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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 12, 1993                   TAG: 9305120349
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

QUALIFIED WILLIAMS VS. "SMUG" ALLEN

I ENJOYED the Roanoke Times & World-News' recent profiles of the GOP gubernatorial candidates. My final decision on who I will vote for at the June convention rests with my commitment to fielding a winning candidate in November, not with who is the most popular or trendy candidate among those perceived to be Republican Party leaders.

The bottom line is that Earle Williams' qualifications dwarf those of George Allen. Coupled with the amount of baggage Allen brings from his spend-happy year in Congress, I believe Williams is the only GOP candidate not vulnerable to the top-notch Democrat consultants Mary Sue Terry will undoubtedly have in the general campaign.

Pro-life advocates should be very weary of Allen. Williams has not waffled on this issue. Allen's pro-life switch was too timely to be a coincidence. Abortion is not an issue that should be trivialized by Allen's desire to win the GOP nod and further his own career. Williams is significantly more conservative on this issue than Terry.

Most important, nobody is more qualified than Williams to create an attractive business environment. I believe Allen's smug demeanor is the last thing we need sitting across the table from a group of executives deciding whether or not to provide this state with thousands of jobs. THOMAS HUDSON JR. ROANOKE

by CNB