Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 15, 1994 TAG: 9404150015
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
But while Ben "Chip" Capozzi, a freshman at Virginia Tech and town resident for 17 of his 19 years, says he is daunted, he also says he is earnest. There's an "adversarial relationship" sometimes between council and residents that he would like to address, he says.
The fundamental question, Capozzi says, is "whether or not the people of Christiansburg are being represented."
He says there is good reason to wonder. Council's decision a year ago to widen Depot Street, despite vocal and continued opposition against the project, indicates how residents' concerns fall on deaf ears.
So have a proposal by the Friends of Downtown Christiansburg a few years ago to fund a downtown study and an idea by a group of volunteers to plan and stage the town's 1992 bicentennial, he said. Council shot down the downtown study and awarded the bicentennial reins to an outside consultant, at a cost of thousands Capozzi of dollars.
His parents - especially his mother, Barbara Capozzi - have been active and outspoken on issues that affect the downtown, where they operate a bed and breakfast on East Main Street.
Last week's council decision to reject a used-car lot near Hans Meadow subdivision, a decision that a standing-room-only crowd wanted, "just lets you know election time is near," Ben Capozzi said.
"There were lots of people floored by that decision. A lot of people definitely did not expect that to happen."
For their part, the other candidates don't know much about Capozzi, which may be due to his low-key campaign.
"I have no problem with serving with whomever the voters elect," said council member Ann Carter. "I just wish I knew the young man."
She, Ray "Eddie" Lester and Jack Via are running for re-election. Harold Linkous is the sole contender for the mayor's seat, which is a separate race.
Because four people are running for three council positions, someone will be disappointed. And because only a small percentage of Christiansburg's voters turn out for council elections, the results could be tight.
The latest challenger, Roxie Novak, finished about 200 votes behind the incumbents two years ago. She received 437 votes, compared to Scott Weaver with 618 and Truman Daniel and Wayne Booth, each with 648.
Novak says Capozzi has his work cut out for him. Winning a council election in which the incumbents are well-liked, at least by older folks who are reliable voters, is tough.
With a touch of confidence in his voice, Capozzi says, "If folks are happy with the way things are going, they have no need to vote for me."
Though he is 19 years old and a freshman in art history, Capozzi seems more mature than his years. People who know him say his decision to put his name on the ballot is not as incongruous as it sounds.
"Rocky and I have been educated by Chip," Barbara Capozzi said during a recent kitchen-table interview at their home, the Evergreen Bed & Breakfast.
"He's old for his age," said his father, Rocco Capozzi.
He is "passionate about life, passionate about ideas," said Anne Fishwick, his favorite teacher at North Cross School in Roanoke, where he attended high school.
"He would bring a fresh perspective to council," she said. "It's not only the old who have wisdom.
"Something has triggered his doing this," she added. "He has seen something that has made him furious."
What Capozzi has seen, he says, is Christiansburg's empty downtown.
"I am very concerned about downtown, because I see it as the soul of the town, and I see it as dying."
Too many people think of Christiansburg as a shopping mall and four-lane highway and little else. He tells a story of some friends who were taking him home from campus and who had no idea the town extended past the railroad tracks at the U.S. 460 bypass.
Capozzi's campaign style may make things difficult for him. He doesn't want to go door-to-door, believing that approach is artificial and intrusive.
"We're trying what we call the rifle-shot approach as opposed to the shotgun approach. We're trying to do it more by personal contact," said Rocco Capozzi.
"It's amazing how many people know me just riding on Mom and Dad's coattails," Ben Capozzi said.
For her part, Barbara Capozzi, a town firebrand, says she isn't running because "I get so angry that I'm not effective. I get too emotional."
Rocco Capozzi, who lost in a bid for Montgomery County clerk of court in 1984, said, "It's a thankless job. You catch a lot of heat from a lot of people, and you can't keep everyone happy, and I guess I don't need that."
But will Mom and Dad be pulling their son's strings if he is elected?
"I think it's ridiculous to deny that I wouldn't be influenced by Mom and Dad. I'll certainly take their counsel," Capozzi said.
But he adds that "the wider my consulting group, the better. I like to talk to as many people as I can."
A resident of Christiansburg for 17 years, Capozzi says he may settle in the New River Valley after college.
A sister is a law student at the University of Georgia, and his mother is pushing him to follow her, but he leans toward going into business.
"I'll definitely be here for a while. I've never been attracted to big cities. I like fresh air and walking and things like that."
Christiansburg council candidates will speak at a forum on April 27 at 7:30 p.m. The event, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, will be held at the Christiansburg Town Office on Main Street.
by CNB