ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 24, 1996 TAG: 9604240045
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTINA NUCKOLS STAFF WRITER
ELECTIONS ARE more than 18 months away, but a Roanoke County political group already is indulging in campaign-style rhetoric.
Leaders of the organization that helped defeat Roanoke County's school bond referendum this month say they will turn their attention to ousting incumbent county supervisors in upcoming elections.
Don Terp of Concerned Citizens for Good Government announced Tuesday that his group would recruit candidates in the Hollins, Vinton and Windsor Hills districts. Those seats will be up for election in November 1997.
Terp and Jane Milliron, a businesswoman who also is a member of the group, accused the Board of Supervisors of poor planning for school needs.
"If they don't know how to plan, then let's get somebody in there who does know how to plan," Terp said at a news conference at the Roanoke County Library.
"We've got to get involved with our government," he added. "We've got to participate. We can't let them do it for us."
Terp and Milliron both indicated that they would consider seeking office. Terp lives in the Hollins District, which is represented by Supervisors Chairman Bob Johnson.
"Come back and talk to me in January," Terp said. "It's too premature, really. I would like to see a younger person take it up that can handle it, but if we can't find anybody I'm not going to leave it open."
Milliron lives in the Catawba District, which is not scheduled for an election until November 1999.
After the April 2 bond referendum failed, Johnson asked Terp to lead a commission that would make recommendations on how to meet the county's school needs. Terp declined.
"It was a great way to stretch the thing out till everybody forgot about it," Terp said Tuesday.
But the Concerned Citizens will have more than a year and a half to wait until the next regularly scheduled election.
Terp suggested that the organization could collect petitions for a recall election. According to the Roanoke County Registrar's office, the group would need signatures representing 10 percent of the total votes cast in the last election for the supervisor it was trying to unseat.
But Terp said his group may need to wait so potential candidates could have time to attend county government meetings and become familiar with the issues.
"You can't just promote a janitor to supervisor," he said.
While the next election may be more than 18 months away, both Terp and Milliron had sharp words for incumbent supervisors.
"They're kind of a rubber stamp for [County Administrator] Elmer Hodge," Terp said. "They're relying very heavily on the county administration for information."
Johnson drew most of the attacks Tuesday.
"Bob Johnson is wonderful for creating apathy," Milliron said. "Go to the Board of Supervisors meetings and look at the monkey in action."
After the news conference, Milliron continued to criticize Johnson's outspoken style on the board.
"He tends to get off the deep end and tends to clown up there," she said.
Johnson, who did not attend the news conference, later said he was offended by the name-calling.
"Roanoke County is a little more dignified than that," he said. "I think it's unfortunate that they had to stoop to that...I don't believe that's going to play well in the long term."
However, Johnson said he would welcome a challenge from Terp.
"I would think Mr. Terp ought to run," Johnson said. "I really do. I've never found one thing he's in favor of. It's easy to oppose...It's real difficult to be constructive and try to solve problems."
Terp and Milliron both said they support completion of the Northside High School gym and the addition to Glenvar High School, both of which are under way. They also agreed that improvements are needed to Cave Spring Junior High School.
As for how those projects should be funded, Terp said, "What you should do now is you should strip the county government down to the bone."
Asked for more specifics, he said, "Just go in there and do it. Let me in there, I'll find out."
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS BOARD OF SUPERVISORSby CNB