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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 21, 1993                   TAG: 9304210020
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LAURA WILLIAMSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ADVOCATE FOR DISABLED SEEKS SCHOOL BOARD SEAT

If Joel Kelly had his way, Roanoke's schools would convert to community centers in the afternoons, the city would compel all high school students to graduate and the School Board would place greater emphasis on apprenticeship and vocational programs.

Kelly, 40, is trying for the second time to gain a seat on the Roanoke School Board.

A city resident for nine years and advocate for the disabled, Kelly said that his lack of a college degree places him closer to the average citizen than other board members.

"I feel that we need somebody that Kelly understands the community," he said.

A graduate of Kansas High School in Oklahoma, Kelly never completed college because he suffers from anxiety and depression that prevent him from taking on too heavy a workload, he said.

So why does he think he can handle the stress that inevitably accompanies a School Board post?

Because he has had no problem undertaking a position on the Mayor's Committee for the Disabled and testifying before City Council on issues that affect the handicapped, he said.

"To me, being on the School Board is just a continuation of what I'm doing," he said.

"I feel that it would help me to do my job better in advocacy."

Kelly, who lives in a federally subsidized apartment complex, has pushed for better housing for low- and moderate-income families, for lower van fares for the handicapped and for better funding of the city's Alternative Education program.

Prior to coming to Roanoke, he worked for six years as a computer operator for the Treasury Department in Kansas City.

He is married with no children.

by CNB