Newcomers Raekwon Moore and Danny Clawson followed up their strong showings in an earlier party primary by joining incumbent Vivian Sanchez-Jones in a Democratic sweep of the Roanoke City Council race, according to unofficial results Tuesday night.
Post-election and provisional ballot votes were not counted by late Tuesday night.
Moore, Clawson and Sanchez-Jones, as they did in the contested August primary, finished first, second and third in the seven-way general election race for the three seats — with about 20% 16% and 16% of the vote, respectively.
Former mayor David Bowers, an independent, was in fourth by more than 2,000 votes late Tuesday, followed by former councilwoman and independent Stephanie Moon Reynolds, local businesswoman and lone Republican Amanda Marko, and independent Rabbi Emerita Kathy Cohen.
Assuming the results stand, Moore and Clawson will be two new faces on the seven-seat council. Councilman Peter Volosin ran for reelection and lost in the Democratic primary in August, and Councilwoman Evelyn Powers, an independent, chose not to run for reelection.
And in Moore and Clawson, the new faces will be Democrats. The party has dominated Roanoke council elections for decades.
Moore was born and raised in Roanoke and works in records for Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare. He said Tuesday night that he is “extremely thankful to the city for trusting me enough to vote for me in the way and in the amount that they did.”
He attributed his success in both this race and the primary to “focusing on the needs of the community” and listening to residents who know about the city’s issues firsthand. Moore sits on the Grandin Theatre board. His priorities include fully funding the city’s schools, improving transportation and investing in parks.
Clawson, executive director of the Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition, said Tuesday night they are “thrilled” to be serving on the council next year.
“I believe in this ticket, I’m so proud of this ticket, and I cannot wait for the chance to serve the city of Roanoke,” they said. Clawson has a history in local political organizing and ran on a campaign supporting investments in housing, education and government transparency.
Sanchez-Jones, a Democrat who is finishing her sixth year on the city council, said Tuesday night that she’s “grateful” for another opportunity to serve on the council. She works as a student support specialist with Roanoke City Public Schools. She ran on a campaign supporting first responders, community policing, affordable housing and local business growth.
Near the end of the campaign, Clawson responded to an unusual attack ad in a city council race they faced from the Republican Party of Virginia. The mailer, which stated that it was paid for by the RPV but not authorized by any candidates, stated that Clawson plans to “abolish the police.”
In a recent interview with Cardinal News, Clawson said that is not accurate and that they support the local police and the community policing model that Police Chief Scott Booth has implemented.
The mailer called Clawson an “extremist” who also supports removing law enforcement from schools, eliminating prisons and jails, legalizing all drugs and removing penalties for dealers.
Clawson said on Tuesday evening that those claims are “not representative” and a mischaracterization of the work they do at the coalition. Clawson said they have no current plans to support removing law enforcement from schools.
Other news organizations stated that Marko said she had nothing to do with the mailer. Marko, the lone council Republican candidate, did not respond to a text message Tuesday on the subject. Marko won about 11% of the vote Tuesday night.
On securing a seat despite the mailers, Clawson said on Tuesday evening, “I am so proud of the community banding together and saying they do not accept that kind of hateful rhetoric in our town. I believe in Roanoke and in the kindness of Roanoke, and I have not been disappointed.”
