ROANOKE TIMES  
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, June 14, 1996                  TAG: 9606140040
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: B-1  EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
      Published correction ran on June 15, 1996.
         Roanoke Treasurer Davis Anderson, who was appointed to the post by 
      City Council last week, will seek election to that office in 1997. The 
      wrong office was listed in a story Friday.

NEW TREASURER WON'T TAKE JOB FOR GRANTED

ROANOKERS may not have noticed, but there's a new person in charge of collecting their taxes.

If David Anderson were a merchant, banker or industrialist, the money he takes in annually would be the envy of Roanoke's business community.

But Anderson isn't in business for himself.

He's Roanoke's new treasurer, the guardian of about $150 million that each year rolls into city coffers in the form of real estate and other taxes; parking tickets and various fees; and transfers from the state and federal government.

Council on June 3 unanimously voted Anderson into office to replace retired Treasurer Gordon Peters, who had ruled the roost in the 15-employee city treasurer's office for 19 years.

"He's a capable guy," says City Finance Director Jim Grisso, who notes Anderson was trained years ago in the Finance Department. "He's not going to make a lot of drastic changes."

If taxpayers see the treasurer's office running as smoothly as they did under Peters, they shouldn't be surprised.

Anderson, 53, served at Peters' side as chief deputy treasurer for 18 years. The two men are close friends who frequently socialize outside of work. They live near each other in Northeast Roanoke. They've worked together scoring high school basketball games. They even share hobbies, such as beekeeping.

There are a few changes Anderson would like to make.

"I'd like to look at different ways for people to pay taxes," Anderson says. "By debit card, maybe ... or budget billing like Roanoke Gas or [American Electric Power] do - allowing people to pay property taxes monthly rather than $600 twice a year. I've had several older citizens on fixed incomes say they wished they could pay it monthly."

The Saltville native came to Roanoke in 1964 and finished his undergraduate studies at National Business College in 1967. After a two-year stint working for American Electric Power, he took a job in city government with the old municipal auditor's office in 1969.

In those days, the auditor had two functions - ensuring city offices were functioning smoothly, and managing city finances. The job was split and the task of managing city finances was handed to the finance director, a separate council-appointed officer. Anderson went with finance.

In that job, he spent hundreds of hours checking proceeds from the civic center box office and concession stands, at school cafeterias, and revenue from the Parks and Recreation Department.

He also checked the city treasurer's books daily. That's how he got to know Peters, who was chief deputy treasurer at the time.

When then-Treasurer Johnny Johnson retired in 1977 and Peters succeeded him, Peters asked Anderson to come aboard. He's been there ever since.

Anderson, a stalwart Democrat, says he intends to run for the low-profile commissioner of revenue post when it comes up for election in 1997. He hopes that campaign is more successful than his past two.

In 1989, he challenged then-Commissioner of Revenue Jerome Howard, but was handily beaten by the longtime Republican incumbent. When Howard in 1993 announced he was retiring, Anderson expected to get the nod from Democrats to run again. He won the support of the Democratic establishment, but was knocked off at the Democratic mass meeting by upstart Marsha Compton Fielder, who packed the house at William Fleming High School with members of the party's liberal faction.

To this day, Anderson recalls the exact number of votes Fielder beat him by - 23 - out of almost 700 cast.

"It was a disappointment, but a learning experience," Anderson recalls. "A lot of people thought I couldn't possibly lose it. I guess what it means is that you can't take a lot for granted."

LENGTH: Medium:   86 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART Staff
          David Anderson, new Roanoke treasurer, stands at the door to the  
          vault in City Hall. He has replaced longtime Treasurer Gordon  
          Peters, who recently retired. Anderson served at Peters' side for 18
          years. color.