A punch is thrown in the race for Roanoke mayor
David Bowers
Mark Lucas
With just a bit more than two weeks remaining ’til Election Day on May 1, things are starting to pick up a bit on the mayor’s race here in Roanoke.
Incumbent Mayor David Bowers, part of a Democratic incumbency ticket with council candidates Sherman Lea, Anita Price and Court Rosen, held a fundraiser Wednesday night at the O. Winston Link Museum. There wasn’t much new in Bowers’ stump speech, but he’s continued to refine and develop certain themes over the last few weeks, particularly his hope that the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute will become a model for law and pharmacy schools that may eventually locate within the city. He also said he expects to see changes in Roanoke’s skyline, with “buildings, new high-rises, new condos.”
Perhaps more notable was the opening speaker, former city councilman Rupert Cutler, who lobbed a couple of attacks on Bowers’ Republican challenger, Mark Lucas. He criticized Lucas’ attendance at meetings of the Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission and city Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: “What does it say when he misses 16 our of 26 greenway commission meetings, and 11 out of 16 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meetings?”
Cutler also took aim at what is perhaps the central plank in Lucas’ platform: That he’d be better than Bowers at helping attract jobs to Roanoke. Cutler said that Lucas doesn’t understand “the role of mayor. It is not to hit the road hustling new businesses here. That’s [City Manager] Chris Morrill’s and [Roanoke Regional Partnership Executive Director] Beth Doughty’s jobs. The mayor is our official host for meetings and major events here, and David Bowers does an outstanding job of representing all of us at such events — not as easy as it looks.”
I tried to get Bowers’ take on those comments — he is the candidate, after all; it was his fundraiser and I’d rather hear from him than from a campaign surrogate — but he declined to talk about Lucas directly. I asked him what those attendance figures meant, and Bowers said this: “The public has to decide whether it means anything to them. The Roanoke people can figure things out pretty well.”
Lucas wasn’t reachable by phone. He’s in Costa Rica this week for a trip he promised his daughter, a senior at Patrick Henry High School, three years ago.
He did, however, respond by email:
As you know, I started a girls lacrosse league back in 2004. In our fifth season we were playing on the Reserve Ave. fields which were in horrible condition (and still are for that matter). Large holes and ruts and girls were spraining ankles, etc. to the point that the parents were joking that I was trying to drum up business for Lucas Therapies! In addition, opposing teams would come to play us and commented on how poorly Roanoke maintained their fields. It was truly embarrassing.
I called Parks & Rec numerous times but had little response. Finally, out of frustration I decided to see if I could gain an appointment to the Parks & Rec board to see if I could make something positive happen. At the time, I was involved in my restaurants and other business ventures and did not have time to attend board meetings on a regular basis. I informed Steve Buschor of this and he was fine with it (I’m sure I probably missed over half the meetings) Once on the board, I found out that all funding for field maintenance had been suspended. Which was disappointing as I believe recreation is one of the cornerstones to building a community. However seeing how Steve and team managed that department on a reduced budget was very impressive.
At the time I had no plans to run for mayor and never in my wildest dreams thought that someone would use something like this against me when the reasons were I was out being productive for Roanoke. I was just trying to resolve an exasperating problem and help out.
At the end of the day I missed the meetings for two reasons first I was creating jobs by building my business and second I was growing a youth sports league in the valley with my daughters. Given the opportunity again I would have made the same decisions.
I have always been better at getting things done than sitting in meetings, and as Mayor I will be more focused on achieving results for Roanoke than I am with meetings. Of course I will attend the meetings but I will be more active in helping to bring jobs to Roanoke than just going to meetings. I have dialed back the businesses to focus on the responsibility of Mayor and ensuring the environment is right in Roanoke for its citizens to have good jobs.
I pressed him on the figures, and he responded again:
I think the numbers are way off. But that’s fine. What I said about the P&R board still stands. I joined the Greenway Commission because I have a high level of interest and once lost an exec that I tried to hire at ProVox because we didn’t have a greenway system. What he fails to mention on the Greenway are the times I was out helping build bridges etc. that did not involve meetings. My point is still the same – we need to grow and build for the next generation (including your new son and my girls) and that’s not going to happen by recycling the same leaders over and over. He can spend his time taking role and counting fannies sitting in chairs around conference room tables but I would rather be out making something happen in our community. These are both voluntary boards with little decision making authority. A more relevant comparison would be my job attendance – I haven’t missed a day of work in over 20 years.
