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

DATE: THURSDAY, March 3, 1994                   TAG: 9403040030
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

OF HARVEY, TROUT

COUNTING them out of a future in Roanoke politics is premature. Both incumbent James Harvey and former Councilman James Trout have lost elections before, then come back to regain their City Council seats.

But neither veteran of the municipal political wars will be on the new council to be determined by the May 3 general election.

Harvey, in a two-person race for an unexpired two-year term, fell about 100 votes short of winning renomination in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Trout fell about 500 votes short in a four-man race for the party's nominations for three four-year seats.

So, with the understanding that we're saying a nice thing about each of them just for the heck of it, and not because it's time to write anybody's political obituary:

Harvey arrived on council on the wings of an anti-tax - specifically, an anti-real-estate-tax - revolt.

Say what caveats you will - assessed values also rose, other local taxes such as the meals tax have come along, he didn't do it alone - the fact remains that Harvedy and his allies succeeded in lowering the city's real-estate rate to the current $1.23 per $100 of assessed value.

Harvey followed through on the basic theme of his first campaign, and for that he can take legitimate pride.

Years ago, Trout was pushing to open vacant land along I-581 for commercial development.

With city officials' recently announced interest in such development, including a new I-581 interchange, Trout can take this comfort: Politicians come and go, but sometimes their ideas endure.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB