ROANOKE, Va. – There wasn’t much left on Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea’s desk as he prepared to hand over his office to Joe Cobb, but there was a lot on his mind.
“You’ve built on something and now you’ve gotten it about as far as you can go and you’re going to turn it over,” Lea said.
Lea served for eight years as mayor and a total of 20 on the City Council. He served five years on the school board before that. So, for the first time in a long time on Jan. 1, he will be a private citizen.
“I’m going to take a month or so off, and just realize and find out what it’s like to get up and not have a meeting to get to, or just try to figure out what you’re going to do for the day,” Lea told 10 News. “I don’t get many of those times.”
Lea said he was proud of “the way we dealt with COVID-19. How we dealt with it, in terms of bringing people together, keeping our community advised, being transparent and the collaboration that we had.”
Lea is also proud of helping to establish the first domestic violence task force in the city and the Lea Youth Outdoor Basketball League, providing a safe outlet for young people.
He also spoke about his work to improve partnerships with other local governments and organizations, including Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic. He also has some regrets about the impact of the debate over the city’s zoning changes.
“I think some of the people didn’t understand why the majority of council voted for that because we felt we needed change,” Lea said. “We have to change with the times now, if we want to be a city that invites young people, that invites families to come in, we have to change the zoning principles. We just have to do it.”
The debate over the historic Victory Stadium also nags at him.
“It was something I was disappointed in and that was my first big loss on the council in terms of that,” he said. “And so, as you learn in the political field, you have to move on.”
It’s just one piece of advice he’s giving to his successor and the new members of the City Council.
“Oftentimes as council, you have a vision and you work on a vision and oftentimes, your vision is down the road. Wasena Bridge, Franklin Bridge, I won’t be in this position when that’s completed,” he said. “You started the push for it and the foundation is set.”
Cobb, the mayor-elect, called Lea an extraordinary leader.
“He’s a humble man. To me, he’s like a coach, a good coach that understands the importance of teamwork,” Cobb said. “He always made it a priority to make sure that … we come together to find a meaningful solution.”
Lea said he will miss his colleagues but is looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren and giving their sporting events his full attention. He also plans to work with his son’s mental health business and perhaps do some consulting work.
“I’ll be around, I’ll be a citizen here in the community,” Lea said.
You can watch the full interview below.