Harvey Brookins
A Roanoker, for Roanoke.
Banker, board member, coach, neighbor; and a candidate for Roanoke City Council who believes our city's best days are still ahead.
Practical leadership and proven experience for every Roanoker.
Harvey Brookins isn’t a career politician. He’s a banking executive, a community board member, a connector, and a neighbor: someone who has spent thirty years in finance and twenty years building Roanoke alongside the people who live and work here. Now he’s running for City Council to elevate that same collaborative, results-driven leadership to the City of Roanoke.
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Where Harvey Stands
Harvey believes City Council should work for the people it serves. After thirty years in banking, he understands that every dollar matters and that good ideas only work when they make sense on paper and in real life. He’s spent his career helping people make smart financial decisions, and he’ll bring that same steady, practical leadership to local government.
Harvey will ask the tough questions, look closely at how taxpayer dollars are spent, and focus on solutions that are financially responsible, effective, and built to last. Most of all, he believes progress happens when people work together while listening to each other, solving problems, and putting the community first.
Every family deserves to feel safe at home, every child should be able to play in their neighborhood without fear, and every resident should know help will come when they need it most.
Harvey believes protecting Roanoke requires making public safety a continuing long-term priority for the City. This requires consistent, thoughtful leadership, management, policies and follow-through. He also knows that public safety starts with the people who serve on the front lines every day.
That means giving police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel the support they have earned through competitive pay and benefits, a commitment to retaining experienced first responders, smart and targeted recruitment, excellent training, reliable facilities and equipment, and a continued focus on effective community policing.
Harvey believes that when we invest in the people who protect us, we build a safer, stronger city for everyone.
Harvey will use his financial and management skills to lead the City and the School Division to implement an effective and fair budget process.
Harvey will work to rebuild the relationship between City Council and the School Board through real, regular communication and a stronger council-school buddy system that gets Council members in conjunction with their School Board member consistently meeting with the local Parent Teacher Student Organizations, neighborhood associations, business associations, and the community so they can assess needs together and address shortcomings as partners. Harvey will expand the existing council-school buddy system to include discussions that focuses on their assigned schools, neighboring parks, and local library.
Just as important, he wants to create stronger pathways from the classroom to real careers in technology, biotech, and other growing fields. And because long-term progress depends on sound planning, Harvey will take a hard look at the city and school Capital Improvement Plans, debt levels, staffing needs, and how money is allocated so both sides can build a revenue-sharing plan that is fair, responsible, and focused on students.
Roanoke deserves a City Council that acts like a team, because when Council is divided, it is families, neighborhoods, and local businesses that feel the consequences.
Harvey wants to change the culture in the chamber itself by bringing Council members together for shared training in the communication skills of effective leadership and team building, along with honest assessments led by professional coaches. He believes accountability should start at the top, which is why he would pay for that coaching by freezing the pay raises currently planned for Council members. Until the team can show the people of Roanoke that it is working better together and delivering better results, the raises can wait. Good government starts with how people actually work together, and right now City Council isn't working together the way Roanokers deserve. Harvey wants to change the culture in the chamber itself.
Good government starts with a strong foundation, and that foundation is built upon the culture of the city. Harvey plans to protect our parks, the arts, and neighborhood institutions that make Roanoke feel like home. By promoting stronger public and private partnerships to help City Council reinforce the city’s foundation and perform at higher levels.
Without access to basics and utilities, Roanokers cannot be expected to prosper. For almost a decade, Harvey has worked to do something about that.
In 2017, Harvey led an effort to establish a fund that helps families facing water and sewer disconnection because of temporary financial hardship. That experience showed him how quickly a short-term setback can put a household at risk. If elected to City Council, Harvey will work to expand the Authority Cares model to include other utility needs and strengthen partnerships with nonprofits and social services so families can get through tough times, stay in their homes, and regain stability.
Harvey believes Roanoke needs more practical housing solutions that increase the supply of affordable places to live.
Harvey will support development and redevelopment projects that add to the city’s housing stock, encourage rehabilitation of vacant properties, and work with property owners and investors on realistic plans to return unused homes to the market. More housing options will help strengthen neighborhoods, support working families, and keep Roanoke affordable for the people who call it home. Harvey will also work with citizens, nonprofits and law enforcement to ensure our codes are being enforced, property preserved, and businesses and neighborhoods remain safe.
Harvey believes the city must take a coordinated, data-informed approach to helping people in crisis. Harvey will encourage stronger collaboration between social services, local nonprofits, and regional partners so resources are better aligned, and people can be connected to the treatment, housing, and support they need. When appropriate, he supports working with neighboring Southwest Virginia communities to reconnect individuals with services, family support, and long-term stability in the places they call home.
To make progress on all these priorities, the City’s financial health has to improve. Harvey knows that strong results require strong fundamentals. That means better stewardship of taxpayer dollars, smarter planning, and a clear focus on long-term financial stability. If Roanoke is going to invest in safer neighborhoods, stronger schools, and better city services, it needs a financial foundation that can support that progress for years to come.
The Latest From Harvey
This campaign runs on Roanokers.
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Knock on doors, make calls, host a meet-and-greet, or just spread the word. Tell us how you’d like to help.
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