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I have always believed that budgeting is primarily a question of priorities. Of course, when you sit down to prepare a budget for the year there are some immediate expense categories that are a given. We must pay our bills (utilities, debt interest, etc.), and provide for salaries or else the city really cannot function. After those items, everything else is subject to a division of a pot of money. Difficult questions need to be addressed – how much funding should go to schoo

One of the most important issues to me is appropriate support for Roanoke City Public Schools. My daughter attended Raleigh Court Elementary School, Ruffner Middle School and Patrick Henry High School. She had many great teachers, caring principals and diverse and wonderful classmates. She was able to take part in the PLATO program at Raleigh Court, the modern dance and International Baccalaureate Program at Ruffner and the Center for Humanities and Governor’s School at Patr

Almost thirty years ago, I got a phone call asking me if I was familiar with an organization then named Interfaith Hospitality Network. I was not, but I looked it up and was immediately hooked. Now called Family Promise, this nationwide movement brings together houses of worship to house, feed, counsel and return to permanent housing families with children who have fallen upon hard times. It is truly an amazing program with a great success rate, but only 3-4 families can be s

Yesterday, I had three political experiences that were profoundly disappointing and one “Roanoke moment” that gladdened my heart. In my first blog post I said that I love Roanoke for her beauty, lifestyle and most importantly, her people. I have lived in the Northeast, the Mid-West and the Southeast. In all of those places I developed good and long-term friendships, but I cannot say that I ever felt that the population at large was particularly or genuinely warm and friendly.

I live in a duplex in a zoned mixed-use neighborhood. We have single family homes, row houses, triplexes and duplexes. It is considered “high density” living and I love it. I wish this style of housing were more available in Roanoke City for those who would like it. It is not, however, affordable housing. It will not be the solution to Roanoke’s housing crisis. It will not lower rents or housing prices. Short of adding some extra units on available land, it does very little t

About a decade ago a good friend returned to the United States after spending five years working in China. I asked him what it was like to live and work in China. I don’t remember much of his response, but I do remember him describing that everywhere you went there were government cameras recording you. I remember thinking that I would hate to live in a society like that. Fast forward ten years and our society is now on the brink of living in that type of milieu. There has be

My paternal grandfather came to the United States from Romania as a child in the early 1920’s. My paternal grandmother was born in a small village in Northern Poland and she also immigrated to the United States as child. My maternal great grandparents immigrated here from Lithuania. They all arrived at Ellis Island rich with hopes and dreams but with almost no material possessions. Life in these European countries for Jews was especially hard. Antisemitism was normalized. Pog