The Roanoke City Council has narrowed its list of 11 applicants for a vacant council seat down to three contenders: Kathy Cohen, Evelyn Powers and Trish White-Boyd.
Whoever is selected will serve the remaining two years of former council member Joe Cobb’s term; Cobb was elected mayor in November.
The council will conduct interviews at 11 a.m. Feb. 3 in council chambers. The interviews will be open to the public and also streamed online.
Cohen is rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Roanoke and serves as chairman of the city’s Gun Violence Prevention Commission. Powers recently retired as the city’s treasurer. She has worked in the city’s government for more than 40 years and came in fourth place for three open seats in November’s council election. White-Boyd just finished her first term on the city council but did not run for reelection in November’s election. In 2023, she unsuccessfully ran for a state Senate seat against Republican incumbent David Suetterlein.
At the council’s regular meeting last week, 11 residents spoke in favor of White-Boyd’s appointment, and six spoke in favor of choosing Powers.
Former Mayor Sherman Lea was among those who spoke in support of White-Boyd: “I can attest to her strong analytical skills, exceptional interpersonal abilities, and a deep understanding of fiscal matters.” He also said she “really made an impact for us nationally” with her work in helping Roanoke earn its eighth All-America City Award.
Some speakers argued that because Powers came in fourth in the election, she should be awarded the vacant seat.
“You have a moral obligation to have her sit up there with you all,” Duane Howard said on behalf of Powers. “I have no disagreement with any of the great comments on Trish White-Boyd’s service, but you all ran for city council. Put yourself in the same position.”
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Correction 2:18 p.m. Jan. 24: The council’s Feb. 3 interviews will be open to the public. A previous version of this story was incorrect on that point.
