Open thread & bonus content on Roanoke mayoral, council races
Today the paper and website carried summary stories on the race for Roanoke mayor and city council. Tuesday is election day in Roanoke and several other localities.
I did want to pass along some extra material from both mayoral candidates and open the floor for people to talk about these city races.
David Bowers interviews Liza Minnelli decades ago
Incumbent Mayor David Bowers held a rally Friday in front of Thelma’s Chicken & Waffles, where a sign promoted the restaurant’s “Mayor Bowers Burger” and “Council Chicken Sandwich.” The current and former chairmen of the Democratic Party of Virginia, Brian Moran and Richard Cranwell, warned Republicans are looking to get a foot-hold in the traditional Democratic stronghold of Roanoke with mayoral challenger Mark Lucas.
Bowers said he thought Lucas was all sizzle and no steak. He predicted big things for Roanoke, particularly the stretch between Valley View Mall and Wiley Drive: “In 10 or 15 years you’re going to drive that Interstate 581, and I think you’ll see a transformed skyline for Roanoke. And believe you me: the best is yet to come.”
Bowers also took time to describe himself, repeating some of the key phrases we’ve heard from him over the last few decades:
“I’m still that working-class guy who grew up in Raleigh Court. My dad drove a bread truck. My mom raised six very opinionated children, and I started practicing law from behind a card table.
“But during my tenure as mayor and in my public life, I hope you’ll know I’ve given you my heart and my hard work and my honesty and my good sense of humor. And I’ve brought dignity and friendliness to the office of mayor.”
Mark Lucas talks with Bogdan Vladu and his wife in Raleigh Court. Photo by Jeanna Duerlscherl | The Roanoke Times
Lucas didn’t hold a rally this week, but after Friday’s story with the candidates’ dueling takes on jobs and the economy, he sent along this statement as a rebuttal to Bowers and his Thursday news conference:
“I just wanted to chime in on something. I have heard David Bowers is now taking credit for the Carilion Biomedical facility. This is once again an attempt to take credit for something he didn’t do or originally opposed. He adamantly opposed the demolition of both the armory and Victory Stadium which are both within the Biomedical center footprint. He opposed closing Forest Park Elementary and now takes credit for the success of Forest Park Academy. He also opposed changing the proffers at Patrick Henry High School and was very vocal about renovating Victory Stadium to be used by both PH and William Fleming H.S., yet now takes credit for the beautiful new campus stadiums. You shouldn’t be able to get away with taking credit for accomplishments you had little to do with – particularly when your own campaign defines the Mayor’s role as merely hosting meetings and events. David Bowers may now, with a few days left until the election, attempt to rebrand his campaign as ‘Bowers means Business,’ but I would suggest a more appropriate name would be ‘Bowers means Business as Usual…’ “
We’ll be back tomorrow with lots of analysis on the race and thoughts on what each candidate must do to win — not to mention a live chat here tomorrow afternoon.
Follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook.
– Mason Adams
April 29, 2012 - 12:25 PM
Classic comments from Bowers dating back to his original run for Roanoke Mayor in 1992. I am surprised he didn’t work in his famous “catbird seat” talking point also, old age must be catching-up with him lately:
“In 10 or 15 years you’re going to drive that Interstate 581, and I think you’ll see a transformed skyline for Roanoke. And believe you me: the best is yet to come.”
Bowers also took time to describe himself, repeating some of the key phrases we’ve heard from him over the last few decades:
“I’m still that working-class guy who grew up in Raleigh Court. My dad drove a bread truck. My mom raised six very opinionated children, and I started practicing law from behind a card table.
From the 2008 mayoral election:
http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/161023
Turnout was 19.5 percent — lower than the 2006 rate of 25.8 percent. In that race only three council seats were at stake, but the issue of Victory Stadium helped drive voters to the polls.
BTW, Bowers’ Wikipedia page is incorrect, as far as I can recall, he is NOT a Roanoke native, but a native of the state of New York.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_A._Bowers
Well, Billy Bova, I am sure that David Bowers wanted to be born in Roanoke but as a dutiful son, he felt he should be with his mother at a time like that.
Billy, I know with enough money the Pope can annul a marriage and make it like it didn’t even happen, but not even Via and his Republican money could change a birth certificate, although I think he and Bowers would try if they thought it would buy them this election. Gotta love the way Republicans think, and Democrats like Bowers and his supporters.
