Kathy Cohen will run for a seat on the Roanoke City Council as an independent this year, citing school funding, public safety and economic viability as three main issues she plans to address in her campaign.
A former rabbi at Temple Emanuel — and the temple’s first female rabbi — Cohen has served as chairperson of the city’s Gun Violence Prevention Commission for almost three years, but has been involved since the program’s inception, which she said was about seven years ago.
Three of the council’s seven seats will be up for reelection in November: those held by Evelyn Powers, Peter Volosin and Vivian Sanchez-Jones.
Cohen is the first challenger to announce a campaign…