Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 15, 1993 TAG: 9309150212
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The two candidates seeking the seat covering Salem, Southwest Roanoke County and Eastern Montgomery County debated for the first time Tuesday - and spent much of the evening arguing over who's got the best plan to rebuild the region's economic base.
They also clashed over who's to blame for the slow economic growth that has caused many young people to leave the region in search of high-paying jobs.
Democrat Packett, 61, an advertising executive and Salem city councilman, played up his experience in economic development.
But Republican Griffith, 35, a Salem lawyer seeking his first elective office, blasted Packett for being "part of the problem."
"It's a shame the last generation failed," Griffith said. "Why wasn't the last generation of leaders developing a plan when I was in high school? If so, my classmates wouldn't have to look for jobs in Charlotte, Richmond and Baltimore. This is the same leadership my opponent proudly claims to be part of. We need an effective vision."
Griffith sketched his vision for strengthening the valley's historic role as a transportation hub:
The region should embrace a proposal to build an interstate from Detroit to Myrtle Beach, S.C. - the so-called Interstate 73. The region should push to have I-73 routed through Giles, Montgomery and Floyd counties instead of farther south along the current Interstate 77, as some have proposed.
The state should consider building a "dry-land port" in the Roanoke Valley, essentially a "shell building" where small trucking companies could share dock space.
The state should look into helping Norfolk Southern build a large-scale "inter-modal" terminal in the Roanoke Valley where trucks would be loaded and unloaded from rail cars. He warned that an Ohio group is pushing to build such a terminal in that state.
"This is not something we can dawdle on," Griffith said. If Congress ratifies the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Roanoke Valley might take advantage of such a terminal to route trade with Mexico through Western Virginia.
By contrast, Packett stressed his work on the Fifth Planning District Commission in trying to develop a single marketing plan for the fiber-optic companies located between Lynchburg and Radford. That's a high-tech niche the region could exploit, Packett said.
He also said the region needed to be creative in the search for jobs. He suggested that part of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant be converted into a fireworks factory. "Ninety percent of the fireworks in America are imported," he said.
Griffith scoffed at that idea. Fireworks are made overseas, he said, because fireworks factories pay low wages.
Fielding questions from the audience of 50 or so people at Salem High School, the candidates were asked what economic development decisions the Roanoke Valley should have made differently.
Packett couldn't think of any, but Griffith argued that "somebody dropped the ball" two decades ago in not pursuing airport expansion to make Roanoke an air hub.
Packett noted that he was on the committee in the early 1970s to build a single airport between Roanoke and Lynchburg.
Griffith pounced, saying, "His leadership is obviously ineffective, because we don't have that airport today."
That led to one of the testiest exchanges of the evening. "I don't know of anything Morgan has ever done," Packett said. "I'll stack my record up against anything Morgan Griffith will ever do."
Griffith and Packett are seeking the seat now held by Del. Steve Agee, R-Salem, who is retiring.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB