Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 18, 1992 TAG: 9202180286
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MONICA DAVEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
COUNCIL FIELD GETS 2ND GOP ENTRY
Saying she wants to dust off Roanoke's star, Beverly Lambert entered the race for Roanoke City Council Monday."I've been dusting off things most of my life and I'm very comfortable with a dust cloth in my Lambert GOP candidate hand," said Lambert. "I want to lead Roanoke's dusting brigade for a brighter tomorrow for us all."
Lambert, legislative aide to Salem Delegate Steven Agee, joins incumbent Councilwoman Elizabeth Bowles as a second GOP candidate running for three seats up for election May 5.
Later this week, a third Republican candidate, Delvis "Mac" McCadden, is expected to announce his plans to run - giving the GOP three council candidates for the three seats.
Six Democrats are seeking their party's backing for the three jobs.
In a news conference Monday, Lambert said her experience in government and community affairs sets her apart from other candidates.
Lambert, Agee's aide since 1989, said she has also worked as an area representative to U.S. Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, and served as a board member for various Roanoke parent-teacher associations, for Catholic Charities and for the Comprehensive Health Investment Project.
An executive member of the Roanoke Republican Committee, Lambert is also president of the Roanoke City Republican Women's Club.
That experience, she said, gives her a greater understanding of how the various levels of government - local, state and federal - operate and how they interact.
To applause from a group of Republican leaders, Lambert described her "dream" for Roanoke as a place with excellent education for all students, drug-free, safe streets and healthy, growing businesses.
Asked later about her specific plans to realize that dream, Lambert said she would try to increase parents' involvement in the schools, get more assistance for law-enforcement organizations and seek more money to market the Roanoke Valley as a location for business.
Lambert said she will not work as Agee's aide after the end of the General Assembly session, March 7.
After the May election, though, Lambert said she will reassess that decision. If she is elected to council, she would still be allowed to continue as Agee's full-time aide, she said.
Lambert, a 48-year-old native of Austin, Texas, has lived in the Roanoke Valley since 1969.
A graduate of Wake Forest University, Lambert has worked as a substitute teacher in the Roanoke schools and as business manager at her husband's public relations company, John Lambert Associates, Inc.
Lambert introduced her husband and their two adult children, Luanne Lambert Runge and Charles Lambert, at Monday's news conference.
Asked what role John Lambert will have in her campaign, Beverly Lambert said: "He will be my husband."
"I have not hired his company to assist" in the campaign, she said.
Retiring Mayor Noel Taylor introduced Lambert at the conference - reading written endorsements of her candidacy from Warner and Agee.
Afterwards, Taylor said the election of both Lambert and Bowles in May would mark a significant moment for City Council.
"This will be a history-making event: Two ladies on the City Council at the same time," Taylor said. He said he applauded that "progressive step forward."
Republicans will pick their slate of nominees for the three council seats at a meeting set for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at City Council chambers, according to Gary Bowman, GOP chairman for Roanoke.
Since they aren't expecting more than the three entries for the same number of nominations, Bowman said he does not anticipate a big crowd.
It's not clear yet whether the Republicans will pick a nominee for the job of mayor.
GOP candidates could announce their plans to run until the party meeting, a week from today - four days after Democrats choose between Vice Mayor Howard Musser and Councilman David Bowers for their mayoral candidate.
Keywords:
POLITICS