Roanoke City Council certainly has known Duane Howard over the years – the southeast city resident has often spoken at public meetings, criticizing a number of actions council has been mulling over. He’s also run unsuccessfully for Mayor and for a City Council seat in the past.
Now Howard – a vocal opponent of Roanoke Rescue Mission expansion plans in recent years – is making an independent run for council on May 3. Howard points to an extensive resume he says makes him among the most qualified to earn a seat on the dais.
“I feel like I’ve been a de facto person representing [southeast] for 15 years,” said Howard last month in announcing his candidacy. “I’m involved in all the neighborhood organizations and felt it’s about time someone gave it a try.” It’s not so much what he would do if elected, “but my record of what I have done,” he added, my accomplishments and service [to the city] simply cannot be matched by any candidate running.” He is the only candidate from southeast.
Howard said advocating that the greenway run through Smith Park along Wiley Drive – keeping one of two car lanes closed – was largely a result of an effort he made public. It’s now part of the most heavily-used section of the Roanoke River Greenway, to the tune of 200,000-plus visitors every year.
Howard said he also made more people aware “of the historic significance of Elmwood Park and preventing it from being renamed a number of years ago.” He also points to suggestions made to the Rescue Mission about picking up trash around the 4th Street complex and becoming better neighbors in general.
Howard (74) went to the Berglund Center during the Democratic Firehouse primary on February 13 to collect the signatures enabling him to get on the May 3 ballot as an independent and was encouraged by the support he received for a possible run. “I was just really excited … I seemed to have a great deal more name recognition than I realized.”
He says it won’t be a campaign issue unless asked about it, but Howard said he will also “make history” as the first openly gay candidate in a City Council election. He made that public in part “to put behind me” some charges that positions he had taken in the past were racist. After consulting with people before coming out, Howard concluded that he would gain more votes than he would lose by letting Roanokers know he is gay.
As for the racist charge, “that’s happened a number of times,” said Howard, recalling one instance where he [and many others] opposed renaming Orange Avenue in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr; a statue commemorating the late civil rights leader was later erected on Henry Street. “I think it’s important [also] to put any perception of my rough edges behind me.”
Grover Price, who operates The Hope Center in northwest Roanoke, Michelle Dykstra, John Garland and former 2012 mayoral candidate Mark Lucas are also bidding for a City Council seat in Roanoke City as independent candidate. No Republicans are making a bid in May, in a city where it has been very difficult for the party to gain a toehold in the last two decades.
Sherman Lea Jr. is the Democratic choice for Mayor after besting Dave Trinkle in the primary; incumbent Anita Price, Trish White-Boyd and Freeda Cathcart were selected as Democrat City Council candidates at the firehouse primary, where there was record voter turnout.
Real estate investor Kevin Settles had announced a short-lived GOP run for mayor but that only lasted one day until questions arose about his residency in the city. Longtime activist and former Roanoke NAACP chapter president Martin Jeffrey has also announced an independent run for mayor so Lea will not be unopposed on May 3.
By Gene Marrano