Bowers should win on Tuesday without much problem. He has settled down well and has been working well with the council and administration. Progress has been made the last 4 years in the city.
I see Delegate Woodrum is as witty as ever, I wish he were still down in Richmond representing the Roanoke Valley, he was extremely effective and always a hard, hard worker for Roanoke and it’s citizens!
Mason, any comment on why none of this has been newsworthy?
http://www.roanokefreepress.com/?p=16235
“Lucas has portrayed himself as somewhat of an Independent or a moderate Republican not afraid to raise taxes if necessary. So when someone pointed out that Lucas had donated to Roanoke Tea Party member, 2nd Tuesday Constitution Group member and Rush Limbaugh supporter Al Bedrosian it behooves any reporter to look it up.”
Did she scoop you?
Along the lines of Sandi; Mason, any news on why there are so many Lucas and Court Rosen signs in yards all over Roanoke. Or why Rosen refused to even have his picture taken with his “fellow Democrats” last week? Or why he has refused to attend any of the Democrat rallies? Mr. Rosen is apparantly no more a Democrat than Mr. Bowers. And the lemmings keep flocking to vote for anyone with a “D” beside their name.
Sandi, here’s a record of all of Lucas’ donations over the last few years. Generally, I don’t know that Republicans giving to Republicans is that newsworthy. I guess Bedrosian falls far to the right of where Lucas says he falls politically — but then again Lucas also contributed money to Mark Warner’s inaugural committee.
We focused on the Via contribution because it was such a large amount and somewhat out of character given his past history of financing candidates. As a weird trivia side note, my research turned up only one other Democrat that Via has ever contributed to. Can anyone name who that is?
Another trivial sidenote that doesn’t carry any deep meaning but is kind of interesting on its surface: The reporter who filed that Roanoke Free Press story was the only other candidate besides Bowers who received money from Citizens for Sensible Decisions, the PAC that was associated with the “Joe Smith” ad against Court Rosen four years ago.
– Mason Adams
gofigure:
I’m not 100 percent sure about Rosen & Lucas, as I’ve not been able to reach Rosen over the last few days. I do know that I haven’t seen Rosen at any Lucas events, while I did see him at a Bowers fundraiser earlier this month.
At the William Fleming presser, Sherman Lea told me that Rosen couldn’t make it because of the short notice. At the rally on Friday, a campaign consultant was there and told me Rosen couldn’t make it because he was at a real estate closing.
I’d note that Lea and Anita Price are both retired and that all three Bowers events this week took place during business hours. Too, Price missed two of them, though her husband appeared at both of those in her stead.
It’s possible that Rosen is supporting Lucas, but if he’s doing so it’s largely behind the scenes. I guess you could read his absence at recent Bowers events as a lack of support, but like I said, I haven’t seen him with Lucas either.
I have seen the Lucas and Rosen signs together at one house on Brambleton. Has anyone spotted any others, or any other odd combinations of campaign signs?
– Mason Adams
I find it interesting that every source who sat down with both candidates and discussed their ideas endorsed Lucas. Including the Roanoke Times, The BLF, and The RVAR.
I have to say that Bushnell is actually running a decent campaign. It isn’t bad for a first time run. He seems to be connecting with people and really appears to care, which is a rarity. Even though I disagree with a lot of what he says, I have to respect him for running a very decent campaign and having the courage to run against some long timers. Having a candidate that isn’t “seasoned” is refreshing every once and awhile, although not usually elected.
Bowers will win simply because he is the face of Roanoke and has been for as long as I can remember. As far as republicans giving him money, party affiliation really doesn’t mean anything at such a low level. Rarely will you find a mayor that is far left or far right. Mostly they have party affiliation for stumping and for giving a general idea on where they would stand on issues if they had any actual real power. You have to remember they aren’t the ones making laws and passing them. They aren’t the ones that are bringing jobs to Roanoke. The City Manager and City Council are the ones that really land the plane,set things in motion, and bring things to fruition.
Whatever you think of Bowers, you can’t deny that he has a charm and an affection for Roanoke that is important when you are a “ribbon cutting” mayor. While I disagree with a lot of his party politics, I do think he is a good fit for Roanoke and he has been good to the city. He is protective of Roanoke, and that is a good thing.
