ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke City Councilwoman Djuna Osborne announced that she plans to step down from her seat, effective Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Osborne told 10 News that the pandemic has taken a toll on a lot of families, including hers. She said she needs to focus on being a full-time stay-at-home mom and an educator for her two little girls, in addition to working another full-time job.
Osborne said it was a very tough decision to make because she’s proud of her work on council to serve citizens.
Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea said that he’s sad to see her go.
“I think she did a tremendous job on council and we’re going to miss her," said Mayor Lea, “But I appreciate the time we had to work with her."
“It’s just a really tough choice. It’s really really hard," said Osborne. “It’s hard to have to make those tough decisions and I think women and mothers probably have to make those decisions more frequently."
Council is holding a special meeting on Friday to decide how to fill Osborne’s seat.
They can either ask the courts to hold a special election or they can appoint someone to serve the rest of her term, which expires at the end of 2022.