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

DATE: THURSDAY, March 2, 1995                   TAG: 9503020038
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

ENOUGH

``SPANKY'' Macher may or may not be cooking with gas, but he sure knows how to turn it on. Not since Roanoke Gas Co.'s well-orchestrated campaign that stirred up a public stew over the city's proposed takeover of the utility has City Council felt such heat - and backed out of the kitchen with such speed.

Officially, of course, council members say only that they will consider amending the city's sign ordinance to provide legal residence to Macher's Big Boy and/or other gargoyles atop his new downtown restaurant. In fact, they've retreated again, under fire of populist opinion that Macher has been furiously fueling.

Whatever one thinks of Macher's cooking, he clearly understands that public outrage, like the product Roanoke Gas sells, can be a fast, clean and efficient source of power. Pulling the self-styled "rebel" act, he's got competitors amazed by the blitz of front-page coverage, the city looking bad simply for trying to uphold signage laws, and council members (along with a few other customers) eating from his counter.

Still, with apologies to Lincoln, Macher should remember: You may fuel all the people some of the time; you can even fuel some of the people all the time; but you can't fuel all of the people all the time. Now, cool it.

by CNB