Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 8, 1995 TAG: 9511080046
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roark won in a three-way contest Tuesday in the Catawba District, beating Bill Brown Jr., owner of a rental business, and John Reed, a retired copy center owner.
Irvin defeated two opponents in the Cave Spring District: Carol White, a medical technologist, and Vern Jordahl, an ethics professor.
Roark becomes the first woman to win a board seat since the county switched to the elected system. She made gender an issue in the campaign. Both Roark and White said a mother's perspective was needed on the board.
Irvin focused on his background in banking and insurance, saying his experience and knowledge would be valuable on the board.
In their campaigns, Roark and Irvin said the county has good schools; they had little criticism of the School Board or school administrators.
Both winners were endorsed by the Political Action Committee of the Roanoke County Education Association, a teachers' organization that contributed $500 to their campaigns.
The teachers' group has a perfect record in endorsing candidates since the county began electing its School Board. All five winners in the past two years had the teachers' support.
From the start of the campaign, Roark was considered the favorite to win in Catawba and succeed longtime Chairman Frank Thomas, who chose not to run. She was well-known among parents and PTA members in Glenvar, where her children attend school.
Roark stood in the rain Tuesday and passed out sample ballots at several precincts. Tuesday night, she attributed her victory to hard work, her record in PTA work and community activities.
"I feel exhausted, but it's been a good experience," Roark said
The Catawba contest caused a split in some families. Ann Rader, a voter at the Northside precinct, voted for Reed because she was impressed with him when he came to her house campaigning. But her husband, Hugh, voted for Roark.
Irvin was the last candidate to get into the Cave Spring race to succeed Maurice "Buck" Mitchell, who did not run because, he said, he didn't have time to campaign.
Irvin said his work in community organizations gave a boost to his campaign. He said the teachers' endorsement helped, and many people in his church, Cave Spring United Methodist, also worked in his campaign.
"Being in a three-way contest, I wasn't sure how it would turn out," Irvin said. "I'm glad it is over, and I look forward to representing the people in Cave Spring."
At the Penn Forest precinct, several voters said they supported Irvin because of his strong support for schools and understanding of education issues.
Keywords:
ELECTION
by CNB