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

DATE: SATURDAY, August 26, 1995                   TAG: 9508280025
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WISHNEFF WILL GET DOUBLE THE RATE, BUT A FRACTION OF THE HOURS

Wishneff earlier this month resigned from the job to start a consulting business. One of his first undertakings as a consultant will be to perform his old job until the end of the year.

The commission oversees the nearly 6-month-old conference center at Hotel Roanoke. Wishneff had been the city of Roanoke's economic development director on loan to the commission when he quit.

The commission and Wishneff settled on contract terms Thursday that set out 12 tasks for him to accomplish. He can work as few or as many hours as he wants or needs, according to commission member Jim Grisso, who also is Roanoke's finance director. The commission estimated the work will take Wishneff 1 1/2 days per week.

At that rate, Wishneff will receive $100 per hour, more than twice the value of his salary and benefits when he was working full time for the city. But, Wishneff said, he will have the same work responsibilities as before while being paid for only a fraction of the hours he used to work.

"Nothing has been cut except what they are paying me," Wishneff said.

The city hopes to hire Wishneff's permanent replacement by Jan. 1 and assign the person to work part time for the commission, which would share in paying the employee's salary.

If the city doesn't replace Wishneff by the end of the year, his contract could be extended once for three months at a lower pay rate of $3,200 per month, Grisso said.