Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 26, 1993 TAG: 9310260322
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
But council split along party lines Monday on whether Edwards should be free to become a candidate in May for the remaining two years of Fitzpatrick's unexpired term.
Councilman Delvis "Mac" McCadden, a Republican, said Edwards would have an unfair advantage over other potential candidates if he runs because of the publicity he will receive as a council member.
McCadden voted for Edwards because he said it was one of the occasions when "council needs to stay together." McCadden said Edwards, a former U.S. attorney for Western Virginia, is a good choice, but he might focus too much on politics if he plans to run in May.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Bowles, the other Republican on council, agreed.
"He is a fine choice and we are glad to get him. But it would give him an undue advantage if he runs," Bowles said.
But Councilman James Harvey, a Democrat who nominated Edwards, said it would be unfair to ask him not to run. "He should be free to run like any other candidate," Harvey said.
Mayor David Bowers and Council member William White also said the decision should be left to Edwards.
Edwards said he hasn't decided whether he will run in May. "I told them I didn't want to be bound by any commitment either way," he said.
Bowers said the issue of running was discussed with some of the finalists and it was understood there would be no commitment either way.
Edwards, 49, was appointed to fill Fitzpatrick's unexpired term until June 30.
In cases such as Fitzpatrick's, when there are more than two years remaining in a term, a special election is required to fill the final two years. It will be held in May as part of the regular council election, when three other seats will be on the ballot.
Fitzpatrick, a Democrat, resigned to become director of the New Century Council, a group that is developing an economic plan for the Roanoke and New River valleys.
C.W. Toney, a labor union leader who has been active in council politics in recent years, said he is pleased with the selection of Edwards.
"I support it wholeheartedly. I was in favor it," said Toney, a leader in the labor coalition which helped elect Bowers last year.
There had been speculation that labor leaders might be unhappy with Edwards because he threw his support to Steve Musselwhite rather than John Fishwick Jr. in last year's fight for the Democratic nomination for the 6th District's congressional seat.
Many union members backed Fishwick, but Musselwhite won the nomination after Edwards withdrew.
But Toney, president of the Southwestern Virginia Building and Construction Trades Council, said that battle has been forgotten.
"That happened [last year] and I don't think it has much to do with [the council vacancy], " Toney said.
Edwards said one of his priorities as a council member will be to support the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center project. He said he wants to see closer ties between the city and Virginia Tech.
Edwards, who has been on the Roanoke Civic Center Commission for eight years, also wants the city to work with both the civic center and the Hotel Roanoke Conference Center to resolve the need for more parking.
He will be sworn in next Monday before he attends his first council meeting.
Edwards' father, Richard, was judge of the Roanoke Hustings Court from 1964 to 1968, the year he died. The elder Edwards was also mayor of Roanoke from 1946 to 1948 and a council member from 1946 to 1950. He was mayor when council members, not the voters, choose the mayor for a two-year term.
Edwards was U.S. attorney from 1980 to 1982, but he was replaced after Republican Ronald Reagan became president.
\ IN OTHER ACTION\ ROANOKE CITY COUNCIL\ \ Interstate 73 alignment: Council endorsed a proposal for proposed I-73 to follow the U.S. 460 and 220 corridors in Virginia so it would pass through the Roanoke Valley. I-73 would connect Detroit, Mich., and Charleston, S.C. Some localities want it to follow the U.S. 460 and Virginia 8 corridor. Virginia has not chosen the route, but state officials will meet with West Virginia and North Carolina officials soon to discuss the issue.\ \ Valley Metro buses: Council awarded a $3.4 million contract to the Gillig Corp. of Hayward, Calif, for 18 diesel-powered buses. The low bid was $191,460 per vehicle. Valley Metro considered buying some buses fueled by natural gas, but decided against because of costs and other factors. The buses will be purchased with nearly $3.7 million in federal and state grant funds. They will replace five 1976 models and 13 1979 models. With the new vehicles, the oldest bus in Valley Metro's fleet of 38 buses will be a 1988 model.\ \ Virginia Municipal League: Council was told that the Virginia Municipal League conference will be held in Roanoke in 1996 after the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center open. The league, an educational and lobbying organization for around among the major urban areas in the state. This year's meeting was in Richmond. About 1,000 officials attend the conferences.\ \ Unfunded Mandate Day: Council decreed Wednesday as Unfunded Mandate Day in Roanoke to focus attention on the mandates the federal and state governments impose on localities, often without funds to pay for them. The U.S. Conference of Mayors and other similar organizations have identified 391 such mandates. City Council's decree is part of a national effort to make taxpayers aware that localities often have to spend local funds to pay for federal and state requirements.
by CNB