Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 13, 1994 TAG: 9405130115
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
She's looking for neighborhood issues around the state to talk about.
Thursday, that quest found the Richmond lawyer - one of three candidates hoping to beat incumbent Charles Robb in the Democrats' June14 primary - driving around Gainsboro, studying what a series of controversial road projects would mean for the Roanoke neighborhood.
So just what could a U.S. Senator do about a local road project that falls under the purview of city and state agencies?
A lot, Clute says.
"I would want to give a voice to the people who feel they've not been heard," she said.
Specifically, Clute said, as senator she'd seek out such neighborhood controversies around the state and use them as a springboard to discuss what she says are the "larger issues" at stake.
In the case of Gainsboro, that might mean convening a town meeting to discuss what she considers America's over-reliance on road-building.
"They do destroy neighborhoods," she said. "They do cost money. A lot of problems are reflected in this ... This is a microcosm of a larger problem."
Clute faults Robb for ignoring such local issues around the state. "I've seen a lot of opportunities where you could seize upon an event that has mobilized a community and that could be used to highlight a larger problem," Clute said.
Usually, she said, that event involves a lack of long-range planning by local and state governments. But other times, she said, it involves exercising moral leadership.
She cited a recent double-murder in Richmond. A bystander telephoned 911 to alert police that a murder was in progress - and the caller himself was murdered.
"It was an opportunity to stand up and say, 'This man was a hero,' and no one did that," Clute said. "No one said, 'He did something we value in our society.' ... It wouldn't cost any money."
Clute plans to talk up other neighborhood issues in the coming weeks. She wants to hold a community meeting in Christiansburg on May25 to talk about the proposed Interstate 73, another road project that has "mobilized" some neighborhoods along its path.
Will Clute's approach work?
Virginia Commonwealth University political analyst Avon Drake is skeptical.
"She has to find some way to have herself identified as a serious candidate," he said. "To be a credible candidate, she'd have to find some way to rejuvenate a segment of the electorate."
That's why Drake, the state's most prominent black political scientist, sees Clute's interest in Gainsboro largely as an attempt to woo black voters in Roanoke - and perhaps elsewhere. But he doubts it will have much effect.
"Any candidate can target something specifically to blacks," Drake said. "I don't think this kind of issue will get her far in a statewide campaign. I don't think blacks in Roanoke have a prayer in hell to think Clute can do anything for them" on Gainsboro's road projects.
by CNB