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

DATE: FRIDAY, March 2, 1990                   TAG: 9003023073
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FORMER SCHOOL OFFICIAL TOUTED FOR COUNCIL

Don Bartol, a former Roanoke School Board member, has joined the growing list of possible candidates for the Roanoke City Council vacancy that will be created by James Trout's resignation.

Councilman David Bowers said Thursday he will propose that Bartol, a retired teacher and principal who often opposed School Superintendent Frank Tota when he was on the School Board, be appointed if council is required to fill the vacancy before the council election May 1.

Bowers said he prefers that council wait until after the election to fill the seat.

The city charter says that "vacancies in the council shall be filled within 30 days . . . by a majority vote of the remaining council members."

Bowers said he thinks council could wait until the night of May 1 and fill the vacancy with the non-incumbent who received the most votes that day. Council could waituntil the polls closed and the votes were tabulated, he said.

"If this is not acceptable, I would propose that we name Don Bartol," Bowers said.

Trout will resign April 1 because his railroad pension will be reduced if he remains on council.

Mayor Noel Taylor said earlier this week that council will ask City Attorney Wilburn Dibling for a legal opinion on whether it must fill the vacancy within 30 days after Trout leaves council.

Council will seek Dibling's opinion on whether it could wait until the May election results are known before it fills the vacancy.

Roland Macher, a businessman who is expected to seek the Republican nomination for a council seat in May, has said he's available to fill the vacancy.

Macher has sent a letter to Mayor Noel Taylor offering to fill the seat.

Macher, who owns Macado's restaurants and an antiques mall near the City Market, has scheduled a news conference today in which he is expected to say he will seek the GOP nomination for a four-year term.

James Harvey, a former councilman, has removed himself from consideration to fill the vacancy. He said he wouldn't agree to fill the vacancy until after the council election.

Harvey is running on a ticket with Councilman Howard Musser and William White, a School Board member, seeking the Democratic Party nomination for the three council seats that will be up for election this spring.

Harvey has said the fairest way for council to fill the vacancy would be to pass a resolution stating its intention to appoint the non-incumbent candidate in the May election who receives the most votes.

by CNB