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Roanoke’s new city manager walked into an uncomfortable situation that could have been considerably worse.
When Valmarie Turner first entered her third-floor office at the Roanoke Municipal Building a few months ago, it wasn’t obvious that she had dodged a bullet.
The truth was that the previous city administrator’s regime (one deputy in particular) had fallen because of accusations of being an unwelcoming workplace with serious morale issues. Nobody was fired from Bob Cowley’s crew, but there was a clearing-out of those allegedly responsible — which did not include Cowley, who resigned anyway.
Roanoke City Council began a national search for a replacement for Cowley by bringing in interim city manager Lydia Pettis Patton, a woman with a reputation as a tough, competent, no-nonsense executive, which she quickly established in Roanoke. “Dr. Patton worked to restore and strengthen connection between the city manager’s office and city employees,” says Mayor Joe Cobb.
“Bob got a bad rap because he protected people,” says Trish White-Boyd, a former member of council and its personnel chairwoman, who sat in the middle of the mess. “I always liked Bob.”
Patton swept up the mess and helped open a welcoming door for Turner, who was unanimously approved as the new city manager. White-Boyd says, “We interviewed a lot of people and Valmarie was by far the best. And she is in a good place.” It has almost been a lovefest between city workers, administrators, the business community and Turner, an outgoing woman with a shiny reputation and an equally gleaming and welcoming smile.
Cobb has been impressed so far: “Valmarie has fully immersed herself in the life, energy and work of our city, engaging with city departments to more fully understand their essential work, as well as meeting with many city leaders and citizens. Valmarie has a great rapport with City Council, is well-informed on issues and is clear in her approach to find equitable solutions to our challenges. She is leading us through a very challenging budget review and development process. I am excited about her work with us and look forward to a bright future in our work together.”
For Valmarie Turner (“Just call me Val”), Roanoke presented a case of love at first sight. She was serving as deputy city manager of Fairfax when she was singled out for the Roanoke job. She has 30 years in city government, and White-Boyd said at Turner’s introduction, “She has an excellent reputation as a leader, a team builder and someone who builds collaborative relationships with stakeholders in the community.”
Want to learn more about how Valmarie Turner is transforming Roanoke’s city government and tackling challenges like budget cuts and affordable housing? Check out the latest issue, now on newsstands, or see it for free in our digital guide linked below!
The story above is a preview from our May/June 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!