Letter: Problem Solver
Letter to the Editor
Now in my mid-70s, I have never voted for a Republican but I intend to vote for Bob Wood, a smart and personable candidate for City Council
Letter: A Life = Future and One’s Future = Vision
Letter to the Editor
Law enforcement and the judicial system is based on the belief that all people are to be treated equally.
Letter: Price of Borrowing
Letter to the Editor
Whether these letter writers realize it or not, when they proudly point to Alexandria’s municipal bond rating, they haven’t read the fine print or connected the dots.
Editorial: 'Our Community Deserves Better'
Strongly worded recommendations for police on transparency and public trust; FCPD has miles to go.
Outrage over the shooting death of John Geer of Springfield on Aug. 29, 2013, by a Fairfax County Police officer led the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to form of the Ad Hoc Police Practice Review Commission, which began meeting in March 2015. The Communications Subcommittee was the first to give recommendations to the full commission, and the report pulled no punches.
Column: Back on Track
Having reread last week’s column a time or two now, I’ve realized that I neglected to update you regular readers – especially those of you who read my most recent pre- and post-scan columns: “Abyssful” Ignorance and Scant Know For Sure Anymore – on the previous week’s scan results. Once again, I have defied the odds – maybe statistics would be a better word?
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.
Lette: Adaptive Reuse of Ramsey Homes
Letter to the Editor
Next month, City Council will consider the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority appeal of the Parker Gray Board of Architectural Review’s unanimous denial of its request to demolish the 15-unit scattered-site public housing complex in the Parker Gray historic district, known as Ramsey Homes.
Letter: Thoughts on Confederacy
Letter to the Editor
On the question of how Alexandria can deal constructively with the remnants of the Confederacy:
Letter: Adaptive Reuse of Ramsey Homes
Letter to the Editor
Next month, City Council will consider the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority appeal of the Parker Gray Board of Architectural Review’s unanimous denial of its request to demolish the 15-unit scattered-site public housing complex in the Parker Gray historic district, known as Ramsey Homes. Some are framing this case as historic preservation versus affordable housing, implying it is a zero sum game. However, that is a false dichotomy as both aims can, and should, be achieved.
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: Deferred CIP Projects
Letter to the Editor
In response to my letter to the editor about the budget that was published last week in the Alexandria Gazette, Councilman Justin Wilson suggested that I was in error concerning the debt guidelines, and that these guidelines had not been altered. Mr. Wilson was indeed correct in that the city did not alter their debt guidelines in order to close the $31 million deficit on the operating budget.
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