Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 29, 1992                   TAG: 9203300205
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: F-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FAISON'S CRITICS

clarification:

Local workers on the whole benefited from the Dominion Tower project. Even though several specialized trades that were needed in the construction are not available in this region, much of the labor for the tower (75 percent, by developer Henry Faison's reckoning) was local.

Not surprising. Though not bound by state low-bid rules, private developers are interested in profit margin - and, in many instances, using local subcontractors is economically advantageous. Critics of the Dominion project often fail to note the large number of local suppliers that profited, not to mention the economic-development benefits (translation: jobs) that continue after construction is completed.

The difference between private and public projects has been blurred. A portion of the Dominion Tower, the parking garage, is now owned by the city. But the garage was purchased only after its completion: Faison risked the upfront money, was exposed to any liability that might have arisen during construction, and continues to own most of the building.

The Hotel Roanoke, a gift from Norfolk Southern, is currently owned by a private foundation that in turn is owned by Virginia Tech. The university itself, of course, is publicly funded. But the foundation is not: Its money is from private donors, not the taxpayers.

To some people, local vs. outside labor may be less central than the issue of union vs. non-union. But official favor would be as hard to bestow on unions as on locals.

If what's wanted is for union contractors to be on equal footing with non-union contractors in bidding on taxpayer-funded construction, that's already the situation under the law. If privately funded construction is involved, the city lacks any authority.

Among the lowest criticisms leveled at Faison have been the references to Mexicans imported to work on the tower. Yes, eight Mexicans, all properly documented, were employed at one time on the project. Don't Mexicans have a right to work, too? Would the feelings here be the same if they had been, say, British or Irish?

People better wake up to the fact: Roanoke does not exist in isolation. We thrive or wither in a world economy.