Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 29, 1992 TAG: 9202130382
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
THROUGH THE YEARS WITH MAYOR TAYLOR
May 1961: Came to Roanoke to become pastor of High Street Baptist Church after serving as minister of churches in Clifton Forge and Norfolk.\ \ Mid-1960s: Involved in civil rights movement to integrate restaurants, schools, hotels, motels and hospitals in the city. Asked council to repeal law requiring blacks to sit at the back of buses.\\ April 1967: Elected first black president of the Roanoke Ministers Conference, a biracial organization with almost 200 members.\ \ June 1968: Appointed to city Library Board, the first public post he held.\ \ February 1970: Black leaders wanted him to run council as a Democrat, but Democratic leaders said the party was not ready to put a black on the ticket. Republicans invited him to join their ticket, and he accepted.\ \ May 1970: Elected the first black member of Roanoke City Council.\ \ June 1972: Council approved a fair-housing ordinance that he recommended.\ \ November 1973: Lost a bid for the House of Delegates, the only defeat in his political career.\ \ May 1974: Because he got the most votes in his council re-election bid, Taylor became the first black vice mayor of Roanoke.\ \ October 1975: Became the first black mayor of Roanoke when City Council members chose him to fill the unexpired term of Roy Webber.\ \ May 1976: Won a four-year term as mayor in a five-way contest for the post that included a high school student and a masseuse.\ \ June 1977: Proposed as affirmative-action plan that was approved by City Council as a tool to get more blacks and women into city government.\ \ May 1980: Ran unopposed, won a second term as mayor.\ \ August 1982: Appointed an Economic Development Commission to coordinate the city's effort to attract new businesses and industries. The commission spearheaded the development of the Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology, a city-owned industrial park that has provided the sites for half a dozen industries employing more than 2,000 people.\ \ March 1983: Republicans wanted Taylor to run for the House of Delegates, but he declined.\ \ May 1984: Challenged by Councilman James Trout, who ran as an independent because the Democratic Party wouldn't nominate him. Won a third term easily, with 62 percent of the vote.\ \ August 1984: Proposed the Henry Street revival project, an area that was once the home of many black businesses, nightclubs and restaurants.\ \ August 1986: Recommended the appointment of a task force to study homelessness. As a result of the study, the number of beds in shelters for the homeless doubled.\ \ September 1987: Elected president of the Virginia Municipal League, a statewide organization of cities, counties and towns.\ \ May 1988: Ran unopposed, won a fourth term.\ \ June 1988: Roanoke is named an All-America City for the third time during Taylor's years as mayor; also received similar award in 1979 and 1982.\ \ August 1990: Proposed the creation of a task force on community to study the relationship between black residents and the Police department and allegations that police mistreat blacks.