I am running for office because I want to make Roanoke City a safe place to live, work, and raise a family. My "Badges to Roanoke" initiative, which I wrote about in a Roanoke Times op-ed, will attract new officers by offering better compensation packages, retain talented officers with retention incentives, and will include funding for aggressive marketing. We need officers patroling neighborhoods, detectives solving crimes, and undercover agents infiltrating local gangs.

Violent crime is the number one issue for Roanoke right now. We can't move forward until we address the devastating bloodshed that has spiked in recent years. In 2021 alone, violent crime rose by 16.5% and rape rose by 113% in Roanoke, and that's unacceptable. While the current City leadership has established programs to address the issue, they clearly aren't getting the job done.

On City Council, I'll work with the Roanoke City Police Department to ensure it has the resources it needs to curb violent crime, engage community leaders to develop new initiatives for crime prevention, and deploy advanced technologies and analytics to more efficiently and effectively combat the violence plaguing our community.

I'm ready to put Roanoke on the map again! I grew up here - serving 16 years as Mayor and another 8 as a member of City Council - and I'll work tirelessly to continue to make Roanoke the region's top business, entertainment, retail, and tourist destination.

I've often been called "Roanoke's Salesman in Chief," and my track record in public service to Roanoke reflects my dedication to energizing our City through economic development. I helped bring the Hotel Roanoke back, fought to resume Amtrak passenger rail service to the City, and worked to develop the Elmwood Park amphitheater.

For Roanoke to thrive, I believe we should focus our efforts on supporting Virginia's Blue Ridge and the Roanoke Regional Partnership to attract new jobs to the City. In addition, I support any and all efforts to expand and invest in the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. I'll work hard to ensure we create a positive business environment that is attractive to new businesses and allows those already operating in Roanoke to grow.

Additionally, Roanoke should be easier to visit by all modes of transportation. I support accelerating the construction of I-73, improvements at Roanoke Regional Airport, additional Amtrak passenger rail service through Roanoke, and an I-581 economic development study.

The effects of climate change are already being felt, and it's only going to get worse if we don't take action immediately. I believe Roanoke should be a model city when it comes to tapping into renewable energy and finding ways to reduce the city's carbon footprint. It is imperative that Roanoke does its part in addressing the global climate crisis immediately.

The Federal government recently approved a $360 billion investment in climate change initiatives. I propose launching a "Citizens Climate Change Council" in Roanoke to work with our City Administration and local businesses to address environmental concerns and meet the goal of energy independence in Roanoke.

To move Roanoke toward energy independence, I support significantly investing in adding green energy to all public buildings and schools. Additionally, I will fight for funding to study how to best achieve energy independence in Roanoke, and provide all non-emergency City departments with a fleet of electric vehicles. Finally, I'll work with experts to find innovative ways to harvest clean energy in Roanoke, such as erecting tulip wind turbines, tapping into geothermal energy for climate control, utilizing transparent solar panels in windows, and collecting rainwater for non-potable use.