ROANOKE, Va. – With fewer than two weeks until Virginia’s statewide primary election, nine candidates are vying for three open seats on Roanoke City Council — and seven of them showed up Tuesday night to make their case to voters.
Tuesday’s community forum in Roanoke was the last scheduled candidate forum before Election Day.
Recommended Videos
The field includes:
- 1 Republican: Amanda Marko
- 3 independents: former Mayor David Bowers, former Council member Stephanie Moon Reynolds and Kathy Cohen
- 5 Democrats: Raekwon Moore, Harvey Brookins, Danny Clawson, and incumbents Peter Volosin and Vivian Sanchez-Jones.
You can press the link to each candidate to be taken the candidate’s website and learn more about their campaign. Because the primary only affects Democrats this cycle, the Aug. 4 contest will determine which three Democratic nominees advance to the general election.
Democrats make their pitch
Roanoke native Raekwon Moore centered his campaign on schools and public transit.
“I’m running for City Council because I want to make sure that we are fixing the everyday issues that are present in this city,” Moore said. “I want to focus on public schools because I went to them and I know how important it is that our kids receive quality education.”
Harvey Brookins emphasized public safety and community stability.
“I believe my background in financial management, community leadership and consensus building gives me the experience to help move Roanoke forward while helping our city become physically stronger and focus on delivering results for our citizens,” Brookins said.
Danny Clawson focused on housing, education and government transparency.
“I have a proven track record of putting people in office and supporting people that are bridge builders and are working on doing a good job not on the next political fight,” Clawson said. “I’m really excited to talk about zoning and housing and substance abuse disorder in this city and how we can solve these problems together as a community.”
Incumbents Peter Volosin and Vivian Sanchez-Jones did not attend Tuesday’s forum. Organizers say both were invited but never responded.
What’s next
Early voting is already underway at 317 Kimball Ave. NW. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Virginia does not have voter registration by political party. Voters may participate in either primary, but not both.
A Democratic debate is scheduled for Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at 2015 Grandin Road SW.
Friday, July 25 is the last day to register to vote and the last day to request an absentee ballot. The Democratic primary is Aug. 4, and the top three vote-getters will advance to November’s general election. You can find your polling place for election day here and more information on Roanoke City voting here.