Letter: The Experience Argument
Recently, the cadre of hard-edged political supporters of current Mayor Euille have attempted to use the argument of “lack of experience” to disqualify Democratic Primary winner Allison Silberberg.
Alexandria: ‘Significant Oversight’
Write-In Euille Campaign faces state-level campaign violations.
“NOTICE: Individuals or groups who use this sample ballot for their own purposes must replace the above authorization line with their own.”
First Round in the Fight for Alexandria's City Council
The long table at the front of the Departmental Progressive Club in Old Town was packed with candidates...
Alexandria: ‘Our Promise — That Every Student Succeeds’
Alexandria City Public Schools is quite literally on the move! Our students are showing clear growth based on our latest Standards of Learning (SOL) test data. The largest increases were seen in English and math, which were targeted focus areas during the past year.
Letter: Leader or Sore Loser?
Letter to the Editor
He needs to decide whether his legacy will be that of leadership or that of a sore loser.
Letter: Examining Fiscal Policies
Letter to the Editor
A recent letter praised city officials for a good bond rating. Believing that a AAA Bond rating is a sign of how great the finances of the city are being run shows a basic lack of understanding of public financing. A Bond rating directly affects how much the city has to pay to borrow money and is an indication of the level of risk an investor assumes in providing that funding. In other words, the higher your Bond rating, the easier it is to borrow money. The current Alexandria administration has subscribed to a borrow, build and hope strategy and adjusted city fiscal policies to maintain or improve the city's Bond rating rather than make responsible decisions that buy down the city's debt and reduce the future burden on the city taxpayers.
Letter: City's Enviable Balance Sheet
Letter to the Editor
One Republican City Council candidate recently referred to “debt that continues to escalate at a problematic rate.” Another Republican City Council candidate last week asserted, falsely, that the council had revised its debt policy guidelines downward. An independent City Council candidate recently spoke of the city's “burdensome” debt. Unfortunately, the recently concluded mayoral primary was dominated by false assertions about Alexandria’s debt.
Letter: Where To Spend
Letter to the Editor
A self- congratulatory announcement from the city arrived via e-news about the low interest rates our triple A bond rating has earned us. According to the mayor, it’s all due to good management.
Letter: City Can Do Better
Letter to the Editor
Over the past few days in our local news, I have read various opinions over an important topic facing our city: Can our city do better? I want to unequivocally state that I know we can do better. That is why I am running for Alexandria City Council. I have enjoyed this recent discussion because quite frankly, vigorous debate is missing from the halls of City Council. When one party controls all the seats on the council, it is far too easy to fall into “group think." Democracy functions best when ideas are thoroughly debated and vetted. When all viewpoints are heard, compromise can lead to great solutions. I call for more rigorous debate when we contemplate the future of our city.
Letter: Overlooked Candidate
Letter to the Editor
While I do not live in Alexandria I was in the west end of the city recently giving a contribution to City Council candidate Monique Miles from my organization, the Virginia Federation of Republican Women. I am sure Herve Aitken [“Is City ‘Well-Run,” letter, July 30-Aug. 5, Gazette Packet] did not mean to slight or forget her as he listed all the other Republicans in the race. Ms Miles is a wonderful representative on my organization
Letter: One Party Rule
Letter to the Editor
It’s difficult to understand the response of some of our local politicians to the voting outcome that put Allison Silberberg in the running to be the next mayor of Alexandra. Unless it’s just a knee jerk reaction to losing absolute power and absolute control … the greatest danger of one-party rule. And unlike the two-party madness across the river, our council and mayor have reacted most violently against their own residents. By exercising super majority votes that despite public discussion are set in advance.
Letter: No Reason for Write-In
Letter to the Editor
If you live in affordable or low income housing, why would you possibly write-in a vote for the mayor? Under his leadership the AHRA housing stock has plummented in favor of market rate housing and soon gobs of relatively speaking, "affordable housing" apartments will soon go bye-bye in the Beauregard corridor and likely Arlandria. In a couple of years when the Waterfront is redeveloped, we'll have more tourists flocking to Old Town and the residents won't be able to leave their homes for fear of not being able to park unless they are lucky enough to have a driveway.
Alexandria: Land, Air, Sea
EYA reveals historic influences for Robinson Terminal South development.
Despite a long struggle with local residents, plans for Robinson Terminal South’s redevelopment into an apartment and retail space are moving forward.
Alexandria: City Council Brief for 6/26
Pepper Celebrates 30 Years on Council
At the close of the 2014-2015 City Council session, members of the council watched a presentation and recalled where each was 30 years ago. For most, they were memories of playing sports as a young adult or living with their families, Councilman John Chapman was still celebrating a single-digit birthday. But for Council member Del Pepper, 1985 was memorable for an entirely different reason: it was the year she joined City Council.
Alexandria: A Party Divided
Democratic unity in Alexandria uncertain as Euille weighs options.
One week after the Democratic primary, questions linger about whether or not incumbent William Euille will challenge Democratic candidate Allison Silberberg as a write-in. While on the surface local Democrats have rallied behind Silberberg’s nomination as Democratic candidate for mayor, Euille’s reluctance to yield the position casts doubts.