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

DATE: THURSDAY, February 24, 1994                   TAG: 9403040020
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

A PRIMARY ISN'T ONLY FOR INSIDERS

The party's decision to go with a primary is an outgrowth of internal squabbling, and the party seems to have done its darndest to keep the contests within the club.

But that doesn't alter a key fact: Regardless of their motivation, the Democrats' turning to a primary gives rank-and-file Roanokers an expanded opportunity to take part in the selection of their municipal leaders. The primary makes it as easy for the public to participate in the opening round (even if only on the Democratic side) as in the final round, the May general election when the Democratic ticket squares off against the Republican slate.

If only 10 percent of the city's 41,000 eligible voters go to the polls, the turnout will be disappointing. But that would be roughly triple the turnout of the best-attended mass meeting.

If turnout proves as low as expected, blame it partly on voters' unfamiliarity with local primaries. But blame it also on the shameful fact that not one debate, not one open forum, has taken place among the candidates. Indeed, one candidate - incumbent James Harvey - told a reporter he saw no point in discussing issues since it was only a primary, not the general election.

That's an indication of a wider attitude. The decision by most candidates to stay away from a forum sponsored by the Progressive Democratic Coalition is understandable, since the PDC is one of the factions in the intraparty fighting. But the party itself could have sponsored a series of forums, or could have recruited an outside, neutral group to sponsor one or more.

That failing is all the more unfortunate because interesting candidates have stepped forth. There's a chance the net result will be a Democratic ticket nicely balanced between experience and fresh vigor.

The factional fault-line is clearest in the race to complete the two-year term made vacant by the resignation this past fall of former Councilman Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr. Harvey, who chose not to run for another four-year term, is the candidate of the party regulars; schoolteacher Linda Wyatt has been endorsed by the insurgent PDC.

Ironically, Harvey entered politics as an anti-establishment insurgent, focused on taxpayer complaints. As his interests broadened in office, so one would hope Wyatt's concerns, if she wins, would extend beyond her special-interest advocacy of higher teacher pay. The nominee will face Republican John Voit in the general election.

Lines are murkier among the four candidates for nominations for the three four-year terms up for election. Incumbent William White, a solid performer, is seeking another term. John Edwards, a former U.S. attorney who was named to fill Fitzpatrick's seat until the election, is seeking a full four-year term. Nelson Harris, a School Board member, adds a fresh new face to local politics. James Trout, who lost his last race for council, is a familiar face who's been on and off council since the '70s,

Not only is the fault-line murky. It moves, creating additional ironies. Examples:

On the surface, party regularity and party loyalty would seem to go hand in hand. Yet most of the regulars are backing Harvey, who refused to endorse Mayor David Bowers' candidacy two years ago after Bowers had defeated retiring Councilman Howard Musser for the Democratic nomination.

Bowers won the mayor's office as an insurgent with the backing of PDC groups. But he opposed the PDC's recent unsuccessful effort to elect Sam Garrison the party chairman.

The decision to go to a power-widening primary was not primarily the work of the PDC, which claims to want to broaden the party's base, but of the regulars, worried that the organized teachers, labor and gays who comprise the PDC could more easily dominate a mass meeting than a primary election.

Out of chaos, however, has come progress - the widened opportunity for public participation in local politics.

Hard-core Democrats and special interests presumably will take part in the primary for reasons of party duty and special interests. Hard-core Republicans presumably will stay away for reasons of personal integrity.

That leaves thousands of Roanokers who aren't hard-core anything, but who have every bit as much a stake in who the city's next set of leaders will be. On Tuesday, there's a chance to act on that stake. Take it.

Keywords:
POLITICS