Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 26, 1990 TAG: 9004270594
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-4 EDITION: EAST
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
With two popular incumbents running for the two open seats on Town Council, it's likely that this year's turnout may be lower than it was four years ago, when the same two candidates ran unopposed.
That year saw the lowest voter turnout ever, according to county Registrar Elizabeth Leah.
Barring a last minute write-in campaign, council members Roy McCarty and Don Davis will be elected to their fourth and second terms, respectively.
McCarty, 52, is a Vinton native and a graduate of William Byrd High School. He is the job development coordinator for the Roanoke County Occupational School, and has been with the school system for 20 years.
He has been active on several council committees, including last year's budget committee, the safety committee, the cable television contract renewal committee and the bidding committee.
McCarty said he decided to run for council in 1978 because of the town's water situation. At that time, he said, the town was buying water from Roanoke, and "it was costing an arm and a leg."
In the 12 years he has been on council, the town has developed its own water system, which offers customers "the cheapest rates in the whole valley." That, he said, is the project that has made him the most proud.
The most important issues confronting the town, he said, are keeping the budget balanced and seeing the consolidation proposal through.
The consolidation issue, he said, is what has prompted him to run again. McCarty, who is against consolidation, said, "We need to protect the county and the town of Vinton."
Most of the citizens he talked to while he was collecting signatures for his petition seem to be against it as well, he said. Whether the consolidation referendum will pass, he said, "is anyone's guess."
Davis, also 52, is a native of Lexington, although he has lived in Vinton for the past 25 years. He is manager of Sovran Bank's Vinton branch.
Davis first ran for election, he said, "because I wanted to give something back to the community. It's been a benefit to me and my job to broaden my perspective."
He has served on several council committees since his election in 1986 and, in fact, helped institute the committee system under which two council members, or a council member and a town employee, study an issue closely before presenting it to the council as a whole. The system, he said, "has helped to save a lot of time."
Last year, Davis served on the budget review committee. This year, he has been active in two of the town's biggest issues, the animal control ordinance and the recycling program.
Through these measures, Vinton became the first Roanoke Valley government to enact a comprehensive animal control law that applies equally to dogs and to cats, and was structured to protect the rights of homeowners as well as the well-being of the animals.
With the recyling program, which begins on Election Day, Vinton becomes the first valley government to institute mandatory recycling.
Davis decided to run again, he said, "because there are a lot of things that haven't been finished yet."
Although he prefers to "stay neutral" on the subject of consolidation, he is interested in the progress of the proposed Explore Park.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB