Her Tenure as Roanoke City Manager in Six Questions

Watch the interview

Roanoke, VA

Author: Roanoke Rambler Staff, Hart Fowler Lead

Published: 9:00 AM EST July 29, 2026

Edited: 9:00 AM EST July 29, 2026

1) The Twilight Zone: Zoning Policy, Politics, and Following Orders

“Whether we have to do it four, five, or 10 times, if council says that's what we do, that's exactly what we do and we do it to the best of our ability.”

Hart Fowler: During the July 6 city council meeting with the 4-to-3 vote to table housing—I don't know if contentious is the correct word—but you've pretty much let it be known the difficulties with the workload there.

Mayor Joe Cobb: Yes, Miss Turner.

Valmarie Turner: Thank you. I'd like to just further comment on Miss Carini's comments. It would be extremely difficult. Staff does not have the capacity right now. So just keep that in mind when you, should you make that decision, if you want that done immediately. We would essentially have to stop operations in order for that to happen. But I mean, obviously, we'll do as directed. But from a capacity standpoint, we don't have it right now.

Mayor Joe Cobb: I appreciate you saying that and considering that we just went through this process over the last year, I have serious concerns about sending it back. But I'm one person on council.

Hart Fowler: Can you expound upon that a little bit?

Valmarie Turner: Sure. So, in terms of the 4-3 vote from a staff perspective, we follow council direction. And so council direction says that we need to go back out and, you know, do it again. So that's exactly what we're going to do. We're going to do it to the best of our ability and we're going to move forward. What I wanted council to understand is the impact of their vote so they were clear. So I was clear that it is going to be an impact to staffing because of our staffing capacity at this moment. It will be very difficult, and I wanted them to understand that so I can manage expectations.

Hart Fowler: I imagine that is quite the workload with the city being sued on it as well. Very many concerned citizens making their points very well known, and you, of course, follow council's direction on it.

Valmarie Turner: Absolutely.

Hart Fowler: And it helps to have a consistent direction on that with this being the fourth vote. So that's—are we doing this or not? You know, comes to mind. Whilst it kind of leads to—it seems like the two opposing sides are not necessarily opposing, with the big elephant in the room being the lack of not only housing, but especially affordable housing. One side being the natural idea of, "We have all these great properties, why can't we renovate them? And vacant lots as well." That's usually the alternative for those against placing higher density apartments or townhomes into residential districts. Whereas the other argument being that we need these zoning amendments for housing due to the fact that we have a housing shortage and it's holding us back to have single-family housing. Can you see a way, with proper staffing, how to get at both of those large problems with the shortage? Can we do both? Do we have to really do either/or?

Valmarie Turner: So, I want to take a step back and I want to address some of your earlier comments. Staff—we work in a political environment, but we're not political. And so, what that means is we're very clear. The charter is very clear, the code is very clear. Once council makes a policy decision, we act on it. So whether we have to do it four, five, or 10 times, if council says that's what we do, that's exactly what we do and we do it to the best of our ability.

Now, getting to your last point, I absolutely believe that there are some opportunities. I mean, you know, I have done infill development, and that's kind of what you're leading toward when we talk about housing that's either dilapidated that, you know, we could potentially acquire—those are purchase-rehabs. We can buy them, rehab them, and potentially put a low-income family into those properties. We can acquire vacant lots and do infill development. But all of that requires resources. And so I know that if you've done any research on the city, you know that we're having some challenges now relative to our financing, you know. So, we have a lot of competing priorities and I definitely think that we can get there. I definitely see opportunities.

You know, I said that from day one. I think that the city of Roanoke is ripe for some phenomenal opportunities, including increasing our housing. One of the first things that I did, one of the first positions that I created here, was the housing programs and policy officer position because I knew we need a concentrated, concerted effort on housing in the city.

2) Help Wanted, Budget Permitting: Restructuring a Department on a Tight Timeline 

“We want to make sure that we are on market with the positions for our employees... But I can tell you that we'll probably have to do it in a phased approach because the expenditures are outpacing the revenues.”

Hart Fowler: Towards the staffing—you know, the baby boomers, such a large part of our population, so many veterans in governance, and they are in retirement age. Would you say that is one of the reasons why we aren't staffed to full capacity? Is that a part of it?

Valmarie Turner: There's a multitude of factors. I mean, sure, we absolutely have people that are retiring. But we also are competing with a lot in this market. You have the city of Roanoke, you have Roanoke County, you have the city of Salem, you have the town of Vinton, you have Botetourt County, Franklin County. So we're all kind of competing for the same pool, and that is just from a local government perspective, but we also have the private sector as well. So, you know, we're all competing for the same pool in this valley. So it can make that—that could be part of it. And absolutely—and I've talked about this many times as well—compensation is also a factor.

