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

DATE: FRIDAY, May 6, 1994                   TAG: 9405060120
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ROANOKE PETITION DRIVE SLOWS

The petition drive to force a referendum on an elected School Board in Roanoke appears to have lost momentum, but a similar movement in Salem is nearing its goal.

The organizers of Roanoke's petition drive have collected about 2,500 signatures. They had planned to collect more at the polls during the City Council election this week. But Gloria Stinnett, who started the drive, said some people who had promised to help collect signatures apparently failed to do so, since they have not returned the petitions to her.

Ten percent of the city's 41,000 registered voters must sign petitions to get the issue on the November ballot.

Stinnett said the organizers hope to collect 4,500 signatures to make sure they have enough valid ones in case some are thrown out.

Stinnett, a member of the city Democratic Committee who has worked in several political campaigns, vowed Thursday to collect the rest of the signatures herself if necessary.

She said the petition drive is not meant to be an indictment of the current School Board. But she believes an elected School Board would be more accountable to voters

The petitions must be filed with Roanoke Circuit Court by Aug. 10.

Petition drive organizers must collect the required signatures within nine months after they begin.

In Salem, advocates of a referendum must collect all of their signatures by Thursday because they began circulating them last August.

They have collected 1,031 signatures, but they need 1,211. They obtained some signatures at the polls this week.

The petitions are being circulated by the Virginia Referendum Advocates, an organization that is seeking a vote on the issue but remains neutral on whether or not Salem should have an elected board.

Aaron Smith, president of the group, said the organizers hope to get the rest of the signatures this weekend by collecting them at businesses and other places where there are many people.

Several nearby counties - Botetourt, Roanoke and Montgomery - are switching to elected school boards.

Roanoke County will have an election in November to choose three board members; two more will be elected in November 1995.

In a referendum this week, Danville voters rejected a move to an elected board.

by CNB