An Exciting Start

This is my first offical post since taking office on July 1. I wanted to get grounded in my responsibilities and learn as much as possible about our city government, the finances, operations, etc. I still have much to learn, but am confident that I have gotten off to a solid start.

So far, we have not as a Council dealt with too many substantive items, and have spent a lot of time talking about procedural changes and the like. I am hopeful that we can put these items behind as I believe that our citizens deserve to have our full attention on matters that directly impact their lives, such as infrastructure, parks, economic development and the continued revitilization of our downtown. And I think we are getting to this point.

Monday we'll have a joint meeting with the School Board at Addison Middle School, which I am looking forward to. We have a wonderful new Superintendent, a committed and hardworking Board that is willing to make some tough decisions, even if we don't all agree with each and every one, and a committment from the Council to appropriately fund our educational system.

We will then return to the city building where we will deal with a number of items, including the upcoming appointments to the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority. This board is vital to the many folks who live in housing that the RRHA controls. And it's important that we appoint the best and brightest based on qualifications. I'm excited about this opportunity, and look forward to Monday.

I will continue to blog during the course of my tenure on Council. I hope citizens will share their thoughts, ideas, opinions and concerns with me here, or you can call me anytime on my cell phone at 597-3193. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.