16 applicants hope to fill vacant Roanoke City Council seat

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - It’s clearly a crowded field to fill former Roanoke City Councilman Robert Jeffrey. Jr.’s open seat. Jeffrey forfeited his seat by pleading no contest to one charge of embezzlement.

The Roanoke City Clerk provided the list to WDBJ7 Friday afternoon, with a few familiar faces in the mix.

The candidates are David Bowers, Suzanne Osborne, Kiesha Preston, Anita Price, Bruce Muncy, Luke Priddy, John Salas, Linda Wyatt, David Trinkle, Mary Hubbart, Michelle Belton, Keith Denson, Kevin Berry, Aaron Ewert, Peg McGuire and Raekwon Moore.

“We’re going to go into closed session early Monday and determine which of those applicants we will interview. Maybe all of them but it may be a few of them,” said Mayor Sherman Lea.

With many major decisions to make in the coming months, including the budget and school board applicants, council wants to bring in someone who can make an immediate impact.

“We’ve got some critical decisions to make in the next six to seven months. That’s why we need someone who can grasp some things very quickly and as we move forward.”

Following Monday’s closed morning session, at 3 p.m. Monday afternoon, City Council will hold a public session at which they will interview the candidates.

A 7 p.m. session will then allow the community to have the chance to voice their opinion on who they feel will be the best fit.

“We want to hear from the citizens, of what you think of at least the applicants that have run through the interview process. That’s an important part of public service, is engage the public, and that’s what we want to do.”

City Council is expected to make a decision at the April 18 meeting. The person chosen will hold the seat until the end of the year.

A special election will be held November 8 to decide who will fill the seat from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024.

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