The Roanoker - September / October 2018 - 86

"His ability to recognize the
importance of consensus building
and recognize the needs of the majority are the traits I feel has made
him a great mayor and leader,"
said Anita Price, who was elected to council on a
ticket with Lea in 2008. "I have heard him say many
times, being a leader means being able to make the
difficult decisions, and that it takes courage."
"I'd call him a quiet giant in the room," said Michelle
Dykstra, who was elected as an independent to council
in 2016. "He doesn't have to be the loudest voice. He
doesn't have to be the one who is recognized or the one
who is given credit. He creates a sense of calm that has
been beneficial to how this council operates and works
through complex issues. Sherman commands respect
because you don't ever feel like he's in it just for himself."
"Usually the first thing you hear above all else, is
that he's just a nice person," said Brian Wishneff, who
ran and was elected as Lea's ticketmate in 2004. "That's
probably allowed him to stay around."
Lea grew up outside Danville in rural Pittsylvania
County. His father worked at Goodyear Tire and
Rubber Company and was a Baptist deacon. His
mother labored in a Danville laundry.
When Lea was growing up, Danville was a civil
rights flashpoint. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited
twice and was outspoken in his criticism of police
after they injured 65 peaceful demonstrators in what
86

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

became known as Bloody Monday. He remembers how
his father responded when Congress passed the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.
"He was adamant about getting people to register
to vote," Lea said. "We'd knock on doors, and he'd tell
people, 'You need to go get registered to vote. This is
how you do it.' I always had an interest in politics, and
I began to put together how registering to vote made
a difference."
Lea graduated from Virginia Union University and
went to work in 1976 for the Virginia Department of
Corrections. He became the first African American
chief probation and parole officer in Virginia. Lea was
transferred to Roanoke in 1992, the same year that
Taylor completed his 17-year stint as mayor. The Leas
got to know the city by doing what they've always
done: diving in.
"We've always been a family that gets involved," Lea
said. "My kids got involved with sports and band. My
wife and I were presidents of the band booster club.
I'm officiating in the high schools. We went to church.
I got to meet people."
When the family moved to Roanoke's Westwind
Apartments, Lea noticed neighborhood children trying
to cross nearby Hershberger Road. He wrote a letter to
then-William Ruffner Middle School Principal Doris
Ennis his concerns. That resulted in a new stoplight and
eventually Lea's appointment to the Roanoke school
board, where he met Brian Wishneff, a former city
economic development official.
"I felt like he and I both, mostly him, were definitely
concerned and interested in what the public had to say,"
Wishneff said. "Sherman is of that mold, to take the
people's side first."
Wishneff suggested they run for council as a
ticket.

COURTESY OF SHERMAN LEA

Like Taylor, Lea is a quiet leader. He listens. And
when he delivers his opinion, other people listen.

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The Roanoker - September / October 2018

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