Up until now, this mayoral campaign had been relatively quiet compared to the race four years ago between Bowers, then an independent challenger, and Nelson Harris, the incumbent and Democratic nominee.
Last night’s comments could start to change that.
We’ll get a better indication next Tuesday, April 17, during mayoral debate hosted by the Roanoke Branch NAACP at the Claude Moore Center at 109 Henry Street. It will be moderated by WSLS Chanel 10 anchor Jay Warren. A reception at 6:30 p.m. precedes the debate, which starts at 7 p.m.
– Mason Adams
April 12, 2012 - 11:06 AM
Mark is a PROVEN business leader in Roanoke. I would like to see more business leaders in office and a conservative point of view for the city. Democrats control the city now BUT in the next few elections I believe that is going to change. My vote is for Mark.
Tripp,
Mark is not a “conservative” nor does he have a conservative point of view. He is very moderate as a person and politician and one of the major reasons my wife and me will be supporting Mark. Now that the ron paul and tea party people took over the Republican committee the other night at your meeting, no Republicans will get elected.
“I missed the meetings for two reasons first I was creating jobs by building my business and second I was growing a youth sports league in the valley with my daughters”
If he’s too busy to attend meetings for even one volunteer board, then he’s too busy to be mayor.
Wow, you know, I was planning to vote for Lucas, but this really changes things for me. The work that boards do for nonprofits and commissions is really important. Not all boards are equal, for sure, and I have worked with exceptionally weak ones before, but the Greenway Commission has had positive, measurable results in our community, and for Lucas to say that board/commission meetings are unimportant and no more than “counting fannies in chairs” makes it clear that he was only on the board to pad his resume, not to do the hard (thankless, as shown by his comments) volunteer work that effects real change.
“A more relevant comparison would be my job attendance – I haven’t missed a day of work in over 20 years.”
No, a relevant indicator of a candidate’s commitment to the community at large is how he behaves when there’s no personal payoff for him. Lucas has made it clear that if it doesn’t directly impact his wallet, he doesn’t even bother to phone it in, much less show up.
Lucas said he wasn’t interested in sitting in meetings, but in getting out in the community. He didn’t say which community, but it looks like the Costa Rican community. How is Lucas going to sit through council meetings every week if he can attend only 16 out of 26 and 11 out of 16 board meetings? With that record Lucas will miss 20 weeks of 52 weeks of council meetings if elected. Lucas sounds like an irresponsible child!
#4 No defense for the meetings he missed, mj, but if Lucas indeed promised his daughter they’d take this trip her senior year, then he’s doing the MOST important thing he could be doing right now — keeping a promise to his child.
I was going to vote for Lucas but this is crazy. The mayor runs ALL the meetings and HAS to be there. I have known Mark for some time, not well. but this is continuing a pattern he has where he starts something and does not finish it.
I wish him the best but he has lost my vote.
Cutler has done an awful job in anything he has attempted as far as public service. Can you say “explore park?” Can you say “Water Authority?” enjoying those tripled bills. Or how about “Victory Stadium?” Cutlers opinion means zilch. And as Ive advised him before. He and Gladys need to go back to Michigan.
Brian H- Why do you say that no Tea Party Republican will ever win?
I believe that the Republican party along with the Tea Party and Ron Paul people working together will win elections in Roanoke City. This is what is needed to defeat the Democrats in Roanoke.
Roll is taken when you should be at a meeting or class. Role is what you play when you don’t show!
Lazy and Mark Lucas should not be in the same sentence. Mark has started a number of companies from the ground up. This is not a trait of a lazy person. Mark was the first person to branch out one of the fastest growing franchises in the country. Again, something lazy people do not do. Mark has kept up with a highly motivated wife and raised two great kids. Doubt if he was sitting in his lazy boy during this time.
And Mark is not afraid to take on a challenge. Sure there are stumbles but the only way to never fail is never try. He is the reason a number of great people who contribute to the local community have moved to this area and call this area home. I can’t vote for Mark, being a Roanoke County resident, but I can stand up for the guy cause he is the reason I call Roanoke home.
At least he has the integrity to admit that what he thought was neglect when he was on the “outside” was really a matter of funding instead. That is often how it is for the fire breathers who are gonna change things.
I agree that missing half the meetings of a board you lobbied to be on is not pretty and it does question the commitment he can make to the Mayor’s thankless job.
