Nelson Harris is Baptist minister and a former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It lies in Southwest Virginia, along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanok ...

, having served from 2004 to 2008. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he was elected mayor in 2004 with 37% of the vote in a competitive four-way race against Republican Alice Hincker, Independent Delvis "Mac" McCadden, and Independent George A. Sgouros. Harris had previously served on the

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

and

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

Biography

Harris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Radford University Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia, United States. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate ...

and a Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Theological Seminary. Harris has done post-graduate work at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He teaches religion and philosophy at

Virginia Western Community College Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) is a public community college in Roanoke, Virginia. It is part of the Virginia Community College System. Academics As of 2013, Virginia Western had 69 different specified programs that fall under the cat ...

in Roanoke; and is currently the pastor of Heights Community Church in Roanoke (formerly Virginia Heights Baptist).Forman, Carmen. "From a YMCA pool to a movie theater, nontraditional congregations grow in Roanoke Valley." ''Roanoke Times, The (VA)'', February 5, 2017: A1. Harris has also written or compiled several books about the history of Roanoke and the surrounding area. His books include the following titles: Aviation in Roanoke, Downtown Roanoke, Virginia Tech, The Norfolk & Western Railway, Hidden History of Roanoke, Stations and Depots of the Norfolk & Western Railway, Salem and Roanoke County in Vintage Postcards, Roanoke in Vintage Postcards, The Seventeenth Virginia Cavalry, and Greater Raleigh Court: A History of Virginia Heights, Norwich, Raleigh Court and Wasena. Harris has been published in the following periodicals and magazines: The Roanoker, Virginia Southwest, The Student, Log Home Living, Country Collectibles, and Historic Salem. In 2003, Harris was named a Marshall Memorial Fellow by the German Marshall Fund, allowing for study and travel in Europe. In 2006, Princeton Seminary named him a Pastoral Fellow for his study in pastoral theology. In 2005, Harris was awarded the Outstanding Alumnus Award from Radford University. He later served Radford University as a member of its Board of Visitors from 2006 through 2010, having received a gubernatorial appointment to the board. In Roanoke's May 2, 2006, municipal elections, Harris and then vice mayor Beverly Fitzpatrick backed a successful slate of three Democrats, running on an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

ticket dubbed "For the City" against the nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties. The election ended the city's long running debate about the fate of

Victory Stadium Victory Stadium was an American football stadium located in Roanoke, Virginia. It opened in 1942 and was demolished in 2006. Early history (1942-71) Victory Stadium was built on land donated to the city of Roanoke by the Norfolk & Western Rail ...

in favor of Harris' preference to replacing it with separate stadiums at Roanoke's two

high schools A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

. The local Democratic party considered sanctions against Harris for supporting the independent ticket but differences were smoothed out by 2008. Harris ran for re-election in the May 2008 municipal election but lost to former mayor and fellow Democrat David A. Bowers who ran as an Independent; two other Independents were also in the race: Anita Powell, and George A. Sgouros.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Living people Harvard University alumni Mayors of Roanoke, Virginia Baptist ministers from the United States Radford University alumni Baptists from Virginia {{Virginia-mayor-stub