| Sharla Bardin

sharla.bardin@roanoke.com, 381-1669

BLACKSBURG -- A piece of campaign literature being distributed in Blacksburg has upset some of the 143 people listed as supporters of a four-person slate of town council candidates.

Among those upset is Rhoda Myers, the widow of the late Councilman Derek Myers, who said her first reaction to seeing her name on the letter was that it was an exploitation of her husband's name.

"I supported one of the candidates listed on there, not all of them," Myers said Wednesday.

"I wasn't consulted. I didn't give permission. I wasn't even notified."

One of the four at-large seats up for election on the Nov. 3 ballot belonged to her husband, who died in February.

The flier endorses candidates Krisha Chachra, Greg Fansler, Frank Lau and Robert "Tom" Rogers.

Also in the running for council are incumbent Susan Anderson, Bryce Carter, Michael Sutphin, John Bush, Cecile Newcomb and Paul Lancaster, who has not been actively campaigning because of health reasons.

Rogers said he and the other candidates teamed up to help get the word out about their campaigns.

"We decided to work together and we decided to do this letter together," said Rogers, who said each of the candidates then gathered names of supporters.

Rogers and Chachra said they both asked for permission from supporters before adding their names to the letter.

Fansler could not be reached for comment. Lau declined to comment about the letter beyond a prepared statement about the election.

Rogers said the letter was not written in malice but to get the word out about what the candidates believe.

Myers' frustration about her name being used on the letter is shared by Blacksburg resident Phyllis Olinger, who also said she did not give permission for her name to be added to the letter.

However, other residents contacted this week said that they were aware their names would be used and were supportive of the action.

Blacksburg resident Victor Dritselis said Chachra asked for his permission.

"I don't have a problem being on the list. I was glad to lend my name in support of the candidates," he said.

Resident Paula Williams said Rogers asked permission to use her name.

"I told him to go for it. I was totally happy with it," Williams said. "I like the letter. I thought it was a positive letter."

Williams said she supports three of the four candidates -- Chachra, Fansler and Rogers -- and Newcomb.

Myers and Olinger said they are concerned because they were not contacted beforehand about their names being used on the letter.

Myers said she heard about the letter Monday from friends.

"I feel better now that I know that other people got hit the same way. I don't feel quite so discriminated against," she said.

Olinger said, "I did not give permission for my name to be added to the letter endorsing a slate of four candidates. I do endorse two of them on an individual level, but not the slate."

She added, "I'm not trying to get anybody in trouble. It's a little misleading because I do not support the four of them."

The letter asks residents to support the four candidates. It also states, "Doesn't it seem as if a small but vocal group has been making all of the decisions for the future of our town for several years? Since council elections used to be held in May, it was easy for a vocal minority to gain control and set an agenda that has fallen short in making smart economic development choices, meeting our retail needs, diversifying our tax base and bringing new and creative businesses to town."

Rogers said he and the three other candidates are "trying to pull our resources and I personally don't see a problem with that."

In a statement released Thursday, Lau said, "BURG is embroiled in performing a hatchet job because they are so badly losing seniors, the workforce people and the biggest group of all -- the students."

BURG stands for Blacksburg United for Responsible Growth and is a group of residents that opposed having a Wal-Mart or similar big-box store developed in the town's South Main Street commercial area. The group's mission is also to promote development that enhances the town's character and promotes environmental sustainability, according to its Web site.

As for the campaign letter, Lau said he knows Myers and Olinger and considers them longtime friends. He said he has spoken with Olinger but not Myers and said, "I don't know how it was presented to them," referring to the letter.

Lau declined to comment when asked whether he put their names on the letter.

Chachra said the list of signers on the letter is only "a fraction of the people who were willing to sign. We couldn't include everyone due to space, so we only included the first few that came in."

Chachra said she did not list Myers and Olinger as supporters.

As for teaming with the other candidates, Chachra said in an e-mail that "it was clear to anyone paying attention that there was a ticket of sorts being formed by three other candidates, even if they don't bill themselves as such. Their signs are found all over town in groups of three. In addition, before we ever got together for the letter, the three other candidates were holding meet and greets as a group where other candidates were not invited."

Anderson, Bush and Newcomb had a joint reception Oct. 21 at Miller off Main Street Galleries in Blacksburg.

Chachra said it made sense for her and the three other candidates to "combine resources to reach as many potential voters as possible to let them know that there are other options out there."