The resignation of Alfred Dowe could tilt the balance of power on the Roanoke City Council in coming weeks, potentially affecting hot-button issues such as construction on Mill Mountain or at the former Victory Stadium site.

Dowe resigned Saturday after The Roanoke Times obtained expense vouchers showing he charged both the city and the state last year for hotel and travel costs while attending meetings of the Department of Criminal Justice Services, a state agency for which he is a board member.

The city will hold a special election to fill Dowe's seat on May 6, the same day as general elections for mayor and three council seats, according to Roanoke City Attorney Bill Hackworth. Under the city charter, any council member who vacates his or her seat with more than two years left on the term will be replaced through a special election, Hackworth said. Dowe's term expires July 1, 2010.

The city council will appoint a member to serve in Dowe's seat until the winner of the special election takes office July 1.

"Spring is a pretty important time for council in that that's when we do our budget process," Mayor Nelson Harris said. "That's probably the most important legislative action we engage in as a council, so I think it would be to our benefit to have someone onboard as quickly as possible."

The appointee could play a pivotal role in several controversial issues that could reach the council in coming months.

Dowe was an integral part of a voting majority consisting of Harris and Dowe's "For the City" running mates, Gwen Mason and David Trinkle. Over the next four months, the council may face decisions on topics including whether to build a restaurant on Mill Mountain and an amphitheater in the former Victory Stadium site on Reserve Avenue.

An appointment could change the dynamics of the council's stance on either issue, so the decision could be hotly contested.

Councilman Brian Wishneff said the best choice for an interim replacement is a retired council member with no strong ties to the current majority.

Councilman Sherman Lea said that because Dowe was from Northwest Roanoke, he'd like to see the temporary replacement come from that city quadrant as well. Councilman Bev Fitzpatrick, however, said he wasn't worried about geography so much as finding a "really good neutral person who can do this job."

All six council members said they would appoint an individual who is not interested in a long-term future on the council.

"Given that the appointment will only be for about four months, my initial reaction is that we would probably appoint kind of a caretaker -- somebody who probably would not be a candidate," Harris said.

Wishneff was among those who agreed with that.

"Obviously, you hope they will not seek someone who will be running in the upcoming election," he said.

It's still unclear how candidates can qualify to be on the ballot for the special election. The city registrar will discuss the question of qualifying candidates with officials from the Virginia State Board of Elections early this week.

"If, say, the Republicans or Democrats wanted to make a regular nomination, we're not sure how that would work," Harris said.

The chairman of the respective city committees were taken aback by the news of Dowe's resignation on Saturday.

Tony Reed, chairman of the Roanoke City Democratic Committee, said he had "no clue" as to whether the party would get to nominate a candidate for the special election and how that would work.

And although city Republicans did not nominate any candidates for the regular council elections, Republican committee Chairman Adam Boitnott said the party has grown in recent months and that Dowe's resignation "could possibly open an avenue to run a Republican for that special seat."

"This could open the door for someone who's on the fence," Boitnott said.

Council members couldn't remember another occasion where a member resigned under a cloud of controversy, but there have been several resignations for other reasons in recent years.

Fitzpatrick, then vice mayor, resigned in 1993 to take a job as director of the New Century Council. The city council appointed John Edwards to serve out the remainder of his term. But after Edwards won election to a full, four-year term, he too left after he won a seat in the Virginia Senate.

Harris won the 1996 special election to fill out the two years remaining in Edwards' seat. In 2004, his council seat was left vacant after he won election as mayor. Since his remaining term was less than two years, the council appointed Brenda McDaniel to serve the rest of it without holding a special election.

Bill Carder, who currently serves as the executive director of Downtown Roanoke Inc., resigned his seat in 2003 to take a job in South Boston. He was replaced by Fitzpatrick, who served the last year of Carder's term.

Staff writer Laurence Hammack contributed to this report.