Don’t look now, but something very significant may be about to transpire today in Roanoke’s municipal elections: an upset. In love, politics and college football, I subscribe to the George Will philosophy, so I don’t throw out terms like “upset” easily, but when the liberal editorial page of the Roanoke Times endorses the Republican candidate for mayor, you have to believe Mark Lucas has a good shot at scoring that elusive upset.
…[A]re voters so comfortable that they’re willing to settle for the status quo and another four years of incumbent David Bowers? Or are they willing to take a chance on a newcomer who is challenging the city to set its goals higher?
For the better part of three decades, except for a hiatus when voters rebuffed him, [David] Bowers has served on council and as mayor. When Bowers reclaimed the mayoral title four years ago, he did it with all the ceremonial flourish he so loves and immediately lapsed into pandering and grandstanding, a pattern of behavior that threatened to deeply embarrass city residents.
Over the course of his term, he calmed down, falling in line with the more deliberative, transparent and nonpolitical tone set by other council members. …But before voters settle into their comfort zone, they should consider two points.
First, they know the old David Bowers can resurface.
Which raises the second, more salient point: This is as good as Bowers gets — a mayor who at his best is not vexacious just as long as he’s not called upon to show true leadership.
Roanoke deserves a higher level of leadership, especially now, when the city is not mired in conflict. It can leap forward.
We believe Mark Lucas is capable of articulating a vision for a better Roanoke and encouraging the city to stretch and achieve its goals.
The Roanoke Times goes on to praise Mark Lucas’ vision for a more vigorous mayor’s office: one that doesn’t simply cut ribbons and issue keys to the city, but one that works closely with the city manager to both lure new businesses to Roanoke and foster an entrepreneurial spirit in the city to motivate Roanokers to take risks and create businesses of their own. This is the same entrepreneurial spirit that drives the American economy and if Mark Lucas can sell the Obama apologists on the Roanoke Times‘ editorial board that that’s what Roanoke needs over a liberal career politician, Mark Lucas may well be a rising political star in southwestern Virginia’s Republican orbit.
UPDATE 5/1/2012, 8:50 p.m.: With all 33 city precincts reporting, Mark Lucas made it a fight and came closer to winning the mayor’s office than any Republican since Ralph Smith in 2001, but tonight wasn’t Lucas’ night to unseat incumbent David Bowers as he loses 52-48. Such a respectable showing in liberal Roanoke may still be enough to give Mark Lucas another chance in the future if he wants to give it another run in 2016…or sooner if he wants to take on that other Democrat from Roanoke, Sen. John Edwards.