Hart Fowler: Oh, very much so. Competing with the private industry.

Valmarie Turner: Exactly. 

Hart Fowler: So from what I've gathered, it's certainly not just Roanoke that is experiencing these difficulties. It's nothing unique, or that Roanoke is not a good place to work or live. I would argue quite the opposite.

Valmarie Turner: I would argue the same. Yes.

Hart Fowler: So, these shortages in city positions are happening all over. Moving forward, what are any moves towards filling those ranks?  I know you operate almost a skeleton crew—perhaps an exaggeration—but what are any kind of moves towards filling out those ranks?

Valmarie Turner: So, we're actively recruiting. I mean, if you go on our website, we have a ton of jobs that are available that we're recruiting for. We're also doing a class and compensation study. Hopefully, that study will be done sometime next month and we can make some informed decisions on some of our pay for some of our positions and how we need to move forward with those.

So we're looking at it from a holistic point of view. We want to make sure that we are on market with the positions for our employees. That is our goal. But then we have to turn around and look at it from a compression standpoint: what does that look like internally? And so the goal is to put a plan together to put in front of council to see how we move forward. But I can tell you that we'll probably have to do it in a phased approach because, you know our finances—and I shouldn't say our finances as much as, you know, all over, the expenditures are outpacing the revenues.

3) From Weeks to Days: Overhauling the Bureaucratic Backlog

“We were like maybe five to eight weeks passed our normal review time, which was huge. We have now taken that down to one week.” 

I'm sure you probably know about this because we made it very public, but we hired a consultant to come in to do an assessment on the department to look at it both internally and externally. So not only did they talk with internal stakeholders, but they also talked with external stakeholders. They looked at our staffing and they looked at our organizational chart. And the goal is—we got a draft report that came out, and then we had a table talk exercise. That table talk exercise was, I think, one of the critical and pivotal points for us as a city government having a planning department.

And I say that because we were able to bring in quite a few developers, architects, and engineers that have worked with the planning department for some time and have some table talk conversations on how we can collectively make this better, how we can streamline, and how we are not a "department of no" as much as we're a department of "how can we work through this" to have them at the table with us. Because ultimately, they're the end user of the product.

Hart Fowler: Right. 

Valmarie Turner: And so we want to make sure that they were at the table with us because now they have buy-in to what we're doing and they actually see a light at the end of the tunnel.I was able to bring in an interim department director—who has over 40 years of experience—and we've been really looking at our permitting process. We're recruiting for a permanent department director for the Department of Planning, Building, and Development, but we've already made some improvements there. We were like maybe five to eight weeks past our normal review time, which was huge. We have now taken that down to one week. 

Hart Fowler: That sounds amazing in difficult times.

Valmarie Turner: Yeah, we're really, really excited about the trajectory and where we're going.

Hart Fowler: So excellent to have that open communication with the builders themselves.

Valmarie Turner: Absolutely. And I was just so impressed with the number of builders that said that they wanted buy-in. They wanted to come out, they wanted to participate, and they wanted their voices heard.

4) The Fiscal Diversification Mandate: Offsetting Local Friction with Global Capital 

“They're going to put $85 million into the city. Over 430 jobs... This is a win for the region—absolutely the city, but also the region.” 

The biggest one that I had a really great hand in is Ringana. We're really excited to have an Austrian skincare company decide that Roanoke is going to be their US base. That is phenomenal.

Hart Fowler: Very much so.   

Valmarie Turner: Yeah, it's the old Johnson & Johnson building that they bought, right out there. They're going to put $85 million into the city and create over 430 jobs. 

Hart Fowler:  That is amazing.

Valmarie Turner: It really is. 

Hart Fowler:  And also, we're not talking about the casino right now but that happens at the same time as our financial difficulties.  It shows the success of having many balls up in the air 

Valmarie Turner:  It requires you to diversify. You want your revenue to be diversified so you don't solely depend on one stream, because right now the only way we raise revenue is taxes and fees, right? And we don't want to tax our community to the point where they can't live here. 

And so we look for opportunities to bring in more businesses because that increases the employability skills of our residents. Our residents get an opportunity to apply for these jobs. This is a win for the region—absolutely the city, but also the region. Think about all the things that we're doing with Carilion, with the cancer center that's being built. There are a lot of great, cool things that are happening here.

