ROANOKE COUNTY SELECTS CHAIRMAN

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

DATE: TUESDAY, January 5, 1993                   TAG: 9301050252
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
ROANOKE COUNTY SELECTS CHAIRMAN
H. Odell "Fuzzy" Minnix was named chairman of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors on Monday in a 5-0 vote notable for a lack of bickering.
The board's Republican majority scripted a smooth transition in which Minnix replaced Lee Eddy as chairman and Eddy replaced Ed Kohinke as vice chairman.
Democrats Bob Johnson and Harry Nickens - who cast symbolic protest votes at last year's reorganization meeting - went along with the pre-selected GOP slate.
Minnix, 58, is a retired air traffic controller who is in the second year of a four-year term representing the Cave Spring District.
The unanimous vote signaled a possible respite in the partisan squabbling that has taken place since Republicans captured a 3-2 majority in 1991 elections.
Monday's reorganizational meeting was so cordial that Johnson found himself siding with Eddy, his frequent antagonist, on proposed guidelines for limiting public comments at board meetings.
"I think we ought to bend over backwards not to give the appearance of cutting off comments by citizens," Eddy said.
In a 5-0 vote, the board agreed that the chairman would continue to have discretion in limiting public discussion.
During a workshop with area legislators, the board amended its request to raise the county's hotel and motel occupancy tax from 2 percent to 6 percent.
Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, said the General Assembly would be more likely to approve the request if the county's hotel tax rate were capped at 5 percent, the same as Roanoke's rate.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB