The Roanoke Tea Party held a press conference Tuesday to announce their endorsement of Republican Mike Powell as their choice for Roanoke City council.
Chip Tarbutton, one of the founders of the local Tea Party said, “It has been a tremendous year of growth for the Roanoke Tea Party, thanks to the outstanding support of concerned citizens from across the Roanoke Valley. Our mission is to promote political leaders at all levels of government that support our agenda of fiscal responsibility, support of free markets, individual rights, and support of the Constitution. We believe that government at the Federal, State and Local levels must return to these simple core values that the vast majority of our citizens cherish. We are honored today to offer the endorsement of the Roanoke Tea Party to Mike Powell in his candidacy for Roanoke City Council.”
Powell, a local business owner, welcomed the endorsement of the Tea Party, saying that “they believe in citizens and so do I. I announced my candidacy at their February 4th Tea Party meeting and I have great respect for their organization.”
Powell has pledged not to raise taxes, for any reason, during his term on the Roanoke City Council. He said that “in just the four or five hours I have spent reading the city budget, I have already found over 15 million dollars in waste. We could have used this money instead of raising the meals tax by two percent.”
He is frustrated by the fact that he is getting no cooperation from city leaders in his attempts to find out where all the money has gone. He has called numerous city departments asking how many employees they have, and according to Powell, all of the departments have refused to speak to him. “I cannot even find out an answer to a simple question,” he lamented. He also noted that yards signs he has placed around the city have mysteriously disappeared during the night.
Tarbutton said they chose to endorse Powell for three simple reasons. “One, he has pledged to not raise taxes. Two, he has a great background as a business owner and three, he has integrity and can be the voice of the people because this city is rife with corruption.”
Powell will be a featured speaker at the Tax Day Tea Party on April 15th at Elmwood Park in Roanoke at 5:30 p.m.
By Carla Bream [email protected]