Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 28, 1993                   TAG: 9310280394
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: N-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BUCHANAN CANDIDATES SPAR OVER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES SHIFLETT SMITH

"We have got to keep our air and water fresh and clean," Shiflett, a Republican, says.

He says the county was embarrassed because it didn't have ordinances in place to settle the controversy over Roanoke Cement Co.'s plan - now abandoned - to burn hazardous waste at its Haymakertown plant. And he says the county needs to keep a closer watch on growing residential areas' septic systems - to make sure they aren't overburdened and polluting ground water and streams.

His Democratic opponent, Lewis "Gibby" Smith, wants to protect the county's environment too. But he says there may be some trade-offs if the county wants to create jobs and grow.

"I'm sure there are going to be a few sacrifices, as far as the environment," Smith says. The key is finding ways to manage growth in order to minimize environmental damage, he says.

The two are vying for a seat that is being vacated by Webster Booze Jr., who is retiring.

Smith, a dairy farmer, has a civil engineering degree from Virginia Military Institute. He has served in the Army Corps of Engineers and the Army Reserve.

Shiflett retired from the Army in 1964 with the rank of major. In the past, he's been part owner of the former Botetourt Galleries in Buchanan and sales manager for the former York Forestry and Land Co.

Shiflett says the county school system is "as good as any system anywhere," but it still has some problems. He contends that parents don't have enough voice in how the schools are run.

"The administration is going to do what it wants to do," regardless of what parents say, Shiflett says.

Smith doesn't have much criticism for the way the schools - and the county government as a whole - are being run. "In general, I think the county is doing a pretty good job."

He says the county should keep pushing for industrial development and that the Buchanan areas needs to continue upgrading its roads.

Keywords:
POLITICS