The Roanoke City Council had its first full dais since February after swearing in two new council members at the May 12 meeting.
What happened
John Pullen and Ernie Adams, who won special elections for Ward 1 and Ward 2, respectively, were sworn in by Mayor Carl E. “Scooter” Gierisch.
Pullen garnered 53.25% of the votes in Ward 1, while Adams received 59.09% of the votes in Ward 2.
The special election was called following Brian Moyer's resignation from Ward 1 in January. Hogan Page, one of the Ward 2 representatives, resigned following the Feb. 10 meeting, according to previous reporting.
In addition, three incumbents were sworn in by Gierisch for another term. Holly Gray of Ward 1, Brian Darby of Ward 2 and David Brundage of Ward 3 were declared winners of their respective races when the council voted to cancel the election since they were all running unopposed, according to previous reporting.
Gray was chosen to remain as mayor pro tem.
Also on the agenda
The site plan for the Hotel Roanoke and convention center was approved May 12 after the city's planning and zoning commission approved the request at a May 5 meeting.
The full-service boutique hotel will have approximately 200 rooms, meeting rooms, a ballroom and a conference room. The city will own the convention center and lease land in Roanoke to the hotel for operations, according to previous reporting.
According to city documents, the construction phase would start on or around Aug. 3 for the location at 600 S. Oak St.