Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 13, 1993 TAG: 9307130246
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I haven't seen or heard anything that leads me to believe that a single vote [in the county] would be changed," Johnson said Monday night.
Roanoke Mayor David Bowers' effort to revive the consolidation issue could be counterproductive, he said.
"The more you stir the pot, the more animosity you might create," Johnson said.
He said valley officials would be better off focusing their attention on pending regional projects such as the landfill and sewage treatment plant rather than merger.
Supervisor Lee Eddy also believes it's too soon to resurrect the idea of consolidation - less than three years after 70 percent of county voters rejected it.
"I would hate to see it come back up now. The vote was pretty decisive, and I would think that more change would be needed before the issue is revisited," Eddy said.
While Bowers' hint that the city might give up its charter to achieve consolidation is new, Eddy said he doesn't see anything at this point that would cause county voters to change their minds.
But City Council members see it differently.
They praised Bowers for resurrecting the issue. And they said something must also be done at the state level to help central cities such as Roanoke address mounting problems of poverty, homelessness, unemployment and health care for the poor.
Councilman James Harvey said he hopes Bowers keeps the merger on the front burner.
"We are having a tough time as a core city, and somehow we've got to get the message to our state legislators that we've got to have help," Harvey said.
Where cities have the power to annex and grow easily, such as Charlotte and other cities in North Carolina, they are flourishing, Harvey said.
Roanoke is barred from annexation because state law provides suburban counties such as Roanoke County with immunity from annexation.
Councilman Howard Musser, who helped draft the 1990 merger plan, said it might take a drastic move, such as the city giving up its charter, to shake up the state legislature.
After the 1990 referendum, Musser suggested that the city might relinquish its charter to help achieve merger.
Bowers raised that possibility Monday night, but he suggested it would be a last resort.
If the city gave up its charter, then city voters could join with other consolidation supporters and demand local government reform, Bowers said.
But state legislators and legal experts have said such a move could be complex and more difficult than it might appear.
Vice Mayor Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr. said he was pleased by Bowers' strong stand for consolidation. He said the issue affects all of Western Virginia, not just the Roanoke Valley.
"If the Roanoke Valley does not grow and prosper, then it's going to affect the entire region," Fitzpatrick said.
"I hope we don't just talk, but that we act with a regional view," Fitzpatrick said of valley leaders.
Council members Elizabeth Bowles and Delvis "Mac" McCadden also support Bowers' effort to revive the merger issue. Bowles said city officials should focus on the city's assets and the benefit of consolidation to the valley.
As another move toward cooperation by valley governments, McCadden suggested that the city explore the idea of a regional sports coordinator.
Johnson, who helped negotiate the 1990 merger plan, said he believes the way to achieve consolidation is by incremental steps of closer cooperation over several years - not by a dramatic, immediate merger.
"After 10 years or so, they will realize that we're already consolidated and then approve it," Johnson said.
by CNB