ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100089
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Reform Party presidential candidate Ross Perot appears set to visit Blacksburg in a rare public appearance during his second presidential campaign.
Dave Nutter, of the Virginia Tech public affairs office, said Wednesday that a Perot visit Oct. 29 seemed likely, though the Perot camp had not yet given a definite yes.
But as far as the campaign manager for 9th District U.S. House of Representatives candidate Tom Roberts of Blacksburg is concerned, "We do have a definite yes."
"Everything is set except the times," Rocky Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson said Perot will make an appearance with Roberts, the Virginia Independent/Reform Party candidate, during his visit to Virginia.
Robert Denton, director of the Leadership Development Center for Tech's cadet corps, said Perot's representatives had not confirmed everything with the university. But he said they indicated Perot will appear during a telephone conversation Tuesday night.
"While it hasn't been confirmed to the satisfaction of the university," Denton said, "I think the odds are pretty good."
He said Perot will take part in a Leaders in Action program with the cadets during the afternoon and make a public appearance in Burress Hall, probably in the evening. The Leaders in Action program brings prominent corporate and industry representatives to address the corps. Perot is also likely to take part in the corps' retreat ceremonies.
"It's been a week and a half or so in negotiations," Nutter said. He could not say why Perot, who has made few campaign appearances in comparison to President Clinton and GOP challenger Bob Dole, decided to come to Virginia Tech.
Earlier this week, the Associated Press listed only one public appearance scheduled for Perot this month, an Oct. 22 address to the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles. Perot's vice-presidential running mate, Pat Choate, appeared in Williamsburg several weeks ago.
Perot has relied on paid television infomercials and appearances on CNN's "Larry King Live" interview show.
``It's unconventional [strategy],'' Perot spokeswoman Sharon Holman said Tuesday when asked whether it was likely that Perot could mount a major campaign. ``We hope within the next couple of days to put out a full calendar. We've got 28 days. That's plenty.''
Holman could not be reached by telephone in Dallas Wednesday afternoon.
Since Perot accepted the Reform Party nomination Aug. 18, he has had only one rally and has had no question-and-answer news conferences. He has made fewer than one appearance each week, traveling in his own corporate jet and using his own security rather than the Secret Service.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENTby CNB