The mayor’s position is more of a place holder/figure head. Chris Morrill and city council have all the power and most of the decision making. If Lucas wants to exert his “proven business leader” skills, perhaps he should go after Morrill’s job.
Brian H- I agree with you on 2 points, that Mark is a moderate and that the Republican Committee meeting the other night was taken over by Ron Paul/Constitutionalists. That meeting was standing room only and was stacked for him and for Paul people wanting to sign up to be delegates. We shall see what happens. It will be interesting to see how some of these RP/Const. republicans feel about having to support Romney when he wins the nomination.
gdad; Lucas seems to have a good excuse for every criticism. A mark of a good salesman (overcoming objections) but results not excuses is what he should be judged on. Starts businesses? but only one has sustained longevity, the one where Wendy Lucas is President. Is Wendy in Costa Rica or did she have to stay home to pay for the trip?
#7 Jack McGuire, you really haven’t even the foggiest notion why water and sewer bills have gone up, do you? (HINT: It has nothing at all to do with Cutler).
As for the stadium, thank goodness it’s gone and we have the high school facilities now.
#1 Tripp, it IS good to see that you’re willing to consider somebody other than a tea partying Ron Pauler for office. Cause that sure isn’t what Mark is, at least not from what I know of him.
#13 Gee, mj, I’m not an intimate of the Lucas family so I can’t tell you where Wendy is. Sounds like from what he said this might be a father/daughter trip. If that’s the case, I applaud him for doing something like this with her when he can. That’s not an “excuse,” that’s doing one of the most important things he can be doing — much more important than shaking hands for a political campaign.
@14
I know exactly why they went up. They went up because our Council didn’t keep up Crystals Springs like they dont keep anything up, so when Carvins Cove went down low we had to make a deal for this Water Authority deal..who Cutler was involved in and pay County rates. Which still increases every year. As far as the High School stadiums..never been to one.Im an adult..dont do the kiddie thing. And Victory Stadium was a monument..there again not kept up by our hapless Council to the point where they didn’t want to fix it. And now they complain because they cant get historical grants. Why? Because they have torn all the historical sites down.
My point gdad is that Lucas made his business experience his center piece. It looks like his wife is the one with the successful business experience. Sarcasm was what I was going for. Sorry you missed that. Someone has to work and make his promises to his daughter a reality. Congratulation to his wife. I would vote for her in a NY minute.
Also, gdad, he said in response to criticism that he had missed numerous board meetings that he had not missed a days work in 20 years so is this a business trip or a pleasure trip?
#18 So you saying that Mark doesn’t and hasn’t worked and that his wife is responsible for all their income, mj? Your proof of this is…?
As for this particular trip, once, again, I can’t tell you the answer. When he says he hasn’t missed a day of work, I can’t tell you what that encompasses. I know personally a guy who brags about the same thing, but he DOES take vacations and holidays. He just hasn’t missed for illness or to “play hooky.”
What’s your beef here, anyway? I’ve known Bowers since high school and the guy definitely has his own set of problems. I don’t you see you posting sarcastically about those things.
#17 Well, Jack you sort of got a little bit of it right.
First, I wonder why you don’t praise CC for keeping rates down so incredibly low for so many years? They stayed out of the county project for years and avoided those huge increases. And Crystal Spring couldn’t have saved us during the drought or during a future drought of that magnitude.
Costs have also gone up because the city has to replace ancient water and sewer lines all over the city. This is NOT something that could have been prevented. Somebody has to pay for that, Jack, and it’s got to be the users, doesn’t it?
But then none of that would fit in with your agenda, so you didn’t mention it.
As for the stadiums, I’m sorry to hear that you don’t have any children to cheer on and that you don’t realize that the vibrancy of schools is an important piece in what makes up a community. But given your history on these blogs, it’s not something I’d expect you to understand. While I have great memories of Victory Stadium, it was pretty much a useless piece of junk. And I say that as an avid fan of history, particularly the Civil War.
#17 And BTW, Jack, congrats on you having such a high level of foresight that you would have known that an almost unprecedented drought would have hit the Roanoke Valley and you would have therefor raised water rates and/or taxes enough to increase water capacity to a level never needed before. I’m truly impressed that, had you been mayor or on council, you would have accomplished this before the drought.
Hindsight is great stuff, isn’t it, Jack?