Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 16, 1993 TAG: 9306160276
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL HOWES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Former state Sen. Granger Macfarlane appears to be eyeing a political comeback, buoyed by some Democratic Party heavyweights across the state.
But here at home, key Roanoke Valley lawmakers are backing businessman Bittle Porterfield III for a seat on the Transportation Board, an influential panel that oversees state policy governing planes, trains and automobiles.
Make no mistake, insiders say, this will be an important appointment for Western Virginia: Continued state support for the Montgomery County "smart road" and efforts to widen Interstate 81 near Roanoke to six lanes could be damaged if the 12-county region - the Salem District - is not given a strong voice to succeed Vinton insurance executive Steve Musselwhite.
Some key valley leaders, speaking only if they are not identified, worry that Macfarlane's style - his outspoken independence often won him the label "maverick" - would undercut the region's clout on the board.
Macfarlane, for his part, is not shy about his efforts to garner support for an appointment, which could come from Gov. Douglas Wilder in the next two weeks.
"I talked with him and he was - as he always is - cordial and friendly and very upbeat with me," Macfarlane said Tuesday. "I think the governor knows I'm interested, and I wanted him to know I was interested.
"I wanted others around the state . . . to back my [appointment]," he continued, dismissing concerns voiced privately that Macfarlane's lobbying campaign could backfire and result in a compromise appointment unfamiliar to valley power brokers.
The former two-term senator is reluctant to name his supporters, but they are said to include former General Assembly colleagues, key business leaders around Virginia - including Norfolk Southern Corp. Chairman David Goode - and state officials close to Wilder.
Macfarlane, a self-described early supporter of the "smart road" project, called the transportation panel "probably the most important [state] policy-making board because it has wide geographical membership."
For all of Macfarlane's enthusiasm, however, it seems apparent that Musselwhite considered Porterfield - a former rector of Radford University and widely known community supporter - a proper successor.
With only months left in his second of two four-year terms, Musselwhite asked "would I consider" serving on the Transportation Board "and I said I would," Porterfield said.
"I was certainly interested in it because of my interest in the community and Western Virginia," he continued, acknowledging that he, too, had sought letters of support from key lawmakers.
"If you're willing to serve, you certainly can't sit back and act as though the world has to beat a path to your door," he said. "I certainly don't think the probability of my being appointed is very high."
That's not what some key Democrats want to hear.
Roanoke Valley Dels. Richard Cranwell, Victor Thomas and Clifton Woodrum all have written Wilder in support of Porterfield, saying his record of community service has prepared him for a four-year stint on the Transportation Board.
Macfarlane "contacted me and I said I'd already sent in for Mr. Porterfield," Thomas said. "I'm not lobbying against anyone; I've not lobbied against Granger."
Said Woodrum:
"Granger hasn't said anything to me; he hasn't said anything to this day about it. Having said that, I probably would have made the decision to lobby for Mr. Porterfield."
Said Bob Johnson, a Roanoke County supervisor:
"Granger Macfarlane has had his day in the sun. I think he should allow others with resumes like Bittle Porterfield's to have his chance at leadership. Granger Macfarlane is promoting himself, but that's nothing new for that man."
by CNB