ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – On January 1, 2025, the three newly elected members of Roanoke City Council will officially begin their four-year terms.
That is the day 25-year-old Phazhon Nash will officially become the youngest person to sit on the Roanoke City Council.
The Democrat is a lifelong native of Roanoke and a graduate of Northside High School.
He knew his campaign could face an uphill battle to climb up the polls as a result of his youth.
Believing he had what it takes, he persisted nonetheless.
“With my lived experience from growing up in Roanoke City and with my experience from what I’ve been involved with in the community, my resume even though I’m young is competitive and comparable to those who may be older than me,” he said outside the Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building, where council meets.
Through the campaign, more and more voters told him they would love to see a young voice on the council.
Once the results began to come in, Nash started to believe it.
“It was truly humbling,” he recalled. “It was surreal and I’ve just been overwhelmed since then with a sense of gratitude for all those who helped me along the way.”
At Northside, he was the chaplain for the football team. He has been heavily involved with the local NAACP and currently works at Carilion Hospital.
He graduated college with a degree in community health and previously worked for delegate Sam Rasoul as a community outreach liaison.
He feels that role has prepared him to serve the people of Roanoke.
“In that capacity, I talked to so many citizens,” said Nash. “I heard their concerns. I heard their frustrations. I heard their fears and their worries.”
In his opinion, the council could do a better job of listening to the thoughts of citizens, and said he is more than prepared to help the people of Roanoke feel heard, especially in regard to controversial decisions.
One such decision centers around the Evans Spring land.
The land is the largest undeveloped plot of land in the city and there have been extensive talks by the council of using the land as a site for businesses or housing.
Nash lives right beside the land and is against its development. He is also against the controversial rezoning plan approved by the city council in September.
The plan was designed to help create more affordable housing in the city. Nash argues it not only fails to accomplish that goal but would also stoke division and discontent in the city’s neighborhoods.
His other goals for his term include limiting homelessness, retaining city employees, and revitalizing downtown Roanoke by supporting current businesses and encouraging the arrival of new ones.
Between now and January 1, Nash plans to dive into the city budget and the logistics of solving those highlighted problems.
However, he said that preparation means nothing without action once his term begins, citing something his late grandmother had told him.
“Are you going to complain about it or are you going to fix it,” he said. “Don’t come home and talk my ear off about it. Are you going to fix it, or are you just going to complain? Because too many people complain, and they don’t roll up their sleeves and go and try to fix their frustrations.”