ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 26, 1994                   TAG: 9410260046
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BOUCHER, FAST PLAN TO MEET - IN W.VA.

Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, and his 9th District Republican challenger, Steve Fast, will make a rare joint appearance at a campaign forum in Bluefield, W.Va., Thursday. But don't expect Lincoln-Douglas II - the Fast campaign says it won't be a debate.

Two weeks ago, Fast challenged Boucher to a debate, citing offers by several colleges to hold it. Boucher said then some sort of "joint appearance" would be worked out, but he was unsure of when.

On Monday, Boucher accepted an invitation to appear at the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce's "Meet the Candidates" breakfast, according to his spokesman, Joe Shoemaker. With less than two weeks left in the campaign, Shoemaker said, this will be the only joint appearance "from here on out." He said there were joint appearances earlier in the campaign in front of the United Mine Workers and on a cable television show.

But Fast campaign manager David Audas said Tuesday this would be the first joint appearance since he joined the campaign in August, and the cable TV interviews in Wise County were taped a week apart. Thursday's forum definitely will not be what Fast was looking for.

The breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. at the Bluefield Holiday Inn. Boucher and Fast will be given five minutes each to speak beginning at 8:10 a.m. Then there will 15 minutes of questions from the audience, said Nelson Walker, executive director of the chamber, which includes members from both Virginia and West Virginia.

"If the Boucher camp is building it up more than that, it's more smoke and mirrors," Audas said. "People can use smoke and mirrors, but the only question that I would have is: Do they just not want the people of Southwest Virginia to actually know how Mr. Boucher votes and how he feels on the issues?''

Boucher said last week he found campaigning to be more effective than debates. "A higher and better use of my time is to deal directly with my constituents," he said.

Keywords:
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