Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 26, 1992 TAG: 9201260217
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ROANOKE EX-MAYOR URGED TO RUN AGAIN
Willis M. Anderson, the youngest person ever to be mayor of Roanoke, is being urged to go for the job again, three decades after he first held it.Republican party leaders and some business leaders have asked Anderson to run if Mayor Noel Taylor retires, as many expect.
Anderson, elected to City Council in 1958 when he was 29 and mayor when he was 31, confirmed Saturday that he has been approached.
"I don't want to say anything until after [Taylor] says what he's going to do," Anderson said. "But I wouldn't shut the door to it."
Anderson, 63, is a former Democrat who switched to the Republican Party in 1984.
He also has run twice for Congress, including once against Rep. Jim Olin, D-Roanoke, who is retiring this year.
Anderson said he had not considered running for mayor until he was approached.
"It caught me by surprise," he said, adding that he still had hopes Taylor will seek a new term.
Taylor will have a news conference Tuesday to make a statement about his plans. Many expect him to announce that he will not seek a fifth term.
Gary Bowman, chairman of the city Republican Committee, said he hopes Anderson will run if Taylor does not.
"People have been calling [Anderson] and encouraging him to run. It's not just Republicans but others, too," Bowman said.
Anderson, general counsel for Shenandoah Life Insurance Co., was on City Council from 1958 to 1962. He was chosen as mayor by other council members in 1960 - before the city switched to direct election of the mayor by voters.
Anderson also was a member of the House of Delegates from 1963 to 1971.
In 1972, he lost to Caldwell Butler in the race for the 6th Congressional district seat. Ten years later, when Butler retired, Anderson sought the Democratic nomination but was defeated by Olin.
Former Councilman Robert Garland also has been mentioned as a possible GOP candidate for mayor, but Republican officials say it is doubtful he will enter the race.
Meanwhile, the Democrats are expected to have a contest for their party's nomination for mayor.
Vice Mayor Howard Musser has scheduled a news conference for Thursday, when he is expected to announce his candidacy. Councilman David Bowers already has announced that he will run.
Keywords:
POLITICS