Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 2, 1994 TAG: 9404020041
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Three seats on the Blacksburg Town Council are up for grabs, with four candidates in the running: incumbents Joyce Lewis, Al Leighton and Lewis Barnett, and challenger Ray Chisholm.
Roger Hedgepeth is running unopposed for a fourth term as mayor.
"By running again I may be robbing Blacksburg of some excitement," Hedgepeth said earlier this week.
After talking with several people in the community, Hedgepeth said, "I began to get get the impression that they weren't all jumping up and down to have a new face in the mayor's seat." But, if elected, he says this will be his last term.
"I think one more term will probably physically and mentally bring me to the end of my rope," he said.
As in years past, the major issue will probably be how to balance economic growth against a desire to keep a small-town quality of life.
Joyce Lewis, in her second term on council, said "I think the community always has to grow . . . but the growth has to be modest.
"I think things are going well with the town."
Lewis is a former chairwoman of the Montgomery County Republican Party, and has served on the Montgomery Regional Economic Development Commission.
Barnett served on the town planning commission 17 years before being elected to council in 1986. With that experience behind him, he said he'd like to see the town's zoning ordinance rewrite through to fruition in 1996.
He said he looks to balanced development that emphasizes environmental sensitivity and preservation of neighborhoods' integrity.
Barnett, coordinator for special programs with Virginia Tech's registrar's office, said he also would like to see more senior citizens' programs that could accentuate the town's already recognized-drawing ability for retirees.
Al Leighton is running for his sixth term on council.
He said he believes in "knowing what needs to be done and reacting to it or planning for it in a responsible and effective manner."
Of growth, he said, "We can't and should not attempt to stop it, but we should have control of it."
The Virginia Tech professor lost a bid for election to the 12th District delegate's seat in 1991 against then-delegate Joan Munford.
He said the existence of only one challenger for the three council seats generally shows that the townspeople are happy with council's decisions, although he looks to Chisholm to carry a more aggressive pro-business view.
Chisholm, a local developer, has had his name in the public arena often, with this year no exception.
He said Thursday that he was close to finishing a formal platform to run on, but could not be reached Friday.
Chisholm ran for council in 1990. He and another challenger were defeated by the same three incumbents running this time.
In that race he accused council of raising taxes too much and taking to long to act on public projects. Excessive taxes and bureaucratic delays are bad for business, he charged.
He also questioned the business acumen of a council with five Tech employees.
Chisholm has been active in the past in local Republican politics and served on the planning commission for one term.
At least two forums are scheduled for later this month where the candidates will answer questions from citizens' groups.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB