking a stand against the plan to consolidate Roanoke and Roanoke County. I respect Nickens' knowledge and insight as a Roanoke Valley leader, and I wholeheartedly support his position against consolidation.

Consolidation or merger of Roanoke and Roanoke County will, I believe, increase the per-capita cost of local government as population and bureaucratic inefficiency increase. Higher taxes, beginning with a start-up cost of $25 million for a bigger consolidated Roanoke, will be necessary. The quality of public education in Roanoke County will suffer and economic development may be hindered.

Don Terp, Hugh Key, John and Lela Spitz and other leaders and workers in Citizens Against Merger should also be commended for their continuing efforts to inform voters on consolidation issues. An all-out effort must be made to overcome the media blitz and downtown Roanoke's expected ploy to sell consolidation to the voters. The time has come for all of us who oppose the consolidation plan to support CAM. CHARLES L. LANDIS ROANOKE COUNTY

by CNB