While Lucas has had some success in business, I think he will have the same problem Nutter did. While I appreciate his fervent desire to rattle off the “brings jobs” jargon, I think that he is over using the talking point. I think he is more of a moderate than he lets on to be. It irks me that he isn’t honest about that. Instead, he gets silly “endorsements” from the normal establishments (Goodlatte, etc) and it just cheapens the whole thing. I would be more inclined to take him seriously if he were running as an independent.
I have a Mark Lucas & Brandon Bushnell sign in my yard. I would also have liked to have a Sherman Lea and a Court Rosen sign if I was able to get them. I do like the fact that all of these candidates feel that Southeast Roanoke has been left behind in the process of improving the quality of life for these neighborhoods.
Parts of southeast are making some slow progress, while other parts are going in the wrong direction. Belmont has been very negatively affected, since the last expansion of the Roanoke Rescue Mission. Residents there have seen their quality of life degrade rapidly. The homeless hanging out in this neighborhood is extremely high during the day, when the are kicked out of the mission until they are allowed to return in the evening.
Three factors seem to contribute to this. First, Joy at the Rescue Mission will feed anyone a meal, whether they participate in their programs or not. Abandoned houses abound the neighborhood, many are being used by the homeless as a place to sleep, as well as on peoples private porches, yards, and outbuildings. Third panhandling is legal in Virginia and it keeps them in the neighborhood too.
In short, The homeless are either kicked out for the day or come out from where ever else they slept at, mainly abandoned houses if not the mission. they then head out to the streets to panhandle to get what is needed to support their habits. get their free meals at the mission. Indulge in their habits, alcohol, drugs and/or tobacco. Then they crawl back to the mission or abandoned property or what ever and then start anew the next day.
This is a cycle that is destroying southeast and has to be fixed. David Bowers had 20 years and nothing has changed other than it getting worst!
I see you attacked me Mason. You must have missed the part where I donated that money to Sweet Union Baptist Church. I have the receipt if you don’t believe me. How petty of you.
Considering the irrelevance (and I’m being generous with that description) of Ms. Prices’ comments the few times she has gone on record this election, I wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t asked to stay away. She has contributed absolutely nothing to the City Council the past four years, and has been just as invisible throughout this election.
OK, you told me to post anything here about you.
“Mason Adams told me he voted for me.”
Oh Val, how pathetic. You and Mason are like five year olds,. You just happen to be a very very immature five year old. Like brain vomit spewing nasty.
@Valerie I can’t tell if you are being sarcastic or not, but, it doesn’t seem like Mason attacked you. He said it was interesting on the surface. I don’t think anyone is reading more into it. Besides, if you receiving funds from that PAC is an implication of anything, then it would be for Bowers too, since he also received money from them (if we are looking at it at face value, of course).
Again, I do not care who wins, I am not in the City, I cannot vote there or advise anyone there how to vote, but comprehensive coverage of a challenger virtually out of the blue wanting the top spot is only fair considering what Bowers has undergone. THAT is my issue and frankly, my only issue in the Roanoke mayor’s or council races. I will say that Bushnell deserves to win, just because he is not a partisan. In local elections, Independents (until they prove not to be) are the choice I would make.
#12…could not agree more. #18…Valerie has unwittingly given us yet another insight into the underside of Roanoke City Democrat politics. On the national stage Republicans are eating their own and acting out, and in our city it’s been the Democrats for decades. My vote tomorrow is for Bushnell and Lucas (and not because Lucas is running as a Republican, but because I know him to be a good man, and one who has not been a participant in the embarrassing political shenanigins in Roanoke for the past several decades).
Mason, I cannot help but be bugged by your casual dismissal of Lucas’s support for Bedrosian, but even if I let that slide as you really seeing no significance, I cannot say that “We focused on the Via contribution because it was such a large amount and somewhat out of character given his past history of financing candidates”. Is it “a large amount” for Via, or for you? Did it not intrigue you why a generally Republican donor would donate “a large amount” in such a race?
I am in no position to cast stones or make accusations but this whole thing bugs me. After Dan Casey lets loose with his column, the RT endorsement of Lucas and your reporting taken altogether, it just bothers me. For a “liberal rag” that conservatives love to hate, some things are not adding up for a race that is essentially “window dressing”.
