Roanoke City Council's first test

Citizens of Roanoke, your newly elected city council faces its first test of campaign promise-keeping when it takes over City Hall July 1.

One of the biggest campaign issues in the Roanoke mayoral and city council elections was that City Hall didn’t listen to the people. The people would protest, the people would approach council members, and the people would sign petitions, but Roanoke City Council was often accused of not listening when the people spoke out.

So every candidate who ran in this May’s election (even the incumbents) said that they were different from this past council -- they said they would “listen to the people more” when making decisions.

Well, the first test of that promise is here: Will your voices (and votes) be heard?

The voters of Roanoke just elected a new mayor and three councilpersons. But a mayor and FOUR councilpersons will be seated come July. The fourth councilperson won’t be elected by you, but instead appointed by the members of council.

The question is: will the new council listen to the people and pick the fourth highest vote-getter in the election to occupy the fourth council seat?

Put simply, will the council appoint the people’s choice, or its own?

The reason there is an open seat immediately following the election is that councilman and Vice Mayor Nelson Harris, with two years left in his council term, was elected mayor last month. In July, when the new city council takes over and when Harris moves into the mayor’s post, members must appoint a person to fill his vacant council seat.

Republican candidate Wendy Jones was the fourth highest vote-getter in May’s election. She should be the one to fill that position.

(OK, many of you will say that I’m just making this argument because I was Mrs. Jones’s campaign manager. Not true. This same argument would apply for any fourth place candidate, even if it benefited a candidate I disliked. I must admit, though, if I didn’t like the candidate, I probably wouldn’t spend my time writing a column about her.)

Wendy Jones is actively pursuing this appointment, and many are lobbying council members on her behalf. The Police Benevolent Association and the firefighters’ union endorsed her during the campaign, and they continue to endorse her for this appointment.

Supporters talk about her qualities as a businesswoman and as an advocate for neighborhood-business cooperation. They say we need a woman on council. They say we need a Republican to provide some balance to six Democrats.

I say that’s all nice, but it’s irrelevant.

We could argue back and forth for months about who among 100 candidates is better qualified to be appointed. But that’s immensely subjective.

What isn’t subjective are the 6,074 votes that put Wendy Jones in fourth place last month -- just 545 votes behind third-place finisher and councilman-elect Brian Wishneff.

Ultimately, let’s remember that Roanoke City Council is an elected council, not an appointed one. Should six people decide who the final councilperson is, or should 6,074? Who should make the decision as to who sits on council -- the people … or the politicians?

I hope the answer is obvious, even to those who don’t support Mrs. Jones.

For some on council, the easiest route would be to pick someone who will go along with the crowd, someone whose vote will parrot their own. Although I’m not aligned with the ideology of many members of council, I feel the majority of them have the people’s best interests at heart.

Well, the people have spoken.

Nelson Harris, Bev Fitzpatrick, Sherman Lea, and Brian Wishneff, it’s time to prove to the people that you are really listening.