ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 20, 1996 TAG: 9607220055
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
A DINNER honoring a councilwoman will be questioned after complaints from some taxpayers, whose money funded the event.
A $3,100 taxpayer-funded prime rib dinner in honor of retired Councilwoman Elizabeth Bowles will be a topic of discussion at City Council's next meeting, but council members are defending the expenditure.
Councilman Jim Trout says he'll bring it up at council's regular afternoon meeting Aug.5, after receiving five complaints from residents about the use of taxpayer funds for the dinner.
"They were all in opposition to it," Trout said. He promised them he would inform other council members of their comments at the next meeting.
Trout said he doesn't expect any formal action barring the use of public funds that way in the future. Instead, he defended the expenditure, as did Mayor David Bowers and Councilman William White.
The black-tie-optional dinner, complete with a pianist, singer and champagne, was held at the Hotel Roanoke to honor Bowles for her 20 years of service to the city. Its menu featured herb-rubbed prime rib, roasted potatoes, baby green salad topped with fresh vegetables and orange-honey-cider vinaigrette, and white chocolate mousse drenched in raspberry sauce and topped with whipped cream.
The bill will be paid out of City Council's "gratuities account," a $17,165 fund for such occasions, City Clerk Mary Parker said. She said she and City Manager Bob Herbert would find someone to pay for the champagne.
Bowers said nobody has complained to him about using taxpayer money for the 65-person dinner, which included council members, top city officials, some city staff, spouses, friends and relatives of Bowles and a few Republican activists.
"The calls I got said the [Roanoke Times] story was nasty," Bowers said. "Most people felt like she was an honorable and decent lady, that we were right to honor her and that she should go out on a high note."
At the mayor's City Hall office, however, his secretary said she had received "a few" complaints about the expenditure and no positive comments.
"I've gotten two calls, both from die-hard Democrats, who thought that the article was tacky," Vice Mayor Linda Wyatt said. Councilmen Nelson Harris and Carroll Swain said no residents had contacted them.
White said he'd received "one or two" irate calls, but that he doesn't agree with the caller.
"Personally, I think it's a good use of taxpayer money when you recognize people for their actions," White said. "This council is not frivolous. I think we're almost too cheap. ... There's a whole lot of things we could spend money on that we don't because we realize it's taxpayers' money."
The Bowles fete stands in stark contrast to a dinner in Salem being planned to honor its former mayor of 22 years, Jim Taliaferro. Salem city government has issued 13,000 invitations to that event, which will be held Aug.6 at the Salem Civic Center.
Salem is charging $14 for a buffet of fried chicken, roast beef and spaghetti or a seafood dish. The menu also includes mashed potatoes, green beans, peas and onions, dessert and soft drinks. There will also be a cash bar, Salem City Manager Randy Smith said.
"We don't quite go in for the type of entertaining that I read about," Smith said of the Hotel Roanoke dinner honoring Bowles. "We had to talk [Taliaferro] into doing this one. He agreed to do it on the condition that everybody be invited." Taxpayers did cover the cost of printing and mailing the invitations, which Smith pegged at about $2,800.
"I'm in search of a good source of caviar," Smith joked. "Who should I call, Bob Herbert?''
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