Nelson Harris

Who is Nelson Harris?

Nelson Harris is a former mayor of Roanoke, Virginia; his term ended on July 1, 2008. A Democrat, 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 and city council. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Radford University and a Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Theological Seminary. Harris has done post-graduate work at Princeton Theological Seminary and Harvard University. He teaches religion at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke. Harris has also written or compiled several books about the history of Roanoke and the surrounding area.

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