Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 12, 1993 TAG: 9303120626
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
MR. MAYOR
ANOTHER MAYOR Taylor is leaving public life. And, like Mayor Noel Taylor in Roanoke who retired last June, Pearisburg Mayor Clarence Taylor managed to capture and hold the hearts of most of his constituents throughout his time in office. A remarkable achievement, considering it's been 47 years.Forty-seven years - 19 elections - and not once turned out by the voters. A living argument against mandatory term-limits.
Of course, Pearisburg, nestled in the mountains in Giles County, is a small place. Small-town politicians typically don't face many of the bruising controversies endured by their compatriots in larger communities, where needs can be more complex and conflicting.
But no place is zoned "controversy-free." Pearisburg has a small-town set of worries and needs that can stir as much debate and passion as larger issues in larger places: decisions on rezonings, the location of the library, running the water system, downtown renovations.
These are all of direct, and correspondingly intense, importance in the daily lives of a town's residents.
So how does one man keep most of the people happy all of the time - staking a claim as the longest-serving mayor in America?
Taylor boiled down his philosophy to two words: "Be honest." This is a wise and refreshing axiom, but insufficient explanation for his longevity in office. Many an honest officeholder is turned out, many a dishonest one stays in.
Taylor apparently mastered two skills invaluable to anyone trying to represent "the people," no matter how large or small the constituency. A former town manager in Pearisburg says the mayor "had such a good understanding of what his town needed." That's crucial.
Just as crucial, he's been open to change. He is "part of another day and another time," says the former colleague - but Taylor has been old-fashioned only in his values and courtly, amiable disposition.
Taylor favored going to a manager/council form of government back in 1948, and since then, he says, he's seen more changes than he can recall. That doesn't seem to disturb him a bit.
Pearisburg has elected the same mayor for 47 years. That man has lived in the same house for 43 years, been married to the same woman for nearly 60 years, and worked at the same tannery for 35. Neither he nor the town shows any tendency toward the wild or unstable. But, bless him, he's not afraid of change.