Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 25, 1994 TAG: 9404250084
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ John Voit hates political labels. Once people put a tag on you, "they expect you to agree with every position" that comes with the label.
If pressed on the question, Voit calls himself a "conservative with a libertarian streak."
Libertarians believe the private market can do things better - more efficiently - than government.
Voit, a Republican candidate for Roanoke City Council, has made "privatization" a centerpiece of his campaign. That's a policy-wonk buzzword that means turning over some public services to private, for-profit companies.
The idea is this: If companies are allowed to bid on government services, competition within the marketplace will drive down the costs to the taxpayers.
Voit says the city must streamline its operations as it becomes "older, poorer and blacker." These groups of people, Voit says, are more likely to need help from social services programs. This costs money. "Where is the money gonna come from?" he asks.
Roanoke residents can't afford increases in property taxes, Voit says, so the only way to deal with the growing budget demands is to find places to cut and save within the current budget.
What services should the city turn over to the private sector? Asked for examples, he mentions one: the City Nursing Home at Coyner Springs.
The city spends more than $400,000 a year to keep the nursing home afloat, Voit says, and it might be less costly to run under private management. He quickly adds, though, that the city should make sure the residents are taken care of: "I'm not in favor of throwing people out in the street."
Voit also believes the private sector could help improve the schools. He says he would favor starting with small experiments in school vouchers, which would give taxpayer money to help children attend private schools. His opponent, Democrat Linda Wyatt, argues that this would undermine the public school system. Voit says greater school choice could help improve education for all children.
Would privatization of city services really drive down costs? And, considering the many government contracting scandals such as the federal billing frauds by weapons manufacturers, how much money would privatization save?
Voit says privatization is not a cure-all, but it can drive costs down. Fraud and overbilling can be prevented by keeping close scrutiny on every contract, he says.
Voit says the city also could save money through greater cooperation with Roanoke County, Salem and other other nearby governments. He says many services can be delivered more efficiently on an area-wide basis. The governments can save money by pooling their purchasing of supplies and buying in volume.
On other issues, Voit says he:
Wants the city to take a look at the costs of the "growing bureaucracy" in the school system. He says he's concerned about the size of the salaries and fringe benefits that some school administrators, such as former Superintendent Frank Tota, have received.
Opposes the proposal to go to a ward system of electing City Council members. He believes ward systems often lead council members to be preoccupied with getting what they can for their districts rather than with doing what's best for the city. However, Voit says he does favor allowing citizens to decide the ward question through a referendum.
Favors adding more police officers on the street - if the Police Department wants more. "I'd have to look and see what plans they have," Voit says.
Believes Roanoke and other cities should lobby the General Assembly to lift the state's ban on annexation. That would allow the city room to grow, Voit says.
Keywords:
POLITICS PROFILE
by CNB