When voters in the City of Roanoke go to the polls on May 1st for the city’s municipal election, they will have a choice between at least two competing visions for the future of the “Star City of the South”: the Democrat status quo of the Bowers-Lea-Price-Rosen incumbents, the pro-business, pro-entrepreneurship of Republican Mark Lucas and the pro-tax, Occupy Wall Street vision of independent Brandon Bushnell.
At their mass meeting on Thursday evening, Roanoke Republicans selected entrepreneur and political newcomer Mark Lucas to be the party’s nominee for mayor. While he and his wife own and operate Lucas Therapies, Mark Lucas is best-known in the Roanoke area for founding ProVox and for owning the first Five Guys franchise in downstate Virginia.
Not unsurprisingly, Lucas hopes to parlay his business experience into success making Roanoke more attractive to businesses and to his fellow entrepreneurs. If elected, Lucas hopes to institute “Entrepreneur Wednesday“:
In addition to the Governor’s call to make 2012 the year of the Entrepreneur in Virginia Mark is calling for 2012 to be the year of the entrepreneur in Roanoke. As Mayor Mark will make every 1st and 3rd Wednesday Entrepreneur Wednesday in The Mayor’s office, where entrepreneurs at any stage of their business life cycle can come and discuss their ideas and share their challenges with the Mayor and City Leaders. This will help the City better understand how Roanoke can be the best place for people to start a business in the state.
Contrast that with the independent candidacy of Brandon Bushnell, aged 22, who is making his first run for public office on the promise to extend the city’s “Eat for Education” tax. This two-percent food tax increase–which raises the city’s meals tax to seven percent–was enacted in 2010 to supplement the city’s education budget and has been hailed by school administrators for allowing the city’s schools to become fully accredited for the first time. It is set to expire at the end of the fiscal year.
Bushnell eschews the term “Occupy” even though he is part of the Occupy Roanoke movement, preferring instead to be called a “progressive.” Whether Occupier or Progressive, one thing seems clear: a vote for Bushnell will make it more expensive to dine out in Roanoke. It’s great to see a new generation of leaders rise up in Southwestern Virginia, but his platform needs some work.
Roanokers tend to be solid Democrats, but, at a time of economic uncertainty, do they really want keep the status quo, or–worse yet–send someone to city council who promises to raise taxes when they could elect a new mayor whose record of creating jobs as a local entrepreneur could make the city more attractive to businesses, large and small?
