Roanoke Mayor Joe Cobb delivered his first State of the City speech Thursday to a crowd of business people, public officials and civic advocates at the Hotel Roanoke.
"When I arrived in Roanoke 24 years ago and stepped out on the overlook deck beneath the Mill Mountain Star, I dared to imagined what my life would become in this magical city," Cobb. "Well, I fell in love — with Roanoke's beauty, her diversity, her people, and her spirit."
As mayor, Cobb is leading a city in transition. He touched on a variety of projects, from murals to crime prevention to new capital projects such as the new Roanoke Fire-EMS training center and the Wasena Bridge replacement. And Cobb called on residents to step up and get involved.
"Whatever it is, do it," he said. "Own it. begin. Because when you engage, when we show up, when we act, Roanoke shines brighter."
Cobb also spotlighted the reduction of gun violence in the city. The city has been the site of a series of recent shootings, including one earlier this month that killed one person and injured three.
In 2020 the city formed a Gun Violence Prevention Commission to address the issue. It didn't see success at first. In 2023, the city saw record numbers for gun violence. But Cobb says the commission put in the work and is seeing results.
He said gun-related homicides have fallen by 65% since 2023, and gun-related injuries have dropped by 55% over that same period.
Cobb credits the reduction to the commission's strategic approach — which he says takes time to play out.
"We started a very concentrated effort, strategic effort five years ago, I remember people mocking me saying it's going to take five or ten years to see a reduction," Cobb said.
But the major says there's still work to be done, especially in the city's northwest quadrant.
Next week, Cobb is headed out of town on city business with plans to visit one of Roanoke's sister cities: Wonju, Korea.
