Council Makes Another Surprising Decision

Posted by Chris Berry on September 18, 2008 in Local Politics, Roanoke Valley

The headlines following the city council meeting on Monday were all about the acrimonious debates over Countryside and the Reserve Avenue amphitheater site. There were several other items on the agenda that day that received little to no media coverage. Among them was my application for a vacant seat on the Economic Development Authority.

I have tried to use this blog as a means of influencing the public debate on a variety of local policy issues, and I applied for the appointment in the hopes of having a more direct influence on the process. In spite of the fact that I have been an outspoken critic of numerous actions by the city council, they did vote in favor of my appointment. My term won’t officially begin until the appointment is approved by resolution at the next council meeting on October 6th. In the meantime I am preparing myself to hit the ground running by scheduling meetings with a variety of economic development officials to learn as much as possible about the inner workings of the authority.

I look forward to the opportunity to share my ideas on local economic development with a wider audience, and to being in a position where those ideas might actually become policy. I do have some misgivings about my ability to cope with the inherently political nature of the process, but I will do my best to avoid going postal.

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7 Comments on Council Makes Another Surprising Decision

By RoanokeRnR on September 18, 2008 at 1:36 pm

Congratulations and good luck, you’re gonna need it ;)

By ronbailey on September 18, 2008 at 3:30 pm

Congrats! This is good news, even for those of us who don’t live in the city!

By Jason on September 19, 2008 at 8:45 am

Congrats to you as well! I’m sure you’ll make a difference in Roanoke.

By Christina Hallai on September 19, 2008 at 10:25 am

For one, your appointment isn’t newsworthy nor even close. Really no one cares. Just like what presidents leave the next president with a balanced budget. No one remembers that stuff or cares.

All I ask as a citizen is do something positive and don’t let it go to your head like your post is implying.

By Chris G. Muse on September 19, 2008 at 10:44 am

Actually people do care.
Passion and drive are always needed so major congrats.
And I don’t think your avatar/image head can get any bigger or it will pop. BTW great image. It is refreshing to scroll down TRT Blog Page and see photos, photos, South Park!
You should be proud of your desire and determination to help Roanoke. You are a rarity.

By Dragon on October 10, 2008 at 5:12 pm

One wonders what passes for “economic development” in Roanoke City, Roanoke County and the Roanoke Valley.

If one thinks about it the latest hype seems to be “selling our natural setting” which is code for build the tourist trade.

Well yes we do have the monument to Dr. Murphy as the largest employer in the valley. However, it is also the largest impediment to true economic development because it saddles the area with healthcare costs that are 30 percent higher than in Richmond or Northern Virginia. That friends and neighbors is a deal breaker for any employer with jobs, given all other factors are equal.

Good luck Mr. Berry. Perhaps you can reflect on the problem and arrive at a solution.

By Chris Berry on October 10, 2008 at 5:56 pm

Dragon,
I believe the two largest obstacles we face are the sad state of our public school system, and the fact that we have a very large portion of our population who insist on wallowing in the past rather than embracing the future.

Please feel free to share your thoughts. Without your comments, I'm just some guy talking to myself. Let me know if I'm right, wrong, or completely full of sh*t.