Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 19, 1994 TAG: 9407190054
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
She did not want to go door to door to ask for votes to keep her seat on the Roanoke County School Board. She didn't like the idea of having to ask for money to finance a campaign, either.
"I'm not a politician. I just didn't want to have to go out and ask for votes to keep doing what I've been doing for 12 years," Chewning said Monday.
So she has decided to give up her seat as the Vinton district member on the School Board.
"I've got mixed emotions. If the voters thought a change was needed, maybe it's time for it," Chewning said. "If the voters didn't like what we were doing, it may be time for me to leave."
Chewning is the first victim of the county's switch to an elected School Board.
The county will have an election in November to select three board members under the new method.
Under the current system, the board members are chosen by a selection commission that is appointed by the Roanoke County Circuit judges.
Chewning said she still believes that some county voters were confused when they voted last fall to switch to an elected board. The voters also could have opted for a third method that would have permitted the Board of Supervisors to select School Board members.
The switch to an elected School Board was an indirect factor in the decision by Charlsie Pafford not to seek a new term. Pafford has represented the Windsor Hills district for 12 years
"It would have been more tempting [to have stayed on] if the method for choosing board members had not been changed," she said. "I really don't know what I might have done if the method hadn't been changed."
Pafford and Chewning are the senior members of the board. Pafford was appointed in July 1982, and Chewning joined the board in September of that year.
Jerry Canada, who has represented the Hollins district for two years, is the only incumbent who is seeking election in November.
The seats of Chairman Frank Thomas of Catawba and Maurice "Buck" Mitchell of Cave Spring won't be up for election until November 1995.
If Chewning had tried to keep her seat, she would have faced at least three challengers: Michael Stovall, an investigator for the Vinton Police Department; Evelyn Ball, a parent-teacher association leader; and Robert Rouse, a real estate agent.
If Pafford had run, she probably would have been opposed by several candidates. Raymond Denney, an employee of the state Department of Social Services, announced earlier that he will seek the post.
Potential candidates in Windsor Hills are Andy Lucas and Wayne Newman.
Lucas, who owns an industrial supply company, wants to run but said he might not have the time to serve because of the demands of his business.
"If there is any way possible to run, I will," he said.
Lucas said he is concerned about students' lack of discipline and loss of respect for teachers. He believes that teachers' salaries should be raised so they won't have to get a second job during the summer.
Lucas has already collected some signatures and plans to seek others in case he decides to get into the contest.
To get into the race, a candidate must file petitions signed by at least 125 registered voters. The filing deadline is Aug. 26.
Newman, general manager of a moving van company, said he is being urged to run by people in the district, which extends from the suburbs in Southwest County to Bent Mountain.
Newman said he believes that Windsor Hills voters should have a choice, noting that Denney is the only announced candidate.
Roanoke County is one of nearly 80 localities in Virginia, including Botetourt County, that have voted to begin electing their school boards. Salem will have a referendum in November on switching to an elected board, and petitions are being circulated in Roanoke to put the issue on the ballot.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB