Northwest Roanoke community activist and former mayoral candidate Martin Jeffrey has filed a “Citizen Complaint Form” with the Virginia State Police, asking that Roanoke City Council members John Garland and Michelle Dykstra be investigated for using their positions “to undermine community interests” in order to further their own personal and professional interests. Jeffrey also alleges Garland and Dykstra have “misused” city staff to undermine local property and business owners for their own gains, and engaged in intimidation. Attached to the complaint are e-mails from Garland questioning whether the Hope Center on 11th Street NW had all of the permitting and licensing in place to run an afterschool program and a café. Garland told WFIR last week these e-mails to city staffers were based on his concern for the welfare and safety of the children at the Hope Center. Jeffrey has been critical of developers coming into northwest from other parts of the city – and what he calls conflicts of interest when City Council members are involved with development projects like the Villa Heights Recreation Center mansion that will be sold and renovated for the Boys & Girls Club – where Dykstra is the executive director. John Garland is scheduled to join WFIR live in-studio Wednesday morning.
