Alexandria City Council Member Alyia Gaskins made history tonight by becoming the first Black woman elected mayor of the city.
Gaskins was surrounded by her City Council colleagues and Democratic supporters as she accepted the results at Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray.
“You are going to see your progressive values continue to be lived out in our great city,” Gaskins said, “in the way we develop, and the way we move and the way we serve you, but most importantly, in the way we make sure that your voices are at the table, shaping every decision to move us forward.”
Gaskins faced no opposition and received 93% of in-person votes, or 22,420 votes, from 32 precincts. Absentee ballot results were not released when ALXnow published this story.
Gaskins told ALXnow that she felt ready and prepared when she voted at 6 a.m. She said that the distinction of being the first Black woman elected mayor is significant.
“I have the opportunity to not just represent our city, but to represent the diversity and the culture and many other dynamics and components that make our city so great and so wonderful,” Gaskins said.
Gaskins won the Democratic nomination for Mayor in June, defeating Vice Mayor Amy Jackson and retired real estate developer Steven Peterson.
Gaskins and her husband, Greg, have two children and live in the City’s Cameron Station neighborhood. She moved to Alexandria from Fairfax County in 2016, and is a senior program officer at Melville Charitable Trust.
“Our city, like many other places in this country, has a complex path that includes dark moments of slavery to bright moments like today,” Gaskins said. “I’m deeply humbled and honored, and I don’t take this distinction lightly. I just step into it with confidence and humility, hoping to do the best job that I can do.”
Gaskins is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was raised by her single mother, Francine Smith, and her paternal grandmother Marilyn Parker. She has a Bachelor’s degree in medicine, health and society from Vanderbilt University, a Master’s Degree in urban planning from Georgetown University, a Master’s of public health from the University of Pittsburgh and a municipal planning certificate from the University of Chicago.
