Former Roanoke City Mayor David Bowers

His lead before more than a reported thousand provisional ballots are reviewed is only 19 votes over current Vice-Mayor Joe Cobb, but former longtime Roanoke Mayor David Bowers said this morning he is ready to roll up his sleeves. However based on what he says was legal advice Bowers, an attorney by trade, was not ready to formally declare himself the next Mayor of Roanoke. Cobb said early this morning he’ll hold off on any concession message until the provisionals are counted.

After the Bowers news conference Joe Cobb issued a statement: “with Roanoke’s mayoral election remaining too close to call, and hundreds of ballots yet to be counted, I want to underscore the significance of every vote being counted accurately. I want to encourage patience and trust in the process.”