Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 4, 1993 TAG: 9310050022
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT NEWSFUN WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Still, when that time came, he felt a little uncomfortable sitting in the mayor's chair. That's where Noel Taylor used to sit, after all. And he was a popular Roanoke mayor for almost 17 years before he retired.
So when Bowers held an open house to meet people during his first week on the job, he let others sit in the big chair instead.
"I'd like to remind these youngsters . . . there'll be somebody that will have to take my place," he said almost 15 months after becoming mayor.
That may not happen for a while. The next election for mayor is in 1996, and Bowers could run and win again. But one day, Roanoke will have a new mayor. And that somebody in the mayor's chair could be you.
The first time Bowers ran in an election was in the fourth grade at Raleigh Court Elementary School. He lost the election for president but was elected class treasurer.
It wasn't until he was a student at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke that he thought about being the city's mayor. There, he was president of the student government. He also formed a teen club for the Democratic party.
After high school, Bowers worked his way through Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina and Loyola University Law School in New Orleans.
He moved back to Roanoke in 1978 to be a lawyer, and he was elected to the Roanoke City Council in 1984. He was 32 years old then.
Now Bowers is 41, and as mayor he stays busy going to meetings, interviews, schools, lunches, dinners and speeches. He meets many people from Roanoke, other cities, other states and even other countries.
His official responsibilities are to convene (to bring together) the council members at its meetings and to represent Roanoke at many ceremonies and meetings in the city and a few around the world.
Even though Bowers is mayor, he still is a lawyer. He arrives at work early each day to get both jobs done. He even works on Saturday mornings from about 6-8:30.
Bowers tries to keep Sundays free. That's time he spends with his wife, Allison Weaver, and their two cats, Thomas and Nathaniel. They have no children.
"My wife won't let me have a dog - until the yard is fenced in," he said as he answered some of the NewsFun questions submitted by our readers.
Other questions answered by Mayor Bowers are:
"How much taxes do you get?" - Andy Wilson, Roanoke.
Bowers does not actually receive the taxes. But he does help prepare the budget that tells Roanoke how to spend the tax money it receives. That budget is almost 2 inches thick and details the spending of $129 million.
"I would ask the mayor if he is having fun with his job and if it's going OK." - Sheryl DeLong, Roanoke.
"I have a good time with my job. I like to be very positive. I like to enjoy my work. I consider the opportunity to serve in this chair to be a blessing in my life." Of course there are days when "I've got to shake my head and pull my hair."
"What is the hardest thing to do?" - Bryan Hodges, Roanoke.
"Keep my cool. . . . As Ronald Reagan used to say, `My Irish would get the best of me.' "
"Do you like living under the star?" - Travis Brizendine, Roanoke.
"Yes, I like living under the star." Bowers' house is under the giant neon star on Mill Mountain.
"I would like to ask him to let our school have pizza every day." - Walter Gould, Roanoke.
"Pizza is my absolute favorite food next to Dunkin Donuts. But I believe that we must eat everything in moderation. And American youngsters have got to be very conscious about their diet. Eating a well-balanced diet is very important in life."
"I would ask him to clean up the pollution." - David Stone, Roanoke
"I'm pleased to hear of their interest in the environment. My pet peeve is litter, and I hope city youngsters will be involved in our Clean Valley Day in the spring." (Clean Valley Day is when Roanokers get together to clean up their neighborhoods, parks, streets and riverbanks.)
"I would ask him why the city of Roanoke and the county of Roanoke aren't one government." - Emily Knight, Roanoke County.
"How nice it is to have a student from Roanoke County ask that most important question. . . . I wish I had a good and easy answer, but I don't. What we must do is communicate - meaning city and county citizens. And we need to . . . plan and work together as one in order to thrive as a community."
"How could we bring more jobs to the city so when I get older I can work in Roanoke?" - Patrick Reed, Roanoke County.
"We really need to get the city and the county to speak as one. . . . If the city and the county were to merge, our efforts to entice [attract] good-paying jobs to Roanoke would be enhanced [made greater]."
You will have a chance to meet Mayor Bowers in his office at the next open house Dec. 15 from 4-6 p.m. And, if you'd like to try it out, you can also sit in his chair.
by CNB