Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 23, 1992 TAG: 9202240235
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
BOWERS WINS NOMINATION
LESS THAN 900 people may have chosen Roanoke's next mayor. With the Democratic nomination in hand, David Bowers for now faces no declared Republican opposition and just a hint of an independent challenge.
Roanoke City Councilman David Bowers claimed he has a mandate to "take back city hall" and give it to the people after he won the Democratic Party nomination for mayor Saturday.
Bowers beat Vice Mayor Howard Musser by 191 votes at a mass meeting at William Fleming High School that attracted nearly 1,700 registered voters, the largest crowd at such an event in nearly two decades.
Bowers received 896 votes to Musser's 705 and will represent the party in the May 5 election.
Strong turnout by organized labor helped provide Bowers' margin of victory. He had the backing of the Roanoke Central Labor Council and the Roanoke Firefighters Association.
Bowers said he will try to unify the party and heal the wounds caused by the mayoral fight with Musser, but it was not immediately clear whether Musser will support him.
Musser, who would not rule out an independent bid before Saturday's meeting, left before the results were announced and said afterward only that he will have a statement Monday.
Many political observers considered Saturday's results to be tantamount to victory in the May 5 election.
But Bowers still may have a Republican opponent even if Musser doesn't run as an independent. Willis Anderson, a former mayor, has been considering seeking the GOP nomination and plans to announce his intentions Tuesday at the GOP mass meeting.
"I don't want any decision to sound like a reaction to what happened today," Anderson said Saturday.
Bowers' winning coalition included labor, black voters, blue-collar workers and schoolteachers.
Musser had the support of most party leaders and a black voters' organization. But that didn't worry Bowers, because his strategy was based on running as an underdog against the power brokers. He wore a "We The People" campaign sticker on his lapel as he mixed with voters.
Labor leaders said they supported Bowers because he favors the hiring of local workers on city projects, rather than bringing in outside workers. Union officials complained that many out-of-town workers were hired for the Dominion Tower project.
The city spent $10 million for the parking garage that is part of the Dominion Tower, but city officials said they weren't involved in choosing the contractor for the job.
The firefighters supported Bowers because he is willing to consider their concerns, said Ed Crawford, president of the group.
"We need a change," said Maurice Wiseman, a retired firefighter. "Both men will probably make a good mayor, but I think David will be more concerned about city workers and retirees."
The union organized a breakfast Saturday morning that attracted nearly 200 people, including many current and retired firefighters. The union also chartered a bus that brought many retired firefighters and other elderly people to the meeting.
Bowers, a 39-year-old lawyer who has been on council for eight years, credited labor with helping him win, but he said his message was the main reason for his victory.
Bowers told cheering supporters that his victory was a "mandate for change and progress." On July 1 when the new mayor takes office, he said, "the people will be in charge one more time."
Also Saturday, the Democrats choose three City Council candidates to run on a ticket with Bowers:
Renee Anderson, a former executive secretary in the city clerk's office, making her first try for public office.
Councilman Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr., vice president for economic development and legislative affairs at Dominion Bankshares, seeking a second term.
James Trout, a former councilman who is seeking to make his second political comeback.
Anderson and Trout, like Bowers, were endorsed by the Labor Council. Fitzpatrick was the only winner who did not have labor's backing.
Billy Bova, a campaign worker for Bowers, said there were three keys to his victory: "We had the support of labor, the working poor, and there was the feeling that we need to take back city hall from the special interests," Bova said.
Bowers was boosted by a heavy turnout of voters from working-class and black neighborhoods.
Democratic officials estimated that more than 2,000 people attended the meeting and that 1,690 were registered to vote. The crowd included some Democrats from Roanoke County and Botetourt County, as well as some people who were not registered voters.
Officials said it was the largest crowd at a mass meeting since the early 1970s, when former state Sen. William Hopkins was challenged for the party's nomination.
About 1,500 people were squeezed into the school's gym, and the overflow crowd nearly filled the 750-seat auditorium. Nominating and second speeches for each candidate were made in both places.
When voters started arriving Saturday morning, it was apparent that Bowers would run strong because hundreds of people stopped at a campaign table to get his lapel stickers.
By 10 a.m., Bowers knew he was probably going to win but he kept shaking hands, talking with voters and moving around the crowd.
"I am going to work to the end for every single vote I can get," Bowers said.
Musser's backers knew they were beaten even before the vote was taken. Councilman James Harvey, a political ally of Musser, looked around at the crowd with all the Bowers stickers and acknowledged defeat.
After the vote had confirmed his earlier prediction, Harvey said he was impressed with Bowers' ability to get out his supporters. But he said he thinks the Democrats either should hold a primary or schedule a mass meeting at a place with plenty of parking if they are faced again with a similar situation.
Harvey said many people didn't attend because they could not find a place to park near the school. "I don't know if they supported Howard or David, but I saw people turn away because there was no parking."
Bowers' supporters seemed to be confident from the beginning Saturday, but he had prepared two statements - one for victory and one for defeat.
"I guess I can put away the concession statement now,' he joked after Dan Frei, his campaign manager, told him the results.
Vote totals\ All candidates\ David Bowers 896\ Howard Musser 705\ Beverly Fitzpatrick 1,045\ Renee Anderson 825\ James Trout 656\ Steve Goodwin 629\ Rev. J. Eugene Young 594\ Ted Key 283
Keywords:
POLITICS