What’s the political fallout from Dowe’s resignation?

Is anyone else wondering about the political fallout from Alfred Dowe’s resignation from Roanoke City Council?

It only took three days for the initial story about his spending habits to break for Dowe to submit his resignation. That is lightening speed in the political world. Generally, embattled politicians take weeks or months to make the final decision to step down. Remember the sexual harassment scandal involving former House Speaker Vance Wilkins? Wilkins definitely didn’t succumb to pressure to quit quickly. And, sometimes politicians refuse to quit. Remember Sen. Larry Craig, who is still serving in the Senate?

So, why did Dowe resign so quickly? Was it the nature of the allegations: that he misspent taxpayer money by double-billing the state and the city for travel? That’s certainly possible. These are serious allegations that could eventually lead to criminal charges against Dowe. Or, was his resignation hastened by political pressure? This is a cloud that could cast a very negative image on city council just two months before council elections. Dragging out this process with daily stories on Dowe and his spending habits could have made that cloud all the darker.

I have been wondering for weeks what will be the driving issue in this year’s council elections. For at least the last three election cycles one thing has motivated voters: Victory Stadium. That debate is now over. So what’s next? Is it what to do with the Market Building? Is it where to put a new amphitheater? Is it economic development and job creation? So far none of those issues has risen to the level that would actually drive people to the polls.

Could a desire for change from the old political leaders be that driving issue? We have certainly seen Sen. Barack Obama ride that theme to political success over the past 6 weeks. And, the Roanoke City Democratic Firehouse primary earlier this month seemed to indicate that local voters also want change. Of the three candidates the primary voters picked, only one was a sitting incumbent and his win was not convincing. Further, the voters moved sharply away from Councilman Bev Fitzpatrick, a Roanoke institution and longtime member of council, who placed 5th of the six candidates running. Instead, the voters went for two political novices: Court Rosen and Anita Price. Price has been active at the grassroots level for years and is well known for her leadership of the Roanoke Education Association. But, Rosen is quite a different story. He’s only lived in the area for 3 years and has held no significant positions prior to his run for office… his first run. And it’s Rosen who placed first in the primary. First!

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the voters of Roanoke go for change. In the last city council elections they picked two political newcomers and in the process rejected longtime political fixtures with names like Bowers, White, and MacFarlane.

So, if the voters are simply thirsting for change, will Dowe’s actions galvanize the issue? Will he symbolize the need for fresh faces and new leadership? Will the voters look at the allegations against him and say “it’s time to throw the bums out”? Mayor Nelson Harris, who is up for reelection this May, was quoted in the Roanoke Times as saying he didn’t want the actions of one to taint the others. And, he’s right. No other council member is accused of any wrongdoing.

All of that brings me back to the initial question, why did Dowe quit so quickly? Perhaps we have the answer and it goes beyond the allegations. And either way, his quick resignation could help mitigate the fallout for his former council members.

What do you think?