James Garrett - Roanoke City Council Candidate
Thank you for all of the questions. I have been somewhat of an outdoor person all of my life, so I am very supportive of the wonderful land and resources that surround our community. It is one of the reasons that I chose to make Roanoke my home, almost 20 years ago.
I have done my best to answer all of your questions without any hesitation and will follow those answers if I am elected. Over the last 23 or so years, I built a multimillion dollar company, so I have dealt with budgets and I don't plan to shirk that responsibility if I am elected, so I can't commit to numbers to your group until I dig into the budget. Hopefully we can find the increased funds for your group, but I won't make a commitment just yet as I do not want to promise something that I cannot deliver.
Campground Reopening: Are you committed to working with the National Park Service to reopen the Roanoke Mountain Campground for overnight access?
As a child, I experienced camping all over the southeastern United States, mostly in State Campgrounds because they were more affordable. As an adult, I spent 21 years in the military and experienced the outdoors and some camping that was much harsher than the camping that most are accustomed to. I now own a motorhome and enjoy what some commonly refer to as glamping. I truly support the reopening of the campground.
Greenway Completion: Will you use your best efforts to secure the right of way and commit to the necessary funding to complete the Roanoke River Greenway from Explore Park to Green Hill Park?
I am very committed to the outdoors and the basic common sense of creating ways for our citizens to enjoy our wonderful environment in the valley. Early on, my wife and I cycled parts of the Greenway, but now we tend to walk and enjoy our time there. I will commit to go into the budget planning process with our outdoor activities as a priority. I am retiring this year, so if elected, I plan to spend the necessary time to dig deep into the budget and try to deliver the things that our citizens make clear that they want.
Budget Prioritization: How do you envision balancing budget priorities between greenway development and other infrastructure projects? Will you advocate allocating a dedicated percentage of the annual budget to greenway expansion, maintenance, and improvement?
I think the greenway and outdoor activities are important to the overall health, mentally, and physically to our community. I will dedicate money to expansion, maintenance, and improvement. I cannot commit to a percentage without digging into the process and gaining a better understanding of our budget overall. I also think it is important for taxpayers to have a sense that their money is well spent and I want to make an attempt to work in that direction as we balance the many priorities of our community members.
Economic Benefits: What are the long-term economic benefits of investing in our greenway system and reopening the campground, and how would you communicate these benefits to constituents who may be skeptical of the costs?
Our lives are extremely busy. As a busy society, we have to have places to escape to and relax and the greatest relaxation is found outdoors, in a clean environment. Municipalities can focus on factories or tourism and I think Roanoke is poised to be a leader in tourism because of its wonderful, natural environment. I think there needs to be a cost-benefit analysis on greenway expansion. I am open to funding the analysis so as to be able to justify decisions and any plans to move forward. Maintenance is a must and I think we should look at creative ways to move that process forward.
Community Engagement: How do you plan to engage with environmental groups and local residents to address concerns about expanding the greenway and reopening the Roanoke Mountain Campground? What strategies will you use to ensure transparency and public involvement in the decision-making process?
As stated above, I think we need a cost-benefit analysis to determine how it will benefit the community. Especially how it will benefit the community economically. Will it increase the tax revenue intake for the city? The city seems to be grasping for ideas of how to grow revenue, so we need to find ways to reduce any further taxation on homeowners, by being creative.
Resource Allocation: How would you work with adjoining localities to secure additional resources for the region's outdoor recreation initiatives, including the greenway and campground projects? Can you support increasing the recreation budget to a specific target (e.g., from 2% to 3%)?
At VOICe, we are committed to supporting candidates willing to invest local government money in outdoor infrastructure. Such investments have a direct and positive impact on our economic growth and development, as well as the health and wellness of our community. Well-maintained outdoor spaces attract tourists, boost local businesses, promote active lifestyles, and enhance residents' overall quality of life. I agree with all of your remarks above. However, I cannot commit to a specific budget increase until I have a chance to dig into the overall budget, which I can assure everyone I will do, if elected. Everything is expensive these days and we need to be creative and find ways to get what we want without additional burden to the taxpayers. Can we find excesses in other parts of the budget? Can our cost-benefit analysis prove tax revenue will increase? If so, it is a safe bet that a recreation budget increase is going to happen.
Additionally, we need to make the greenways safer. I hear and read stories of how citizens don't feel safe on the greenways and I find that very conerning.