Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 28, 1994 TAG: 9404280015
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-13 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
``Greetings! You have reached the home of Dan Corder, future mayor of the town of Pulaski,'' his voice booms over the line. After telling callers to leave a message after the beep, he admonishes them to vote May 3 and to vote for him.
Andy Graham is unlikely to be phoning Corder but, if Graham ever heard that message, he would not take it seriously.
Graham, who has served 24 years as a council member with two years off during that time, decided to run for mayor himself after incumbent Gary Hancock announced he would not be a candidate for re-election.
``The town has been a good place to live and raise my family, and I want to put something back,'' Graham said. ``Through my years of experience on Town Council, I have gained a thorough understanding of the town's operations and goals, and I believe that I can provide positive leadership.''
One of Graham's priorities as mayor would be improvements in the town's water pressure and volume for parts of town where they are lacking.
He has also urged continued emphasis on identifying and correcting leaks and other problems with water in the town's internal sewage collection system, and correcting the corrosion found in part of its sewage system.
``We've got to upgrade our water system and provide a level of services to the people,'' he said.
Graham also stresses the need for a strong financial position for the town, and continued work toward revitalizing the downtown business section.
He is not sure council can support the Main Street program financially ``to the magnitude that we have in the past'' but, he said, ``we don't want the Main Street to die down.''
Corder said he wants to bring his organizational skills to town government.
One reason he is hard to reach by phone is because he is a busy man. He works the 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift as an electronics computer technician for a Roanoke manufacturer of fiber-optic cable.
He worked at Radford Army Ammunition Plant for about nine years before that, and was among those laid off near the start of 1993. He found his current job in less than two months after that.
But his longest work has been the 20 years he spent working for his father at Pulaski Watch Repair. He started fixing watches in 1963 at the age of 11.
He also stays busy as part of the U.S. Army Reserve, which periodically takes him to Fort Pickett on weekends.
Corder spent eight years in the service, earned a commission through the Virginia National Guard Officers Candidate School, and has served as an armaments, shop and assistant transportation officer.
Graham, an 8th Air Force veteran of World War II, is a Virginia Tech engineering graduate. He worked for Appalachian Power Co. for 38 years, retiring in 1986 as Pulaski Division marketing and customer services manager.
Corder said he believes that his knowledge of control systems and fiber optics will come in handy in dealing with business and industry.
As a practitioner of automation and control systems, he said, he could help the town increase jobs and its tax base through a better industrial program.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB