Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 12, 1995 TAG: 9510120026
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY AND LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Leo Trenor of Roanoke displays his dump truck.
Not just any dump truck, mind you.
The owner of a Williamson Road body shop and Republican activist has painted a spare dump truck in bright yellow, with the slogan "Dump Dickie Cranwell." And he's been parking it, in the dumped position, at various sites throughout Cranwell's district, which stretches from western Bedford County, through Roanoke County, southern Botetourt County and Craig County.
Last week, it was on display along Walnut Avenue in Vinton; this week, it's along Williamson Road just north of Plantation Road.
"I thought it would be noticeable," Trenor said. "I've been trying to find a street in his district that has some traffic and where the owners would allow me to park it. In fact, I've had requests."
Cranwell's Republican opponent, Trixie Averill, stresses that Trenor's assistance is unsolicited but adds that she'll take whatever help she can get.
GOP mum on human services
This summer, a statewide human services political action committee sent questionnaires to legislative candidates to gauge their views on policy issues concerning the poor, the disabled and the elderly.
No Republicans responded, said Jeri Nolan-Rogers, a board member of the Human Services Association Political Action Committee, or HUSAPAC, at a news conference Wednesday in Roanoke.
"We understand that the candidates received instructions from the party headquarters in Richmond not to return the questionnaire," she said.
Not so, said Dave Johnson, executive director of the state Republican Party.
"We have a general rule telling candidates to go their own way," he said. "If a group is interested in your position, let them know where you stand. We never tell them how to respond, no matter how liberal the organization."
But Nolan-Rogers said sources told HUSAPAC otherwise. The organization's chairman is Howard Cullum, secretary of health and human services during former Gov. Douglas Wilder's administration.
"We understood that on a statewide level, Republicans were told just to ignore our organization and basically boycott the questionnaire," she said.
Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, said he received the questionnaire but filed it away after discovering that Cullum was associated with the organization. Bell said he had not received any instructions from state Republican headquarters.
"It looked to me like a Democratic-slanted group, particularly with Howard Cullum involved," Bell said. "It was not an independent broad-based group. I did not respond."
Wednesday, HUSAPAC endorsed incumbent Democratic Dels. Richard Cranwell of Roanoke County, Clifton "Chip" Woodrum of Roanoke, Vic Thomas of Roanoke and Creigh Deeds of Warm Springs. On the Senate side, the group endorsed John Edwards, a Roanoke Democrat who is challenging Bell, and Republican Sen. Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo of Fincastle.
Bo Trumbo?
No, he did not return the questionnaire, Nolan-Rogers said. But "reluctantly, we went ahead and endorsed him because he has shown a track record of acceptable legislative history," she said.
"He was also unopposed. It might have been different if he was opposed."
HUSAPAC is a bipartisan, grass-roots organization unlike other PACs. It does not give money but formally endorses candidates believed to be friendly toward human services programs.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB