Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 21, 1992 TAG: 9202210474
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Joel Turner
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
6 SEEK DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL
J. Eugene YoungThe Rev. J. Eugene Young isn't a typical politician. He prefers conciliation over confrontation.
"I am not a combative and confrontational person," he says. "I want to work for the betterment of the city, not to get into a fight or that kind of thing."
Young, 47, who is making his first try for public office, says he will bring a new and fresh perspective.
Pastor of Jerusalem Baptist Church, Young is one of two black candidates seeking the Democratic nomination.
He has no criticism of the current council members. He says he would focus on four areas: education, jobs, neighborhood security and youths.
He thinks the school system should provide more alternative education programs for those who are not gifted or college-bound.
The recession is hurting many residents because they have lost their jobs, he says. "There is a great deal of unrest in Roanoke because so many individuals are unemployed. Presently, too many people are working two or three jobs to make ends meet."
Young wants the city to expand its Community Oriented Police Effort to other neighborhoods. In the COPE program, police officers go door-to-door to meet residents and discuss their concerns.
The COPE team, which was established in the fall, has concentrated on the Lincoln Terrace and Hurt Park neighborhoods. City officials say the approach has helped reduce fear of crime.
Young also wants the city to develop more activities and social programs for young people.
\ Steve Goodwin
Steve Goodwin says he's no politician and he doesn't have all the answers.
So why is he running for City Council?
He wants to change voters' attitude toward city government and to make sure their concerns are addressed, he says.
Residents should feel like they are part of government, not at the mercy of it, he says. He wants to help foster an atmosphere that encourages citizens to participate in council's decisions.
This is Goodwin's first try for elected office. But he has been active in community affairs, most visibly in the area of veterans' organizations and a variety of youth drug and alcohol awareness programs.
He also is a member of the panel that is considering the need for a ward or modified ward plan to replace the city's at-large system for choosing council members.
Goodwin, 45, is a supervisor for the Department of Motor Vehicles Transportation Safety Division.
A Vietnam War veteran, he is past president of the Roanoke Valley Veterans Council.
He wants the city to give more attention to combating crime and drugs. The city needs to hire more police officers, he says.
Goodwin wants the schools to put more emphasis on basic education. School officials need to spend more on attracting and retaining quality teachers, he says.
Goodwin supports a strong economic development program that would create more jobs, but not at the expense of the environment.
\ Ted Key
Ted Key says he wants to put his business background to work on City Council.
Key thinks his experience in business recruiting and marketing could help the city attract industries to create more jobs. He's the executive director of the Williamson Road Area Business Association.
Key, 60, is making his first try for public office, but he has been involved in politics for more than 25 years. He worked in congressional campaigns in North Carolina in the 1960s.
His call for more jobs and economic growth has been a familiar theme in the council campaign. Several candidates have talked about the same issue.
Key has no major complaints about council's performance, but thinks he could provide a business perspective that would be helpful.
He said his experience with the Williamson Road group has "put me in touch with businessmen and the people and help me better understand their concerns."
He is former owner of a real estate firm, manager of a building-and-supply store and marketing manager for a retirement community.
He was in the news this past summer when he led a move to persuade the city's Board of Zoning Appeals to reverse itself and veto a request for a Melrose Avenue motel to be used as a halfway house for parolees. He was serving as temporary executive director of the Northwest Revitalization Corp. then in addition to his position with the Williamson Road group.
Key thinks city officials should do a better job of curbing the proliferation of boarded, vacant houses.
\ James Trout
James Trout, a household name in Roanoke politics, is trying to make the second comeback of his political career.
He needs no introduction to city voters. He's been involved in politics nearly three decades.
Trout has served on council for 16 years during two periods.
He first was on council from 1968 to 1976, when he lost a bid for mayor. He made a comeback in 1982, lost a second bid for mayor two years later but stayed on council until 1990, when he was defeated for re-election.
Now he's seeking the Democratic nomination for another term.
Trout, 61, has emphasized his background and experience. He says that because of the recession and financial pressures, the city needs council members who are familiar with city operations.
He is a retired Norfolk Southern Corp. industrial development engineer, a job he says helped equip him to recruit businesses and industries for the city.
When he made his first comeback in 1982, during a recession, city officials were looking for ways to expand Roanoke's tax base and stimulate the economy. Trout won a council seat and was appointed chairman of the city's 12-member Economic Development Commission, which spearheaded development of the Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology.
If elected, Trout says he would be a strong advocate for schools because economic development and education are linked.
\ Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr.
When Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr. ran for council four years ago, he talked about the need for more jobs. He promised to use his background as an economic developer to help create them.
His campaign theme struck a responsive chord among the voters. He was the top vote-getter in his first try for public office and was elected vice mayor.
Now, with the need for more jobs as urgent as ever, Fitzpatrick again has promised to work another four years to help attract more businesses and industries if he wins a new term. Besides creating more jobs, new businesses and industries would help broaden the city's tax base, he said. "The key to moving ahead without raising taxes is economic development."
Fitzpatrick, 45, was urged to run for mayor this year by friends and supporters. But he said he has other priorities that preclude him from running for the post. He cited family obligations and his job as vice president for economic development and legislative affairs for Dominion Bankshares.
The city has done a good job in recruiting businesses and industries, he said. The Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology has become home for six industries that employ 1,800 workers. A report by the Virginia Employment Commission shows that 93 percent of the jobs created in the Roanoke metropolitan area in the past four years were in the city, he said.
Fitzpatrick said the city needs stable and experienced leaders to guide it through tough economic conditions and the challenges of the next decade.
\ Renee Anderson
Renee Anderson is trying to make political history by becoming the first black woman to win a seat on City Council.
Anderson, former executive secretary in the city clerk's office, is making her first try for public office. She says she will bring new energy and a fresh perspective.
Anderson, 28, worked in the clerk's office 5 1/2 years before she quit last November for medical reasons. She has nerve damage to her arms that is aggravated by typing.
Doctors recommended that she change jobs.
She now runs a used-car and car-washing business with her brother.
But she says her disability wouldn't interfere with her duties as a council member.
Anderson says her work in the clerk's office gave her extensive knowledge of council's role and how the city works.
She avoided partisan politics while working for the city, but now she is a member of the city Democratic Committee and a precinct leader.
She downplays the historical significance of her bid for council. "I am [running] as a human being, not as a black woman," she says.
If she wins the Democratic nomination, her campaign will focus on education, economic development, jobs and affordable health care, she says.
She has promised to oppose any tax increases that would add to the financial burden of elderly residents.
Keywords:
POLITICS