Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 25, 1993 TAG: 9307250041
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Most people took the Monday after July 4th off as part of the holiday weekend. Not Bowers.
An early riser, Bowers reached his law office at 6:30 that morning. There he spent more than two hours dictating legal briefs, letters and reports.
He also made several phone calls, met with a client and gave an interview before noon.
It was just another day for Bowers, whose hectic schedule has kept him on the run since he became mayor.
He stays almost as busy as his predecessor, Noel Taylor, who sometimes worked 18-hour days.
Some days, Bowers makes three or four speeches, weaving them into a schedule built around his law practice and mayoral duties.
"I'm doing OK for someone who has two full-time jobs," he said jokingly recently.
Being mayor is almost like a full-time post, although the salary is $15,000, he said. Some people believe he no longer practices law, he said, because he spends so much time on his mayoral duties.
But Bowers isn't complaining. He'd dreamed for 20 years of being mayor, so he's not likely to tire of it quickly.
He's so busy he's thinking about getting a car phone so he can answer calls while he's traveling to meetings or speeches.
Sometimes, he writes his speeches while he's on the go. On a recent trip to Bristol, Tenn., for a meeting of nearly 300 people to discuss a proposal for Amtrak service for Southwest Virginia, Bowers polished his remarks as a city employee took over the driving for part of the journey.
Most weeks, Sunday is the only day he takes off. He lounges around his house with his wife, Alison, reading newspapers, watching television or just relaxing.
Despite his hard work, Bowers has been beset with controversies, some of his own making but others that weren't.
Bowers has never been one to back away from controversy.
Ever since he was elected to council in 1984, he has promoted governmental consolidation as a way to help stimulate economic growth in the Roanoke Valley, one of the most volatile issues in the region.
He had been so adamant and strident on the issue that merger supporters and county officials demanded that he resign from the committee that negotiated the 1990 plan.
For the most part, Bowers kept quiet during the merger negotiations and the unsuccessful campaign to win voter approval for the plan.
But he revived the controversy this month, saying the valley needs to begin consolidation talks anew.
Not surprisingly, he came under bitter attack by Roanoke County officials. They accused him with being out of touch with county voters who overwhelmingly vetoed merger.
County Supervisor Ed Kohinke said Bowers' approach will hurt rather help governmental cooperation.
"Such tactics inhibit good communications, and cause people - myself included - to waste a lot of time, money and other resources in the defense of their positions, rather than creating a climate in which we can all work together and move forward," Kohinke said.
But that's Bowers' style.
"He lets you know where he stands," said Thomas Robertson, president of Carilion Health System and chairman of the Roanoke Valley Business Council.
As mayor, Bowers said he has tried to have an administration that listens to the voters. He describes it as "opening up our democracy for greater citizen participation." His five economic summits were part of that effort.
"I sat a bank president next to a union leader. We had neighborhood leaders, civic and church officials, small-business people and others sitting side by side," he said.
He has also held three open houses in the mayor's office and invited residents to come in and talk with him. Sixty to 70 people attended each one. He's been accessible to reporters and holds news conferences frequently.
There were the lows during his first year, such as the forced resignation of Finance Director Joel Schlanger, and the highs, such as the completion of the Hotel Roanoke financing package after more than $7 million was raised in a public campaign.
During his first six months, Bowers felt almost like a firefighter, battling one controversy after another.
The early turmoil included: rejection of a modified ward system, the 2-for-1 pension plan, a controversial pay plan for city employees and the realignment of Wells Avenue in the Gainsboro neighborhood.
Hundreds of jobs were lost because of plant closings and First Union's acquisition of Dominion Bankshares.
If that wasn't enough, there was the ouster of Schlanger for charging nearly $1,800 in personal, long-distance calls to the city.
Bowers said the Schlanger case was the most troubling controversy and he's still not sure council made the right decision.
Bowers tried to forge a compromise behind the scenes so Schlanger could have kept his job if he had publicly asked council for a second chance.
But he couldn't persuade council to keep Schlanger.
"We've spent a lot more time and taxpayers' money trying to find a replacement" for Schlanger than the cost of his phone calls, Bowers said.
Bowers had more victories than defeats in the past six months, and he's beginning to make his mark on economic development, tourism and other issues.
He has focused on the Hotel Roanoke project, the Virginia Museum of Transportation, a proposed rail side park in downtown, Amtrak, tourism and a sports coordinator.
Many business leaders were wary of Bowers because of his close ties to union leaders and his opposition to closing the Jefferson Street leg of the Hunter Viaduct to provide a site for the Dominion Tower.
But the business community believes Bowers has concentrated on the right things such as economic growth and tourism, Robertson said.
Bowers was co-chairman of the Renew Roanoke campaign that raised the money to help pay for the renovation of Hotel Roanoke.
He has also proposed that the city give $1 million to help upgrade the Virginia Museum of Transportation. And he has advocated a rail side park in downtown to link tourist attractions.
But don't think Bowers has sold out to the business community. He says jokingly he still has a $10,000 debt from his campaign for mayor.
Bowers has also made peace with Vice Mayor Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr., a political rival who has strong support in the business community.
One reason Bowers remains so enthusiastic about the job is that he actually enjoys the meetings.
"I enjoy the conduct of the meetings. I've always had an interest in parliamentary procedures," he said. "That is a part of the job that I like, even though most people don't."
Bowers has exhibited a quieter and more conciliatory style in working with other council members than they expected.
Most council members credit Bowers with trying to work cooperatively. Bowers said he has tried to develop the ability to receive complaints in a positive manner.
Bowers said most council members have been cooperative, except for Howard Musser, whom he beat for the Democratic nomination for mayor.
Despite the tension, Musser said he believes Bowers has tried to be cooperative. "I have worked with him when I thought he was right and disagreed when I thought he was wrong," Musser said.
Bowers said the past 12 months have been a rebuilding year as the city and council have adjusted to Taylor's departure as mayor. He believes the transition has been successful, citing a recent survey showing that 90 percent of city residents are generally satisfied with life in Roanoke.
While Bowers has focused heavily on tourism as a way to generate economic growth during his first year, he said the city must have a diverse economic program that fosters business and industrial development, too.
"Tourism is not the be-all and the end-all to our economic development. But it is a part we have neglected."
Bowers supports a proposal by Robertson and the valley business council to develop a regional economic plan, but he has insisted that political leaders should be involved in the process. And he said he has been assured by Robertson that will happen.
"The business community can't do it all by themselves, and we [the political leaders] can't do it alone," he said.
The controversies for Bowers may not be over.
He plans to make specific proposals in the next few weeks on the consolidation issue. And he hints there may be unexpected developments on other issues.
"You haven't seen anything yet," he said.
by CNB