Currently holds the office of Roanoke City Council until December 31, 2028.
Candidate for Roanoke City Council in 2024 Virginia General Election.
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Get StartedProviding children and adolescents with more after-school programming and recreational opportunities is a long term investment in our families and communities. Our kids need positive influences, support, and supervised social interactions and playtime with their peers. After-school programs have been shown to reduce juvenile crime and risk-taking behavior. They also benefit working class parents by helping offset after-school childcare costs. I will work to make sure we are doing everything we can to provide safe and supportive environments for our children and youth. Learn more
Create a summer youth employment and paid internship program to provide hands-on experiences to high school juniors and seniors. Learn more
Begin urgently restoring our urban tree canopy, which fell from 47.9% in 2010 to 26% in 2019, prioritizing areas identified as facing extreme heat inequities. Restoring our tree canopy cover and protecting what remains of our greenspaces will provide significant public health and economic benefits. This is critical urban infrastructure that removes dangerous pollution from the air, shields people from deadly extreme heat in the summer, and contributes significantly to reducing stormwater runoff that causes flooding. Learn more
Continue expansion and interconnection of our trails and greenways within city limits and beyond to neighboring counties. Learn more
Our parks, trails, and greenspaces are among Roanoke’s greatest assets. It will be a top priority for me to ensure our Parks and Recreation Department, specifically the Urban Forestry Section, has what it needs to protect and expand these resources for future generations to enjoy. Less than 2% of the overall city budget is allocated to park and greenway maintenance, urban forestry, and recreational programming. We can and must do better. Making these investments will improve the overall health of our residents, and it will also support continued eco-tourism and our growing outdoor recreation economy. Learn more
Increase Parks and Recreation and Urban Forestry Section funding to at least 5% of the overall city budget. Learn more
Working and middle class families, young people, and many of our seniors are feeling strained from rapidly rising rent prices and a lack of affordable homes available for purchase. We need to both build more new affordable homes and apartments as well as work aggressively to reoccupy the thousands of vacant buildings that blight many of our neighborhoods. Learn more
Design zoning code reforms to encourage re/development at Valley View Mall, Towne Square, and similarly underutilize commercial areas to include additional housing rental opportunities. Learn more
Utilize incentives and creative development practices to expand affordable home ownership opportunities for city residents. Learn more
Aggressively crackdown on the owners of the thousands of vacant, blighted single family homes across the city. Families need these homes and in their current state many are dangers and liabilities to their surrounding neighborhood. Learn more
Pursue redevelopment of the Civic Center complex to include mixed use, multi-family housing. Learn more
Safe streets are integral to creating walkable neighborhoods, and walkable neighborhoods are necessary for sustaining thriving communities across the city. Whether traveling by foot, mobility device, or bicycle, everyone deserves to be safe getting around. We need to do more to address unsafe driving and speeding and ensure our streets are safe and accessible for all. Learn more
Invest in fixing and installing sidewalks, prioritizing downtown and historically under-resourced neighborhoods. Learn more
Employ where appropriate permanent traffic calming infrastructure, such as curb extensions, speed tables or bumps, bollards or planters, and street trees and art. Learn more
Build more protected bike lanes to connect our Greenway system to more destinations and neighborhoods. Learn more
Install traffic cameras in school zones and pursue needed legislation from Richmond to allow them to be placed anywhere. Learn more
Expand after-school programming with a priority on low and moderate income areas. Learn more
Restore funding for recreation centers to allow for full-time programming staff and longer operating hours. Learn more
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