Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 7, 1994 TAG: 9405090129
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Is this the beginning of an era of detente in the Roanoke Valley?
Warm words and promises during the campaign of a cooperative attitude toward valleywide efforts prompted Hollins Supervisor Bob Johnson to send fellow board members a memo Friday suggesting a joint meeting with council members.
After watching the campaign for city council and the election results, Johnson wrote, "it would appear that the valley has a unique opportunity ... to reshape our future through a series of cooperative efforts."
While there have been successful joint projects - the airport, the new landfill, and a library operating agreement - more can be done, Johnson wrote.
"Rather than sitting back and counting our successes, it would appear that the opportunity for bold new initiatives is at hand."
Newly elected council members Jack Parrott and John Edwards, who campaigned in part on fostering more regional cooperation, said they would welcome such a meeting.
"One of the messages in the campaign was the issue of regional cooperation," Edwards said. "This came across [from voters] loud and clear."
Parrott said it "sounds great."
"I'm jealous [Johnson] put the invitation out before we did, but I think it's a great idea," he said. "Just as quick as we can, we ought to do this."
To be most effective, Parrott said, he would like to have the city and county appoint a committee to work out the details and involve employees from the departments that would be affected by what is being discussed.
"I think we're going to have to go slow," Parrott said. "There are some ingrained problems that have been going on for a long time."
Vinton District Supervisor Harry Nickens had not received Johnson's memo Friday, but said the political rhetoric before the city election was encouraging.
"I'm optimistic that recent changes on City Council afford more opportunity of addressing regional efforts on a cooperative basis," he said.
But he agrees with Parrott that some sort of committee should be established. He suggested that a regional meeting of valley governments set up last fall by Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County - from which a group from each jurisdiction continued to meet for a while - be reactivated. He would include Salem, Vinton and Botetourt County in such meetings.
"What I do not think would be of service to anyone is seven city councilmen and five county board members sitting around a cloth-covered table saying to the media, 'We're glad we're here; let's do it again,''' Nickens said.
Edwards, who was appointed to City Council last year and just won election to a full four-year term, said citizens would benefit from an attempt to eliminate duplication of services and to improve other services such as fire and rescue.
He is also in favor of establishing a regional economic vision that would serve the whole valley.
"We're in this boat together."
by CNB