Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 27, 1994 TAG: 9410050003
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Credit Roanoke County's Board of Supervisors for extending the invitations for informal meetings. Elected officials of Roanoke city, Salem, Vinton and Botetourt have RSVP'd favorably, and none planning to do lunch insisted that it first be poison-tested, that we know of anyway. This is progress.
The get-togethers in coming weeks were initiated ostensibly as the result of last May's election to Roanoke City Council, in which two candidates who won seats signaled, during their campaign, an interest in more regional cooperation with the county.
State House Majority Leader Dick Cranwell of Vinton has also helped break the ice, by negotiating over the past year an agreement among local jurisdictions and businesspeople to look for opportunities for regionalizing some government services. Some officials remain, shall we say, less enthusiastic than others about this prospect.
County Supervisor Bob Johnson suggested the joint meeting of the city and county governing bodies. County Supervisor Harry Nickens said the meetings should include the valley's other governing bodies. So far so good.
At the county supervisors' meeting earlier this week, there were some suggestions to set an agenda for the joint sessions, but that idea was nixed as a bit cheeky for a first date. Said County Administrator Elmer Hodge: ``We'd like to keep it fairly light.''
Probably a good idea, at first. Pleased to make your acquaintance, so happy to see you don't have two heads and horns, and would you be so kind as to pass the Equal and take your hands off my water resources and fire department.
In case of a lull in the conversation, Roanoke Mayor David Bowers says he and the city contingent have ``certain items we might want to bring to the table.''
Uh-oh. Forgot about the table. Just what is the county's intention for it - round, square, rectangular, hexagon-shaped? It may be enough at the start to play around awhile on the question of seating arrangements.
Sometime, though, the meetings should become routine, and develop a sense of purpose. For the good of citizens they're supposed to be serving, and whatever the harm to delicate, rivalrous egos, local government officials have to come to terms with the need for increased regional cooperation.
The meetings announced this week warrant valley residents' applause as a welcome, if small, step toward that end.
by CNB