I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you just did not see anything significant, but Bedrosian should have registered and a Republican donating 75K should have resonated too.
Sandi:
I’d prefer you take my reporting alone, as I don’t consult with Dan Casey or with the editorial board before writing my stories.
Let’s take these one at a time. Do you think the Via contributions were not newsworthy? They account for more than half of Bowers’ fundraising.
With regard to Bedrosian, is it more newsworthy that a Republican gave money to another Republican, who also happened to be a co-worker, more than a decade ago, well before any of the subsequent events that Valerie listed — or that he gave money to Mark Warner a few years later?
Does it make any difference that Garner didn’t mention the Warner donation in her story — which accuses the Roanoke Times of bias but doesn’t lay out any evidence beyond the fact that she doesn’t like the headshot we’ve used — or that she herself has contributed money to Bowers in the past? (My apologies, Val, if you’ve since asked him to return that money. Feel free to weigh in if I’m wrong here.)
If you think that a contribution from one Republican to another back in the ’90s outweighs $75K from a longtime Republican donor to a Democratic candidate this year, please elaborate a bit more.
As always, thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
– Mason Adams
Sandi, I should also repeat this from the live chat: Different issues are important to different people in this election. I’m defending my decision not to write a big story about two donations from the ’90s.
But clearly they’re important to *you.* And they may well be important to other readers. Please feel free to discuss them here on the Blue Ridge Caucus. We want open discourse. I’m explaining my decisions as a reporter, but there are comments here for a reason, and I’d encourage you to talk about those contributions if they’re important to you.
There are several threads now about the city campaigns on the blog’s front page, and we’ll add more as election day develops tomorrow.
I’d encourage a hearty discussion of the races — but also a civil one and one that adheres to our terms and conditions.
– Mason Adams
Gosh, I wish Lucas was an independent – even an independent republican – what’s that? I have seen his vehicle in front of Goodlatte’s home – aligning with the good ole’ boys – and that has affected my vote.
Yes, they are important to *me* (what?). That is why I brought them up. I think that more than the amount from Via (an obviously wealthy man) is the point that it went to an avowed Democrat instead of the supposedly steady, non-right wing, non-controversial, non-TPR member of his own party, the angle you virtually ignored. Also, Bedrosian is just another Republican like I am just another beauty queen (and I think we can all agree, I am not). My point remains that the dissection of Lucas, a virtual unknown has not been remotely near the dissection of Bowers. That looks like bias, whether it was meant to or not. Curious minds really do want to know stuff. Sorry if that bothers you.
I try my best to respond to readers. I’ll report something or discuss why I don’t think it’s newsworthy. I hope I’ve been responsive to you, in this case with the latter. And if I missed coverage of the Bedrosian donation by other media outlets such as WSLS and WDBJ, feel free to link those stories here.
As always, I appreciate you reading.
– Mason Adams
As a side note, I’m definitely bookmarking this thread so I’ve got it in my pocket for when the inevitable accusations of liberal bias starting flying in this fall’s races.
– Mason Adams
Sally Betsy, If seeing Lucas’s truck in front of Goodlatte’s house bothers you greatly, how do you feel about Bowers accepting over half of his campaign money from a Rebuplican donor who contributes to Goodlatte. In other words, Bowers gets his money from the same place Goodlatte does, he just puts a “D” in front of his name when he cashes the check. Make you feel better?
Sandi has stated her beliefs many times that Republicans are the equivilant of mean spirited, hateful, spiteful trolls. So Sandi, Vias motive for contributing to Bowers should be very very obvious to you. He contributed to the candidate that best represents true Republican values, as so elequently defined by you on multiple posts. If Suzie gave money to Bowers, would you vote for him?
Mason, I think you are deliberately missing my point. Understandable, but still missing it. I have not accused you of “conservative bias”. I stated that I did not think you did anything out of bias. I am “accusing” you of not fully reporting due to not fully comprehending or caring (I certainly do not know which). If that looks like bias to anyone, that is not my problem. It is not what I am contending, at any rate. Maybe I am not articulate enough to express this in terms you grasp, but I just see such a difference in coverage and intimate details that it looks like you either did not care to do any real work or bring out more details that fleshed out a candidate that is so new to the people. If Bowers wins, it might be that people did not feel they knew enough about Lucas. If Lucas wins that might be because the skewering of Bowers and scant attention to Lucas. Is that good enough for you? It shouldn’t be. THAT is my point.
