Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 7, 1993 TAG: 9306070078
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Mike Farris, who seemed to come out of political nowhere to claim the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, put on a big show at the party's state convention this past weekend in more ways than one.
Not only did his first-time delegates dominate the convention, Farris also had the most distinctive hospitality suite.
Where other candidates offered the usual bars and bands, Farris' reception featured a bank of television sets showing "The Wizard of Oz." Volunteers from Tazewell County, dressed up as the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion and other "Oz" characters, milled about. And virtually all Farris supporters donned stickers that proclaimed "I Like Mike and Toto, Too!"
What gives?
Farris, a Loudoun County lawyer who founded the Home School Legal Defense Association, once represented a Tennessee group that objected to the use of "The Wizard of Oz" in that state's schools.
Some Republicans used that to charge that Farris is an extremist who wants to ban kids from watching "The Wizard of Oz." Not so, Farris shot back, saying it's one of his kids' favorite shows.
Just to make sure that point got across to delegates, Farris adopted an "Oz" motif for his party.
"We wanted to make a yellow brick road leading to it," said Farris organizer Kathy Hayden of Vinton, "but we ran out of time."
Agee's farewell address
Salem Del. Steven Agee, whose political career apparently ended when his bid for the GOP attorney general's nomination fell short Saturday, offered this valedictory on his 12 years in political office:
"I am deeply grateful to the people in the Roanoke Valley for everything they have done."
Agee and his family spent the day after the convention the same way they had planned to if he had won: They went to King's Dominion.
Mission accomplished
Roanoke County Supervisor Ed Kohinke says he achieved his goal last week - even if he made a lot of people angry in the process.
Kohinke caused a uproar when he requested a public meeting to examine rumors that county staff goes easy on Clerk of Court Steve McGraw and other politically powerful developers. McGraw has built five houses on Bradshaw Road and Catawba Valley Drive.
County staff denied the accusations and privately said they resented having their integrity called into question. McGraw, a Democrat, released a detailed letter refuting the accusations and suggested that Kohinke, a Republican, should resign.
An unrepentant Kohinke said Friday that the resulting uproar brought so much information to light that a public meeting is no longer necessary.
"All the people of Mason Cove who bug me about him [McGraw] all the time will now know the facts, and they'll now see that I'm not trying to cover up for him."
Come on in!
Gov. Douglas Wilder will be having an open house, so to speak, this summer.
Virginia's executive mansion will be open for public tours through August.
The mansion, completed in 1813 and filled with furnishings dating to 1760, is the nation's oldest continuously occupied governor's residence.
Tours will be given by appointment each Tuesday from 2-4 p.m. and Fridays 10 a.m.-noon.
For more information, call (804) 371-2642.
Checking out the hotel
Wondering what's happening at Hotel Roanoke?
Not much, says a project manager for Faison Associates Inc. in Charlotte, N.C.
Unless, that is, you'll plunge into mourning to learn the fiberglass-and-steel structure covering the swimming pool is being dismantled. Or if removing the hotel's grand chandeliers, if only for renovation, puts a lump in your throat.
It's all part of the process, says Tony Skillbeck, the Faison manager. So is removing dilapidated refrigerators and other obsolete equipment from the hotel's cavernous basement - all courtesy of contractors F.N. Thompson Inc. and J.M. Turner Co. Inc.
Asbestos removal inside the hotel could begin within weeks, he says.
Stay tuned.
by CNB