Craig announces Roanoke City Council run

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Contact: Brian Gottstein, gottstein@makeitpositive.com, 540-309-8255

Craig announces Roanoke City Council run

ROANOKE (January 19, 2010) – Retired Marine Corps colonel and long-time citizen watchdog over Roanoke City Council, Robert (Bob) Craig has announced his campaign for city council. Craig says he is concerned about the precarious position of the city’s finances after 10 years of what he considers ill-conceived spending that has compromised the ability of the city to fund its core government functions.

Craig’s concerns about Roanoke include:

· Financial responsibility – the city government does not prioritize its spending, ends up buying “nice-to-have” items (an amphitheater, civic center expansions, etc.), then has little left to fund its core functions, such as storm water drains and schools. The taxpayers should not be hit up for more taxes or face service cuts every time the budget comes up short.

· Stopping the proposed new storm water utility fees – they will further burden citizens and businesses already strapped by a tough economy. This excessive tax will kill more jobs in Roanoke than the recession, and – unlike the recession – it will return year after year to exact its toll.

· Better financial support for the school system – city schools have improved their performance and efficiency during the last few years. Yet, when the schools run efficiently and save money, the city penalizes them by counting that savings against them in the following year’s budgeting process, rather than allowing them to use that extra money to improve programs.

Craig’s entire working career has been in leadership and financial management. He commanded four artillery units in Vietnam, and spent his last 17 years on Marine Corps active duty as a financial manager, including serving as the chief financial officer of two Marine Corps bases with budgets the size of Roanoke’s.

Following his military career, Craig was a senior financial executive with the U.S. Treasury Department and an adjunct faculty member in financial management and organizational management at several colleges and universities in Hawaii, Mississippi, and Maryland.

His campaign web site is www.BobCraigforCouncil.com

Craig can be reached at rcraig06@cox.net.