Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times

Mayor-elect David Bowers speaks Wednesday at the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke, where he is a member.

Roanoke Mayor-elect David Bowers said Wednesday that he doesn't expect to win all of his political battles when he takes office next month, but that he expects city council members to "disagree without being disagreeable."

"We take our stands. We make our arguments. We stand for what we believe in and our principles," Bowers said during a speech to members of the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke. "If we win, we'll be gracious winners. If we lose, we get over it and move on."

Bowers, a 25-year Kiwanian, said that since his election last month, he's met with council members and key city officials -- and he's encouraged by what he's found.

"We are ready to work together," Bowers said.

Bowers noted that Vice Mayor David Trinkle had said during one conversation that he was tired of the city's political "camps" and factions. Bowers said he agrees with that sentiment.

"I say strike the tents and march forward: There will be no more camps on this Roanoke City Council," Bowers said.

Bowers defeated incumbent Mayor Nelson Harris by 1,443 votes -- a margin of nearly 13 percentage points. Councilman Sherman Lea was re-elected to a second term, while newcomers Anita Price and Court Rosen also were elected to council seats. They'll join Trinkle and Gwen Mason, who were elected in 2006, as well as Alvin Nash, who was appointed earlier this year to replace Alfred Dowe after he resigned in February.

But in contrast to his election-night speech in which Bowers said the "roar of a wind of change" would be blowing through city hall, he seemed to take a more circumspect approach to his agenda.

Take, for instance, his pledge to keep Forest Park Elementary and Oakland Intermediate schools open. The school board voted last month to close the schools and use the buildings for alternative programs for middle and high school students.

On Wednesday he said he still maintains that stance: "I am very much in favor of maintaining our elementary schools in their current locations, not only because I think it provides the best kind of education for our elementary children, but it also stabilizes our neighborhood."

But Bowers said he's "not sure there's anything that can be done" about the decision.

"I discussed it with the other members of council," he said. "It has not yet come up to a vote. To be frank with you, if it did, I'm not sure I'd have the votes to carry it."

Likewise, he seemed resigned to working with Roanoke City Manager Darlene Burcham. In the past, he has called for her to be fired. He voted against her hiring in 1999 during his second term as mayor.

"I find that in many ways there's a lot of discontent about her administrative style, and I hear from people all the time asking me if she is going to be removed," Bowers said. But "I don't think the votes are there to remove her.

"I don't get to decide who I work with. I get to decide my attitude and how I'm going to work with them. My attitude about working with this manager, as long as she has the majority support of this council, is to be cordial and forthcoming," he said.

Bowers did say he plans to ask a lot of questions -- particularly regarding budget expenditures and the reasons for closed sessions. He also opposes a proposal by Harris to make municipal elections nonpartisan.

At the close of his speech, Bowers directed a procedural comment to Rosen, who was also present at the luncheon.

"I do have a rule about conducting meetings: I like starting on time and finishing early," Bowers said. "You'll find that's very popular."