ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 5, 1996 TAG: 9603050033
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
Two more people have announced plans to run for Christiansburg Town Council, bringing the number of candidates to eight.
Three seats will be open for the May 7 elections.
Jay Newman and Paul Poff last week submitted the necessary 125 signatures of registered voters to the county registrar.
"Recreation is the top priority. Recreation will keep people out of trouble," said Newman, a 38-year-old pharmacist and father of a young son. He is a former competitive swimmer, pool manager and lifeguard, and is especially interested in the town's plans to build a pool. He may have to wait another 10 years for that, according to the town's recreation plans. Newman said a public-private partnership might speed things up.
He also said he wants to keep an open mind about the town's purchase last year of the vacant Lowe's building on North Franklin Street. The building is to be used as a recreation center, a move that has drawn some criticism, especially after the weight of January's snow caused the roof to collapse.
Newman said council's decisions can have a big impact on residents. "What happens in Washington, D.C., or Richmond don't affect the citizens every day the way Town Council decisions can," he said.
Newman deals with customers every day as a pharmacist, and he said the town's retail area attracts people from Southwest Virginia and Southeast West Virginia.
But he added, "They can be gone tomorrow just as fast as they come in today. I'd like to see something more stable."
Newman said he advocates attracting more industry to the town, better communication and a traffic light in front of the high school on North Franklin Street.
Poff, 54, is a post office window clerk and life-long resident of Christiansburg who has been thinking of running for council for several years. He is a Boy Scout district commissioner, is active in Christiansburg Presbyterian Church, and was a founding board member of the Christmas Store.
Poff was recently a student at a citizen's police academy, an experience that gave him an insider's view of law enforcement in Christiansburg and an "an appreciation of what our police have to deal with. The job is a lot more involved than the average citizen thinks of."
Poff said the Police Department needs bigger offices and more parking. "Where they're at now, it's too small, too cramped." Police cars could get parked in and "there would be no way they could get out."
Poff said the town also needs "a real good recreation department, not just a hit or miss type of thing, but a real good facility."
Poff sees "a lot of changes in the years ahead" for the town. "I'd like for us to be progressive and to keep up with the times but at the same time to keep what we have," he said.
He said the downtown area could be revitalized with specialty shops, such as art shops and galleries, boutiques and other businesses.
The six other people who have filed for the election are incumbents Wayne Booth and Scott Weaver, and challengers Bob Abraham, Richard Ballengee, Rocco Capozzi, Bob Hockett. Truman Daniel has announced his retirement, guaranteeing at least one new person on council.
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Newman, Poff. KEYWORDS: POLITICS CITY COUNCILby CNB