ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, February 3, 1996             TAG: 9602040018
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: B-3  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER 

2 WANT 2ND SCHOOL BOARD TERM CITY COUNCIL TAKING APPLICATIONS

Roanoke School Board member Charles Day, a retired teacher, coach and principal whose term ends June 30, said he will ask City Council to appoint him for another three years.

Board member Finn Pincus, track and cross-country at Roanoke College, said he also is considering seeking a new three-year term.

Both Day and Pincus have been on the board for six years, and each has served as chairman. Only Vice Chairman Marilyn Curtis has been on the board longer.

Council is accepting applications for the two seats, with the new terms beginning July 1.

Under the selection procedure, council announces pending vacancies and invites applications, which are being accepted until March 11. Application forms are available in the city clerk's office in the Municipal Building.

Council publicly interviews up to three applicants for each seat.

Most counties and cities in Western Virginia now elect school board members, but Roanoke and Salem have kept the appointment system.

Salem voters rejected the election method in a referendum. An attempt to get the issue on the ballot in Roanoke failed because not enough signatures of registered voters were collected in a petition drive.

Day, who also was a coach and guidance counselor during his career with Roanoke schools, has a bachelor's degree from Virginia State University and a master's degree from Radford University.

Pincus has a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia, two master's degrees from Virginia Tech and a doctorate from Tech. He is a former director of ECPI Computer Institute in Roanoke.

The city clerk's office said several application forms have been distributed for the two seats, but none had been returned by Friday.

A year ago, there were only three applicants for two seats. Chairman Nelson Harris was reappointed, and Melinda Payne was named to replace Don Poff.

But there have been up to half a dozen applicants for each seat in recent years. Since switching to the public selection process, council has encouraged applications and advertised the pending vacancies in an effort to alert potential applicants.

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