Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 31, 1993 TAG: 9301310015
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
SO FAR, BOWERS NOT BIG ON DEBATE
AFTER NEARLY two decades of Noel Taylor's style of quiet consensus, city hall insiders expected to see more debating on Roanoke City Council with David Bowers in charge. They've been surprised.When David Bowers became mayor, conventional wisdom held that Roanoke City Council would become a weekly forum for political posturing and infighting.
At least, that's what the political insiders predicted privately.
They thought Bowers' feisty, aggressive style and political ambition would rankle council members.
There also was the lingering bitterness from his victory over Councilman Howard Musser for the Democratic party nomination for mayor.
Musser was so angry that he refused to support Bowers in the campaign against Republican Willis "Wick" Anderson. Councilman James Harvey, a Democrat and close ally of Musser, also refused to endorse Bowers.
Indeed, predictions that council would be embroiled in more debating have come partially true during Bowers' first seven months as mayor. There has been much turmoil at council meetings. However, none of the controversies was initiated by Bowers. And the timing on some issues was coincidental.
There have been controversies over a lucrative pension system for council members and top city administrators, a pay plan for city employees that some considered unfair, the realignment of Wells Avenue in the Gainsboro neighborhood, and the resignation of Finance Director Joel Schlanger.
Citizens criticized council members and questioned their integrity. The attacks reached a level of stridency than has not been seen in recent years.
For the most part, council members have listened to citizens speak on controversial issues. But they have confined their own disagreements and debate to closed sessions, away from the public eye.
On most major issues, council members have been publicly united. They voted unanimously to eliminate the 2-for-1 pension plan, realign Wells Avenue and accept Schlanger's forced resignation.
Publicly, council members have been cordial, almost friendly, with each other. Bowers extends the same courtesy to Musser and Harvey as he does to the others.
Most council members are reluctant to talk publicly about their disagreements. But the public harmony masks divisions and political infighting on council, according to several members who did not want to be identified.
"What you see out front is not what you see in closed session," said one.
Harvey and Councilman William White do acknowledge there have been differences on several issues.
The latest issue is the appointment of someone to fill the vacancy on the Hotel Roanoke Conference Center Commission that was caused by Schlanger's resignation.
That still has not been taken care of despite a back-room session.
White wants Bowers to be named to the commission, but several other council members object. White, a Democrat and strong supporter of Bowers, said he has become so frustrated over the issue that he will nominate the mayor and see what happens.
All of the discussions about filling the vacancy have been in closed session. The state's Freedom of Information Act permits private meetings to discuss such appointments.
The six-member commission for the hotel and conference center includes three from the city and three from Virginia Tech. The city's other members are Harvey and City Manager Bob Herbert.
The commission will be the policy board for the conference center, similar to the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission for the airport.
Labor leaders want Bowers to be appointed to help ensure that local laborers and contractors get part of the construction work on the hotel project. But several council members said they do not see the need for another elected official on the commission.
Schlanger should be replaced by someone with a financial background and expertise, either a city official or a businessman, Musser said.
"It has nothing to do with [Bowers]. I would feel the same way, regardless of who it was," Musser said. "If [White] insists on nominating [Bowers], I guess we'll just have to vote on it and see how it turns out."
Bowers said he regrets he doesn't have the council's unanimous support to fill the vacancy, noting that he was a co-chairman of the fund drive that raised $5 million in private funds for the hotel project. He said he has championed the project for several years.
"It might come as a surprise to some that I don't have unanimous support, but I chalk it up to politics," Bowers said. "We are continuing to deliberate, and the final decision has not been made."
Once the financing package for the hotel is complete, Bowers said, contractual and legal matters will be the top issue for the hotel and conference center. Bowers, a lawyer, said his legal background and experience would benefit the commission.
Bowers said he would be disappointed "if the mayor of the city isn't appointed to the commission."
However, Councilman Delvis "Mac" McCadden said some council members think Bowers could have more influence on the hotel project in his role as mayor than as a member of the commission.
For the most part, council members have put aside their private disagreements and have done what they thought was best for the city, said McCadden, a Republican.
McCadden thinks Bowers has "tried to be fair and has done a pretty good job" of trying to get council members to work together publicly.
The flap over the hotel commission appointment harkens back to Bowers' decision soon after he became mayor to replace Musser and Harvey on council's Water Resources Committee. That irked Musser and Harvey, but they did not make an issue out of it.
Harvey is hesitant to talk about his disagreements with Bowers because he said some people might dismiss his comments as sour grapes.
"But it's different ball game now than when [Noel Taylor] was mayor. Everything is more political now," he said.
"As far as the public is concerned, they think [Bowers] is doing a good job because he has had his economic summits, made speeches and done other things," Harvey said. "But it's just too much politics."
One Bowers' campaign themes was to "take back" city hall and give it to the people. Harvey blames that for creating the environment in which 500 irate people attended a council meeting to protest the pension and pay plans.
"When you tell 100,000 people that you're going to take back city hall, that stirs them up," he said.
Musser said he, too, is reluctant to comment on the back-room disagreements because he probably would be dismissed as a sore loser.
If Bowers comes up with proposals that benefit the city, Musser said, he will support them. Council members are trying to work out a relationship that will ease the conflict and tension, he said.
Publicly, Bowers' style has changed from his years as a councilman. He used to be an advocate for certain points of view, some of which were unpopular with his colleagues. As mayor, he tries to be a consensus-builder.
During the controversy over the 2-for-1 pension plan, Bowers helped forge a compromise that ended the plan. But it allowed top city administrators and council members to keep what they had earned. They received two years of retirement credit for each year they worked for the city.
Bowers also worked behind the scenes during the controversy over Schlanger and helped develop the agreement for him to resign. That spared council the decision of whether to fire him.
Despite the back-room battle over the hotel commission vacancy, Bowers said he hopes the issue can be resolved without lasting scars.
"We seem to work our way through things like this, and I think we will this time, too," he said.