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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 2, 1993                   TAG: 9306020224
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GOP WON'T SEEK 4 ROANOKE OFFICES

The GOP won't nominate candidates for sheriff, treasurer, commissioner of revenue or commonwealth's attorney for this fall's election.

Republicans had been expected to have a candidate for commissioner of revenue, if not the other offices.

Chip Magee, chairman of the city Republican Committee, said Tuesday that party leaders aggressively pursued candidates, but they could find no one who would run.

The potential GOP candidates felt they would have to quit their current jobs in July and campaign full-time until the November election, Magee said. "They didn't want to do that," he added.

Commissioner of Revenue Jerome Howard, the only Republican among the constitutional officers, is retiring this year after seven terms.

The Democrats have nominated Marsha Fielder to run for commissioner of revenue. Fielder, who has worked in the Roanoke County revenue office for 13 years, defeated David Anderson, deputy city treasurer, for the nomination.

Fielder beat Anderson by 23 votes at a mass meeting that attracted nearly 700 people. Most Democratic leaders supported Anderson, but Fielder beat him with strong support from labor unions.

Councilman Howard Musser, a Democrat, might run for commissioner as an independent. Musser has confirmed that he may get into the race, but he said Tuesday he has not made a decision.

Tuesday was the deadline for candidates to file.

William Fralin, chairman of the Republicans' candidate recruitment committee, said it's tougher to recruit candidates for city constitutional offices than for City Council, the General Assembly and Congress.

"Basically, it comes down to a financial and career decision if you are going to run for one of the constitutional offices," said Fralin.

Fralin said the GOP will concentrate on next year's council elections when three seats - held by Democrats James Harvey, William White and Musser - are up for election.

Except for the revenue post, the three other constitutional offices are held by veteran Democrats seeking another term. Treasurer Gordon Peters and Sheriff Alvin Hudson have each served for 16 years. Don Caldwell, the Commonwealth's Attorney, has served for 13 years.

GOP leaders thought it would have been difficult to beat them.

Keywords:
POLITICS

Memo: ***CORRECTION***