Kathy Cohen will run for a seat on the Roanoke City Council as an independent this year, citing school funding, public safety and economic viability as three main issues she plans to address in her campaign.
A former rabbi at Temple Emanuel — and the temple’s first female rabbi — Cohen has served as chairperson of the city’s Gun Violence Prevention Commission for almost three years, but has been involved since the program’s inception, which she said was about seven years ago.
Three of the council’s seven seats will be up for reelection in November: those held by Evelyn Powers, Peter Volosin and Vivian Sanchez-Jones.
Cohen is the first challenger to announce a campaign.
Volosin said in an email that he will seek reelection as a Democrat. Sanchez-Jones, also a Democrat, did not respond to emails asking if she plans to run again. Powers, an independent who was appointed by the council last year to fill a vacancy left when Joe Cobb was elected mayor, said via text message that she will not run again.
Cohen was one of the three finalists last year for the open council position that Powers was appointed to.
Cohen said she moved to Roanoke 30 years ago, intending to stay just a few years, but remained because she loves the city.
She said she always knew she wanted to get involved in the city upon her retirement, and a city council run “seemed to be a natural fit” for her.
Recent changes to how the city funds its school division are “devastating,” Cohen said, and she said she wants to work to restore as much of that money as possible for the division.
“I feel that our children must always come first and we don’t have a strong city unless we have strong schools,” she said.
Cohen said she wants Roanoke to continue on the path it’s on now of reduced crime. Police Chief Scott Booth said during a recent public meeting that non-fatal shootings in the city dropped by 55% in 2024 and fell another 28% in 2025.
Cohen said serving as the chair of the gun violence commission has given her a clear view of how the city functions.
“I had the opportunity to speak to a lot of residents and hear their stories, and to know that even at a time when the city is facing some economic challenges, that we really need to do all we can to prevent any violent crime from returning.”
Cohen said, though she does not believe a proposed casino is the right answer to the city’s need for more revenue, she wants to see increased economic development without raising taxes. To find the right answer, she said there needs to be an understanding of what makes the city unique and what would “enhance the uniqueness of our city.”
Cohen will officially kick off her campaign in an event at Fishburn Park this weekend, she said in a Facebook post Monday.