It is easy to say that things are biased when it isn’t the same viewpoint as yourself, or if something isn’t appealing towards your candidate of choice. The media in general does a poor job assisting the public on unknown candidates who are trying to get their name out there. It is extremely difficult when you don’t have coffers that are already at a quarter of a million dollars at the start of a campaign season. Some races, like this mayors race, do not necessarily take a ton of cash to win, but more a NAME to win. Lucas is more well known in his circle and business world that it seems. I know people today that voted for him b/c he lives in their neighborhood. I know people today that voted for Bowers b/c he helped them find the balsamic vinegar in Kroger one day (true story). But, that is Mayor Bowers. He won’t ever be unapproachable because that isn’t who he is.
But back to the bias stuff…I think that the Blue Ridge Caucas does better than most when it comes to remaining neutral. The RTEB…completely different story. But, they have stated before, that the RTEB are not their editors and they are separate entities. Sure, there are times when I wish more coverage of something or someone was prevalent, but I understand that I am one reader, one contributor to the discussion, and probably do not have the same collective opinion of most, so I try not to feel too wounded.
They present the news, pose discussion questions, and try and enrich the content by allowing us to basically say whatever we want (within the T&A of course). You simply can’t get that most places. And, for what it is worth, as eclectic as the group of regulars are, and as different as some of our opinions are, it still seems to stay civil. Snarky, but civil.
Mason, we all know the only way you could avoid accusations of bias is to not cover the issues. Die hard Republicans and Democrats can not see past their labels. Instead of “My country right or wrong” we are now divided into “my party right or wrong”. This Mayors race is an excelelent example. There are many reasons Salemites have a strong sense of “oneness” and pride of community, some good and some kinda sketchy. But avoiding party affiliation in the governance of their city eliminates a very divisive element that serves no purpose other than concentrating power in the hands of a few. We teach our children (or we should) to avoid labelling their fellow man at all costs. We should practice it locally as we work together to improve our city.
Unlike Sandi I believe the Times has told us plenty about Lucas. He has started multiple businesses some of which have failed miserably,some have not. He started/founded youth lacrosse leagues here in the city, and coached youth teams and volunteered in youth sports over the past 10 years. His wife is President of one of the most successful businesses he is involved with. He has donated money for political campaigns as diverse as Mark Warner to Al Bedrosian. He took his vacation three weeks before the election to travel with his daughter to Costa Rica, honoring a comminttment he made to her years ago. He has admitted repeatedly that he is a complete novice to politics, and that he would need to come up to speed on lots of issues if elected. He has been vague on exactly what he would do to create more jobs in the city, but has mentioned working more agressively with the Administration on economic development issues, encouraging city departments to fostor a business friendly environment and becoming actively involved from the Mayors office in meeting with entrepeneurs and those wishing to do business in the city. He stated from the outset of his campaign that improving the cities economy and creating jobs and oportunity in the city would be his number one priority. He said he has complete faith in the Administration and staff. So……is the real issue about what we do/don’t know about Lucas really the fact that the Times hasn’t been able to find anything negative or extreme to support the posters view of what every Republican whould look like? (even though the one claiming lack of due dilligence on the candidate admits they don’t live in the city and “don’t care” who wins)
Different spin on #30. With all due respect to your influence on this election or lack thereof; if Bowers wins, it might be that the majority of the voters who live in the city and do care who wins have decided that his years of dedication to public service and experience in local politics have earned him relection to the Mayors chair. If Lucas wins, it might be that a majority of voters who live in the city and do care who wins have decided that it is time for change at the Mayors position, and that a political newcomer, youth sports advocate and a risk taker at business deserves a chance at showing what he can do. Whatever voters decide, may the best man for the job win today and I wish them good luck in what many would say is a thankless, time consuming and frustrating position.
Congratulations to David, I look forward to seeing his vision for Roanoke realized. Price, another four years of nothing. Rosen, I guess he should have let his peeps put put out a few more Lucas signs (what a lucky guy Rosen, all the white folks AND the black folks vote for him). Lea, maybe Court will return your calls going forward…..maybe not. Citizens, you have spoken.