Amanda Marko is a Roanoke, Virginia, small business owner with a background in global economic development and a Republican candidate for Roanoke City Council in 2026. She chairs the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission and is a past chair of the Mill Mountain Advisory Board. She previously worked on Capitol Hill and in corporate public affairs, and was a commissioned public affairs officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Republican candidate for local office in Roanoke, Virginia (2026)Also known as Amanda F. MarkoWebsite (opens in a new tab)
Role at the time: Republican candidate for Roanoke City Council
Condemned
Statement summary
Marko said license-plate reader systems capture data on people who have done nothing wrong, that the opportunity for abuse outweighs the benefit, and that Roanoke can stay safe without that surveillance infrastructure.
“I looked into license plate reader technology when crime hit my own neighborhood and was deeply concerned about the always-on nature of systems that capture data on people who have done nothing wrong. With no warrant required and no clear limits on who can access that data, the opportunity for abuse outweighs the benefit. We can keep Roanoke safe without building costly surveillance infrastructure that we may come to regret.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Here's where Roanoke City Council candidates stand on use of Flock devicesFull written statements from candidates at the end of the article
Why we used this label
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems should exist and be used. Marko says the potential for abuse of always-on plate-reader systems outweighs their benefit and that Roanoke can stay safe without building that surveillance infrastructure. That rejects the systems themselves, so Condemned fits.
Networked automated license-plate cameras can assemble searchable records of vehicle movements. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to ban the systems, keep them with limits, or defend them as investigative tools. This tracker separates outright bans from narrower restrictions.
