ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 22, 1996 TAG: 9601220077
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: & Now This
He's gone - from Virginia, at least - but not forgotten: Former City Manager Bern Ewert has been hired to the take the helm in Galveston, Texas.
The city of 65,000 along the Gulf of Mexico has given Ewert a four-month contract to clean up the financial mess it found itself in after firing a longtime city manager in December.
Galveston is facing a $2 million shortfall, which Ewert has vowed to fix by mid-February through budget cuts, according to an report in The (Galveston County) Daily News.
"I would guess that Galveston has one of the worst bond ratings in the United States," the newspaper quoted Ewert saying Jan. 9. Galveston "has a bond rating that is typical of Eastern European bond ratings."
That's another subject Ewert knows a thing or two about; in recent years, he's been a government and economic consultant in the Czech Republic.
Known during his days in Roanoke as a visionary, Ewert left City Hall in 1985 to build Explore Park. But the reality of limited state funding clashed with his big dreams to turn the park into a Disneylandlike resort along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Ewert was fired by the foundation that oversaw Explore. A scaled-back version of Explore opened in 1994.
Ewert's contract with Galveston pays him $7,500 monthly plus an apartment, a car, and five round-trip flights back to his home in Charlottesville. Galveston is looking for a permanent manager, but Ewert has not said whether he's interested in the post.
Bowl-goers know brothers
If they were going to drive 1,900 miles in less than 72 hours, the least that Bruce and Sam Bias could ask was a couple of bowl victories for their favorite teams.
The Bias brothers got their wish when they saw Virginia rally for a 34-27 victory over Georgia in the Peach Bowl and Virginia Tech overcome Texas 28-10 in the Sugar Bowl.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be recognized by so many people," Sam Bias said. "We got to the SuperDome at 4:30 p.m. [for the Sugar Bowl] and didn't get to our seats till the National Anthem [at 7].''
The Bias brothers were the subjects of a newspaper story Dec. 26 about their plans to drive to both games. Bruce wore a sweat shirt to the Peach Bowl that said "Hokies for 'Hoos," and Sam put on a sweat shirt for the Sugar Bowl that said ``'Hoos for Hokies."
"A lot of people stared at us, and almost as many came up and spoke," Sam said. ``A lady behind us started squealing and said, `It's them; it's them.' She asked, `Can I take your picture?'''
The Bias brothers didn't feel as much at home at the Peach Bowl, where a cousin had purchased tickets in the Georgia section.
The decision to drive had its benefits; the Biases were able to return home, while many Tech fans who had flown were stranded by bad weather.
"I heard a couple of guys say that there was a group that did the same thing," Sam said, "but I don't know of any two other people who did. We're waiting to do it again next year.''
Of politics and Popsicles
When former Rep. Barbara Jordan of Texas died last week, her colleagues remembered her for many things: Her eloquent oratory on the Constitution during the Watergate hearings. Her impassioned pleas on behalf of civil rights. Her courage in battling the health problems that afflicted her throughout her career.
Former Rep. Caldwell Butler of Roanoke, who served with Jordan on the House Judiciary Committee, remembered her for those things, too. But he also remembered her for something else:
Popsicles.
The Texas Democrat, it seems, had a fondness for Popsicles. "Somehow it got out the Republican cloakroom had Popsicles and the Democratic cloakroom didn't," said Butler, a Republican who retired from Congress in 1982 and now practices law in Roanoke. "On more than one occasion, I had to go bring her a Popsicle. She just liked them."
Butler said he and Jordan never were particularly close. However, he said, "she called me a moderate Republican, which was her highest compliment for a Republican.''
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Ewert, Butler.by CNB