Ramblings: Jackson Pleads Not Guilty to Election Fraud; Deyerle Townhome Lawsuit Tossed; City Updates AI Chatbot
What are Ramblings? Ramblings are a collection of short items that have caught our attention for one reason or another. We’re on the lookout for tidbits related to money in politics, data, business, civic engagement or interesting events. Think you know of something that could be a Rambling? Drop us a line at editor@roanokerambler.com and we may well write about it. Happy reading!
Roanoke pastor pleads in election fraud case
Former Roanoke City Council candidate Jamaal Jackson, indicted in April on four felony counts of election fraud, will plead not guilty and a jury trial is scheduled for Sept. 22.
His attorney, Cathy Reynolds, also a former city council candidate who ran as an independent last year, confirmed the plea and the trial date as the result of a docket call on May 5.
Reynolds has declined any further comment on the case at this point.
Jackson, who ran as a Democrat in 2024, dropped out of a party primary after questions arose over campaign-related filings.
Jackson “on or about March 17, 2024, in the city of Roanoke, did unlawfully and feloniously commit election fraud by willfully making a material false statement on a form required by title 24.2 of the code of Virginia,” according to the indictments.
He is lead pastor at ReFreshing Church, which Jackson founded and which in February purchased a large, historic church on Carroll Avenue Northwest.
Jackson was released on bond after he was indicted by a grand jury.
On the day of the 2024 primary, June 18, Jackson stopped by the main city election office at 5 p.m. and officially withdrew from the race, Andrew Cochran, Roanoke’s registrar at the time, reported that Tuesday.
Jackson had announced in May of 2024 that he would withdraw from the race — but then didn’t and went silent — after city officials received an email alleging that his campaign improperly copied voter signatures obtained during his unsuccessful 2022 bid for council onto 2024 paperwork.
Cochran referred the complaint to law enforcement and said Jackson also did not have enough qualified signatures to appear on the primary ballot to begin with. Due to the circumstances, his name stayed on the primary ballot. He lost the primary, placing last among four candidates for three party nominations.
When Jackson ran for a city council seat in 2022, he was fined $3,100 by the registrar's office for finance reporting issues. Jackson contested that at the time.
However, the amount has been paid.
The city billed Jackson on April 1, 2024, in the amount of $3,100 for “sanctions issued by the Electoral Board for Late/Incomplete Filing of Campaign Expense reports,” Treasurer Tasha Burkett wrote in an email. The bill was paid in full on May 29, 2024, Burkett wrote.
Judge tosses suit against Deyerle townhomes
A Roanoke judge has thrown out a citizens lawsuit against a Deyerle townhome project, one of three lawsuits filed after zoning reforms that eased multifamily housing construction.
Circuit Court Judge Leisa K. Ciaffone said the homeowners who brought the lawsuit failed to make their case against the proposed development on Medmont Circle Southwest.
“The Medmont Rezoning was reasonable and has substantial factual support,” she wrote in a May 6 opinion letter. “It was properly noticed and the community had ample opportunity to convey comments and reactions to the rezoning.”
Neighbors sued the city and the project company of developer Alexander Boone after City Council rezoned the property last July to allow for 24 townhomes. The subdivision has about 48 single-family homes.
Lead plaintiff James Garrett, who brought the lawsuit along with a dozen other homeowners, ran for City Council unsuccessfully last year on a platform opposed to zoning reforms.
Garrett referred questions to attorney John Fishwick.
“We are disappointed but respect the Court’s decision. Our clients are evaluating their options moving forward,” Fishwick said in an email.
The city is also fighting two lawsuits that directly challenge policies enacted last year that ended single-family-only zoning. While the Medmont lawsuit did not take aim at the zoning reforms specifically, it made similar arguments as those other lawsuits.
Those lawsuits, led by residents Kristin Segelke and Anthony Stavola, argue the city failed to give proper notice about the changes and that the policies would lead to traffic congestion, noise and quality of life problems. The city is asking the court to dismiss them.
Roanoke improves AI-chatbot answers
A city government chatbot powered by artificial intelligence can now identify who Roanoke’s mayor is, how to get a dog license and when the city picks up trash.
After we reported last month that the tool failed to provide information to some basic civic questions, the city contacted Polimorphic, the New York-based firm that runs the software.
“Once we became aware of the issues, we did reach out to Polimorphic for support,” Carol Corbin, a city spokeswoman, said in an email. “They responded quickly and were extremely helpful in resolving the issue. They are also working with our team to provide ongoing support and solutions for Virtual Assistant Virginia while we are preparing for an upcoming redesign of the website.”
Polimorphic said the company works closely with Roanoke city staff to locate missing or unclear information and incorporate it into the chatbot’s data. The tool is being provided to the city free of charge.
“We conduct regular reviews of both unanswered questions and any resident feedback submitted through our system to identify the most commonly asked questions and ensure the right information is readily available,” Polimorphic CEO and cofounder Parth Shah said in an email sent by a spokesperson.
The chatbot now correctly identifies Joe Cobb as mayor and Valmarie Turner as city manager. Where the tool had previously named Bob Cowell as city manager and had a lengthy description of his accomplishments, the chatbot now says, “Bob Cowell is the former City Manager of Roanoke. He was appointed to this position and was involved in various city management activities as part of the core group in Roanoke.”
Though the chatbot doesn’t provide details, questions about library hours and the Valley Metro bus schedule now receive responses that encourage residents to contact those organizations directly.
With its AI-powered tools, Polimorphic says on its website that local governments can expect “fewer calls for staff, happier residents.” Polimorphic says its chatbot can reduce calls from residents by 50 percent and cut voicemails down 90 percent.