Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 31, 1990 TAG: 9005310457
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROB EURE POLITICAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Woodrum, a consolidation supporter, sponsored the state law this year that provided a charter for the proposed government. Voters in the valley will decide if they want the Roanoke Metropolitan Government in a referendum in November.
In a speech Wednesday to the Roanoke Kiwanis Club, Woodrum used a selling line aimed at a long-standing sore point in city-county relations: that city government has more power than the county.
Consolidation of the city with much of Roanoke County would bring a new government with powers that "go beyond the powers of most counties" and would enable "focused efforts on economic development and economic expansion," Woodrum said.
He said consolidation would bring immediate benefits in coordinated planning and delivery of services. Eventually, it would save taxpayer money as duplicate government offices and services are eliminated, he said.
"This is one valley," Woodrum said. But acknowledging that Salem would remain separate, he said, "I recognize a stone wall when I see one."
by CNB