Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 20, 1995 TAG: 9510200030
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Arthur Pendleton, the Republican challenger, gets our nod in the Blue Ridge District over Democratic incumbent Wendy Wingo.
Wingo, a math and science teacher at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Roanoke, is seeking her third term on the board. She has been a conscientious, reasonable and good-willed supervisor, and district voters may see no reason to turn her out of office.
Pendleton, though, promises a more aggressive style of leadership for the county, part of which is rapidly metamorphosing from orchards and dairy farms into fields of subdivisions that may take their names, but nothing more, from rustic pursuits.
Vice president of operations at Roanoke Gas Co., Pendleton worries about the spontaneous nature of the growth that is changing southern Botetourt. He talks of the need for meaningful long-range planning to promote development where it is best suited while protecting the county's natural and historical assets.
Both candidates support the county's development of Greenfield Farm for multiple uses, though Pendleton says he is sympathetic to the idea of a one-year moratorium on the project - not two, as opponents have suggested - to see if there is a better site or reconfigured uses for the proposed business center/elementary school/park.
Pendleton suggests the county may face serious water problems as development continues to spread elsewhere in the county, often with inadequate attention to infrastructure. His engineering background could prove helpful on this and other issues.
Wingo, as current chairman of the Fifth District Planning Commission, has experience with planning issues. But the board, with her on it, has not devoted enough attention to planning. There seems to be no strategy, for instance, on how to protect the character of historic Fincastle, an asset not just of the county but the entire region.
Given Pendleton's stated commitment to sound, long-range planning, he appears the stronger candidate for dealing with change.
William Loope, the Democratic incumbent, has our support for a second term serving the Valley District.
A station supervisor for Appalachian Power Co., Loope is opposed by Paul Graybill, a construction contractor who is chairman of the Botetourt County Republican Party.
Loope is a former member of the county Planning Commission. He acknowledges the need for guiding growth, but opposes placing limits on it. He's a solid supporter of Greenfield, a reasonable attempt - assuming it's done right - to create jobs while saving some land from the subdividers and sprawl that, tax-wise, do not pay their way.
Graybill, aside from being a political operative, offers little that the Board of Supervisors needs, and gives no good reason to unseat Loope.
Growth in Botetourt is a given, and it is good. But the county needs to address it more creatively. (Hint: Increasing lot sizes isn't the answer.) The board needs to show more guts on rezoning requests, as well as providing for open space in development plans and incentives for preserving land through trusts. This will be the challenge no matter who wins on Nov. 6.
Keywords:
POLITICAL ENDORSEMENT POLITICS
by CNB