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

DATE: TUESDAY, February 8, 1994                   TAG: 9402080243
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER SEEKS SEAT ON COUNCIL

For 40 years, construction engineer John H. Parrott has put his mark on buildings in downtown Roanoke.

He now wants a chance to put his technical experience to work for Roanoke City Council.

Parrott, 66, announced Monday that he will seek the Republican nomination for one of four council seats that will be on the May 3 ballot.

He said he would bring "unique qualifications" to council at a time when the city is involved in some major construction projects, such as expansion of the regional sewage treatment plant.

Parrott, known to friends as Jack, served on the Roanoke Planning Commission for a decade beginning in 1967 and is a member of the board that governs the landfill.

This is his first bid for elected office.

He said his decision to seek elected office has nothing to do with the fact that he is a member of the board of directors for Roanoke Gas Co., which City Council considered acquiring in a hostile takeover last summer.

"There's no connection there, I promise," he said.

Parrott said he was generally pleased with the direction that City Council has taken in recent years.

He would support an expansion of the city's curbside recycling program and oppose any effort to pressure farmers to sell land for industrial sites.

"I think one of the needs in any growing community is to hold onto green space," he said.

Parrott said he would like to see City Council cooperate with its neighbors, rather than talk about consolidation. But he declined to criticize Democratic Mayor David Bowers for calling for powers to annex part of Roanoke County.

"I'll let that cat sleep for a while," he said.

\ JOHN H. PARROTT\ COUNCIL HOPEFUL\ \ Age: 66\ \ Hometown: Roanoke\ \ Profession: Engineer\ \ Education: Graduated from Jefferson High School in 1945; graduated from Virginia Military Academy in 1950 with an engineering degree.\ \ Civic Activities: Member of the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority and Roanoke Valley Regional Solid Waste Management Board; member of Roanoke Planning Commission and Fifth Planning District Commission.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB