Eight candidates running to be either Roanoke’s next mayor or serve on the city council participated in a forum hosted by the NAACP and the Roanoke Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. on October 25 at the Claude Moore Education Complex.
Vice Mayor Joe Cobb, former Roanoke Mayor Dave Bowers, cannabis attorney Nick Hagen, former city treasurer Evelyn Powers, educator Terry McGuire, community activist Phazon Nash, civil rights attorney Cathy Reynolds and small business owner Benjamin Woods all took the opportunity to make their case to voters just days before the election.
Mayoral hopeful Stephanie Moon Reynolds and council candidate Jim Garrett did not participate.
Attendees had an opportunity to write down questions for Anita Price to ask the candidates. Among the issues discussed were mental health, more equitable opportunities for minorities, zoning ordinances and gun violence. At times, the candidates pushed back against each other, highlighting why they are worthy of the community’s trust.
Regardless of who wins the mayoral race, history will be made as the next head of city government will either be Vice Mayor Joe Cobb, Councilwoman Stephanie Moon Reynolds or the first Republican elected in decades David Bowers.
The following responses represent where the candidates stand on critical issues that impact the city, in their own words.
(EXPERIENCE) Prior to running for elected office, what have you done to make Roanoke a better place?
Bowers: “I’ve always been involved with various community activities. Sometimes people say, ‘Hey, I want to make a difference.’ I believe that everyone can contribute to our city.”
Cobb: “My time as the PTA President for Highland Park Elementary was so much fun. For years, I’ve worked for marriage equality as well as many other things. When our former mayor made it clear that Syrian refugees were not welcome here, I worked to make sure that they felt valued.”
Hagen: “Before running for office, I was still an attorney and worked a lot of pro bono hours, basically trying to make sure that the legal needs of our community were met.”
McGuire: “Prior to getting involved with politics, I was involved in several organizations and efforts around the city. I served a four-year term on the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, two years as the chair. I’ve been an election officer for every election since 2020.”
Nash: “Growing up, I was involved with the Boy Scouts of America achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank possible. I grew my leadership skills as part of the NAACP Youth Council too.”
Powers: “Prior to running for city council, I worked for the city for 24 years, serving on a lot of organizations. As city treasurer, I worked with many organizations that strengthened our neighborhoods and lowered our taxes.”
Reynolds: “I am running for city council because I want to protect the rights of everyone. I’ve also done a lot of pro bono work and will continue to represent and fight for the civil liberties of all individuals.”
Woods: “With any campaign that I’ve run in Virginia, the goal has always been to expand Medicaid, make it easier to vote and add environmentally friendly policies that have had direct results.”
(EDUCATION) What changes would you make to help ensure the safety of students in Roanoke City Public Schools?
Bowers: “I think there should be nurses in every school and more counselors. For a variety of reasons in our society, many of our youth are not where they need to be. We can do so much better.”
Cobb: “I certainly support all the safety measures that Roanoke City Public Schools have initiated the last several years. I think they have been very responsive to concerns, both inside and outside the classrooms. We need to continue to resource the schools.”
Hagen: “So, there’s a couple of things. First, it’s not putting metal detectors in the buildings. We don’t want our schools to look like a prison. We need to start thinking about smarter ways to improve our class sizes.”
McGuire: “I am proud to be one of the endorsed candidates by the Roanoke Education Association. If elected to council, my number one priority would be to work on restoring funding to after school programming citywide. It’s something that we used to do, and I know that we can do it again.”
Nash: “The mental health of our students is super important on multiple fronts. Unfortunately, there are those students who come to school and bring harm to others. For safety purposes, I want to make sure that our school doors are more secure and that we have a camera in every class.”
Powers: “I would like to improve the resources for our D.A.R.E. officers. Our students need to have someone they can trust if they are being bullied or dealing with something serious. I was shocked when I recently learned just how many of our youth are battling depression.”
Reynolds: “All of our students should have access to the same resources. I am running for a seat on city council so I can make a difference in all our youth, especially those who look like me.”
Woods: “To make things safer, we need a culture that starts with city council. Kids shouldn’t have to take extreme measures to feel like they are seen or heard. We need to listen to the schools when they tell us what they need. We don’t need to nickel and dime them, just give them what they need.”
(TAXES) What steps would you take to improve the personal property tax system?
Bowers: “I think there should be a balance between raising money because there are inflationary costs in government and your money. One of the issues that we keep talking about is affordable housing. This year, more than any other year that I can remember, people have had to move out of their homes.”
Cobb: “The personal property tax is one of our largest pieces of funding. The community needs to know what the implications are from the decisions we make on council. One of the things that we have asked for the General Assembly to do is increase personal property tax relief.”
Hagen: “I’d like to get rid of it. Personal property tax over a car tax is an unbelievably bad policy. We’ve had politicians who have campaigned on a no car tax, but once they got into office, they chose to do nothing. Why would we continue to have it? It makes no sense.”
McGuire: “I am very keen on making sure that from the city council’s perspective, we are working hard to make sure that Roanoke is affordable for everyone. I personally do not think that it is responsible to campaign on getting rid of such a major source of our revenue.”
Nash: “This is where it’s important for council to work with individuals who are specialized in particular areas. I am not a finance guru, nor do I know everything about how this revenue impacts the city. As a council member, I would listen attentively to the experts.”
Powers: “I can tell you; nobody likes the personal property tax. That tax brings in $26M to the city though. To just say that we would immediately do away with it, remember, 40 percent of that would be a loss to our Roanoke City Public Schools. There is a lot to consider about that tax.”
Reynolds: “I would suggest allowing the legalization of recreational marijuana sales. Data suggests that Virginia is leaving millions annually in tax revenue because marijuana is not yet legalized recreationally. Doing so would bring millions of dollars to our annual budget.”
Woods: “I’ve been campaigning this year on lowering real estate taxes. When it comes to personal property tax, people need help affording to live here. I’d be happy to look into anything that would make life easier for residents.”
(CRIME) As public safety remains a priority, what is one specific strategy you would implement to improve it?
Bowers: “People have told me that they are afraid to walk the greenways. Afraid to walk their dogs because of gangs in the neighborhood. It’s just not what I want to hear from our citizens. We need to have a fully staffed police department.”
Cobb: “We need a full-court press on opioids, fentanyl and heroine. A huge part of the calls our officers get are drug related. More than 200 pounds of fentanyl have been seized in the City of Roanoke. To support our first responders, we have raised their starting pay.”
Hagen: “It’s important that people are educated on their rights. As an attorney, it is something that I think a lot about. Most people don’t know how they would react to certain situations because they have never really thought about it.”
McGuire: “I am proud to have been endorsed by the Roanoke Firefighters Association. Roanoke City should be where you want to work if you live in this area. We should have not just competitive, but the highest pay for our police officers, firefighters and first responders. We have made progress, but I want to continue pushing forward.”
Nash: “Public safety is one of the first priorities of my campaign. So many of our youth are falling through the gaps. There are a lot of kids that are in survival mode. Their parents are working hard trying to provide, but they still go to school hungry. Those are the kids that bad actors in our community prey upon.”
Powers: “I do believe that we need to continue training our local front-line workers. One of the things that I hear they face is the lack of mental health education. Also, with our children, we need to make sure that we are educating them about the dangers of social media.”
Reynolds: “I think it’s important to focus on more economic opportunities and resources for underserved communities. We need to make sure that our young people see their mom and dad as valued members of the community. Stability is something that we need.”
Woods: “Council did a great job when they hired Police Chief Scott Booth. We want dedicated, first responders that build relationships inside the communities that they are policing. To do that, council needs to make sure we are funding them at a level where they can continue to foster those relationships.”
(HOMELESSNESS) What is your vision for addressing homelessness in the city?
Cobb: “We have a real comprehensive response to homelessness. It’s a regional emphasis, so it’s not just in Roanoke, but also the localities surrounding us. Part of the challenge we face is when people come here from other localities, they don’t come with funding. We get no money from the City of Salem, the town of Vinton, Botetourt County or Craig County so it’s on us. My vision is to increase housing so we can have more affordable units with supportive services, so people feel a part of our community.”
Hagen: “I am not an expert in this, but I think it is important to listen to those who are experiencing it. We should not be criminalizing homelessness. Let’s be honest. These are human beings. Anybody who thinks differently, I am good not having their vote. We need to treat people with respect.”
McGuire: “We should look into things that are working in other communities that are experiencing similar challenges to us. Support for building transitional housing is tough to do because a lot of folks don’t want it in their community, but there is a high need for it.”
Nash: “Working towards addressing homelessness is something that I am excited for. I want to use my undergraduate degree in community health to make a difference. I feel like I have the knowledge to help. We shouldn’t have any Veterans who are homeless.”
Powers: “I think we need to make sure that we are working with the homelessness team. Their office is downtown, but I think it should be moved closer to the Social Services building so they can give these people the types of services that they need.”
Reynolds: “Affordable housing is something that we absolutely need. There is a lot of overlap between homelessness and drug addiction which is why I keep emphasizing the importance of making things affordable. This would be a priority of mine if I’m elected.”
Woods: “My father was operating on 30 percent disability when he came home from Iraq. With the PACT Act, he didn’t know if he was going to get anything, now he’s operating at 95 percent. A lot of people who would be eligible for it are unaware of the PACT Act.”
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. People are encouraged to visit each of the candidate’s website to learn more information about them: www.nickforroanoke.com, www.bowers4roanoke.com, www.moon4roanoke.com, www.benjaminwoods.org, joecobbforroanoke.com, www.terryforroanoke.com, votenash.org and jimgarrettforroanoke.org.
