ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Monday, February 24, 1997              TAG: 9702240099
SECTION: EDITORIAL                PAGE: A-6  EDITION: METRO 

HERE'S TO THOSE WHO FIGHT CITY HALL

BLESS THE Bob Bagnolis of the world. Whatever they may do for a living, they devote part of their lives to dogging local officials about the decisions that add up to create a community: what it looks like; what it feels like to live there.

Often these self-appointed watchdogs get involved initially by protesting decisions immediately affecting them and their families - legitimate issues to bring before a governing body.

Bagnoli wanted to make sure the Greenfield multi-use development in Botetourt County included, as county officials promised, ample open space and other amenities, and preserved historic artifacts.

Sometimes, like Bagnoli, they differ from the NIMBY crowd (not in my back yard) by pushing broader agendas with longer-lasting commitment. Usually they labor in obscurity, their work unpaid and largely unheralded. Bagnoli is unusual: His role as unofficial critic-at-large of the Botetourt supervisors prompted the board to appoint him to the Fifth Planning District Commission board. So now he's official.

The supervisors were smart enough to recognize that Bagnoli was raising questions, about balancing development with quality of life, that need to be asked for the good of the entire county.

Betty Field is another tenacious, if quieter, citizen commando. Her appeal to "develop" Mill Mountain as an urban nature sanctuary rather than a commercial attraction is finally catching the attention of numbers of people who agree and are speaking up.

Lynn Davis, once a lonely voice for viewshed protection along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Roanoke County; Bob Fetzer and Lucy Ellett, early champions of a greenways system for the Roanoke Valley; Evelyn Bethel, persistent advocate for preserving Roanoke's Gainsboro neighborhood; Joel Richert, who worked tirelessly for restoration of Old Southwest.

All are crusaders whose mission is, or has been, improving the quality of life in their communities. There are countless more, far too many to name. Their tasks differ, but they have a common goal: to shape decisions in ways that will make life more pleasant now and for future generations.

Sometimes a crusade catches on, sometimes it falters. Either way, these activists fill a vital role in a democracy.

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