ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 8, 1997 TAG: 9701080056
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
Women broke another barrier in the male-dominated General Assembly on Tuesday, gaining a voice on the powerful Senate Finance Committee.
Senate Democrats appointed Fairfax County Sen. Janet Howell to fill a seat vacated by former Sen. Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount.
"It's the last bastion for women in the General Assembly," Howell beamed, emerging from a closed-door meeting of Senate Democrats.
Her elevation reflects the growing influence of women, who hold seven of 40 seats in the upper chamber.
"We're not done yet," Portsmouth Sen. Louise Lucas said. "We have a few more positions to pick off."
The Senate Finance vacancy was created when Goode resigned after his election to Congress last fall. Based on seniority, Sen. Yvonne Miller, D-Norfolk, was in line for the prized budget-writing seat.
In appointing Howell, Democrats cited a Senate rule that encourages all regions of the state to be represented on Senate Finance. There was no one on the committee from the 11th congressional district, where Howell lives.
Miller, who lobbied her colleagues for the appointment, said she would not second-guess the vote. "The committee made the decision, so I'll live with whatever the committee decided," she said.
Senate Democrats also parceled out committee assignments to Goode's replacement, former Del. Roscoe Reynolds of Henry County. Reynolds said he was pleased with his assignments: Courts of Justice, Local Government, and Rehabilitation and Social Services. But he said he was disappointed that he did not get Goode's seat on the Transportation Committee.
"When you start out," said Reynolds, who will be sworn in today, "you're the low man on the totem pole."
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997by CNB