ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010106
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
REPUBLICAN PAT GREEN is set to challenge David Bowers for the Roanoke mayor's job this May.
Saying he wants to bring a businesslike attitude, more maturity and greater openness to city government, James Patrick "Pat" Green is scheduled to jump into the Roanoke mayor's race today.
After a year of preparing to run for the city's highest political post, the 55-year-old Republican businessman has scheduled a formal announcement at 9 a.m. in City Council chambers at City Hall.
Green, the only Republican to file for the mayor's race, will be pitted against incumbent Democratic Mayor David Bowers, a 12-year veteran of city government.
In an interview Thursday, Green said the city must focus on the needs of small business, which he said employs 80 percent of Roanoke workers.
The city also should hold the line on taxes; identify and preserve historic sites; work with surrounding localities on consolidating utilities, mass transit and land development; and strengthen local ties to Virginia Tech, his alma mater.
If elected, "I'll talk to people, we'll ask them what they want, and we'll try to implement it," Green said, "but we'll do it in a way we can afford it, in a conservative manner."
A 23-year resident of the Roanoke Valley, the Fredericksburg native is a partner in Green & Associates, a 20-year-old company that sells credit insurance through banks and auto dealers in five states, including Virginia.
The company, with 12 employees, is located a short distance over the city line in Roanoke County. It also operates a wholesale wax and polish distribution business that supplies auto dealers.
Green is a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served as an enlisted man in Vietnam in the early days of U.S. involvement there. He also is past president of the Rotary Club of the Roanoke Valley and the Military Order of World Wars.
Green has little experience in politics at the local level, a fact some city Republicans have hinted may hurt him in the mayor's race.
But he said he believes that's an asset, particularly on issues such as consolidation and regional cooperation with surrounding governments.
"I don't have any preconceived notions. I think I have a much more open mind in terms of dealing with other governments," he said.
He said he's been involved behind the scenes in state and regional Republican party politics as a volunteer and is close to Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke. Last year, he served as one of eight Roanoke Valley delegates to the White House Conference on Small Business.
Green describes himself as a moderate-to-conservative Republican, a political stance he adopted after starting and running his own business. He was a liberal Democrat before then, he said.
He shied away from criticizing Bowers by name, and said he would run an issue-oriented campaign rather than "throw mud."
But "temper tantrums have no place at City Council meetings," Green added. "We've got to be more mature in our leadership."
Green also addressed several other Roanoke issues:
On a modified ward system: He said he would support a referendum on such a system. But he would not lead the charge for one, and he expects the referendum would fail.
Green said he's against a ward or modified ward system because demographics of areas may change more rapidly than ward boundaries could be adjusted.
Still, "the only way we can put this issue to rest is to put it on the ballot and let the people tell us what they want," he said.
On taxes: Green said the city should look for nontax revenue sources and greater government efficiency to cope with rising governmental costs. He's vehemently opposed to local gas taxes or a special gas-tax district as a way to replace federal subsidies for Valley Metro, which are drying up quickly.
"I'm totally against the [gas] tax," he said. "We're supposed to be attracting people to the Roanoke Valley, not running them off."
On Victory Stadium: He supports council's move earlier this year in the direction of a $15 million renovation of Roanoke's major outdoor sports venue.
Renovation "is very important. I think the recreational facilities in Roanoke are not up to par with what we should be offering," he said.
JAMES PATRICK "PAT" GREEN
Republican candidate for Roanoke mayor
Age: 55
Occupation: Partner in Green & Associates, which sells credit insurance through banks and auto dealers
Personal: Married
Education: Bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech
Political background: First try for elective office
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Green KEYWORDS: POLITICS MAYORby CNB