Hart Fowler: It is certainly a big win because Ringana definitely factored, if not primarily factored, into the decision, the livability of the place. 450 of their employees are going to be living here.  That also means we out-competed quite a few other candidates.

Valmarie Turner: We did. The team worked to put a package together and we worked with them. They worked with us, and it's a great partnership. We're really excited about it.

Hart Fowler: Well you know, CNN gave a nice report about Roanoke recently.  I don't know if you caught that one.

Valmarie Turner: Of course I did. [Laughter] Of course.

5) New Eyes Surveying the Landscape: Visible Momentum and Rebuilding the Neighborhood Fabric

“Some started while I was here, and some that I started I was able to participate in... We've done quite a bit, and I'm excited.”

Hart Fowler: You and I moved here about the same time—a year and a half ago. I'm still new a little bit. 

Valmarie Turner:  You came from Blacksburg most recently?

Hart Fowler:   I visited here quite a few times in the past, but am seeing it with new eyes now living here. Since we both have a similar year and a half here, I would like it if you would speak on some of the recent works accomplished during your tenure. I would bring up the Eureka Center, the Melrose grocery store, and the whole plaza. I know the city played quite a big part in that. 

Valmarie Turner: We did.  We've done quite a bit, and I'm excited. Some started while I was here, and some that I started I was able to participate in. You mentioned the Eureka Center—we had the grand opening. It’s phenomenal. If you look at the before and after, it is absolutely amazing. The community loves it. We've already had several events out there already. As a matter of fact, we're having a National Night Out on August 4th, and all of the city departments will be at Eureka Park. So, if you get a chance to come out, you should.

Another great thing that I'd like to mention is that we received our All-America City designation. We were able to put a team together to talk about the great things that we're doing in the city of Roanoke, like our Hope and Home Task Force, our resident artist program, and our Roanoke Ready program where we're working with nonprofits to build their capacity to be able to really do the work that they've been called to do.

Hart Fowler: I was near Elmwood Park during the finish of a bike race, and it was amazing to see.

Valmarie Turner: Wasn't that amazing? I was there for the kickoff for what they call the short track race. It was really cool.

Hart Fowler: And the opening of the bridge there. I live in the Old Southwest neighborhood, and just on the drive here I can see where the bridge is being finished. It is going to be beautiful.

Valmarie Turner: That's going to be a beautiful bridge. Walkability, bikeability, all of that.

Hart Fowler: The RAM House is near there as well, which is amazing. We don't really have to speak directly about this, but also the beloved Old Southwest market. It's been only a year and a half since the fire there, and the owner managed to pass plans through city hall to turn it around. When I did the research, it only took 42 days for permitting before they were putting a roof up there. Things like that really uplift a neighborhood, seeing a place come back to life.

6)  Don’t Complain, Act: Giving Credit in an Era of High Bandwidth Negativity 

“I have just a phenomenal team that I get to work with on a day-to-day basis. If you see a city worker, thank them. I don't think they get enough thanks.”

Valmarie Turner: One thing that I'll mention: I've been here 18 months. Working on assessing the organization, the budget, and where we are financially has taken the forefront. But we have a phenomenal team of employees, and I don't think they get enough credit. I would be remiss in leaving any interview without thanking them for the work that they do, thanking them for choosing the City of Roanoke each and every day. It may not always be perfect, but they get to tangibly touch, see, and feel those they impact on a day-to-day basis. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world in terms of local government. That's why I've been involved for the last 34 years. 

I have just a phenomenal team that I get to work with on a day-to-day basis. If you see a city worker, thank them. I don't think they get enough thanks. A lot of times you hear the not-so-great stuff, but there are some phenomenal things that they do on a day-to-day basis.

Hart Fowler: I really appreciate that myself because there's quite a bit of negativity, and I think it is at an all-time high. When I interviewed Councilmember Phazhon Nash, his grandmother's quote that inspired him to be a person in government was: "Don't complain. What are you going to do about it?" That's pretty spot on because there are people doing things about it, and giving credit where credit is due is lacking. Speaking of which, the police department recently released excellent crime figures.

Valmarie Turner: Wasn't that phenomenal?

Hart Fowler: Very much so. In the debate over the Flock safety cameras, that took up a lot of the bandwidth. It's good to be reminded that we're doing good work here in that field, coupled with the numbers looking pretty good regarding the opioid crisis. The city was definitely hurt on that front. It shows some of these moves are working alongside societal cultural changes. Thanks for pointing out that there are a lot of people doing hard work that makes that happen.