After nearly a year of campaigning, City Council Member Alyia Gaskins said on election day that she’s ready to be the next mayor of Alexandria.
Gaskins won the three-way Democratic primary for mayor in June, and faces no opposition in the general election. She will be the first Black woman elected mayor of the city.
“I feel ready and I feel prepared,” Gaskins said after casting her vote. “We have a great city, and I feel so blessed, not just to live here, but to have served here, and to be able to continue to serve and lead us into our next chapter.”
Gaskins arrived at the Cameron Station polling precinct at 5:45 a.m. with her husband and two children and spoke with ALXnow after casting her vote.
“I chose to run because I knew that this is a job I can do, that I bring the experience, I bring the record of results, and I bring the relationships necessary to get it done,” she said.
Gaskins was elected to the seven-person City Council in 2021. She announced her mayoral campaign shortly after outgoing Mayor Justin Wilson announced he would not be seeking a third three-year term.
Gaskins defeated Vice Mayor Amy Jackson and retired real estate developer Steven Peterson in the Democratic primary in June.
Gaskins said she will spend the day passing out sample ballots at polling precincts around the city, and will join the Democratic candidates at a watch party after polls close at Pork Barrel BBQ (2312 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray.
About Alyia Gaskins
Gaskins and her family moved to the city’s Cameron Station neighborhood from Fairfax County in 2016, and for the last four years she’s worked full-time as a senior program officer at Melville Charitable Trust. She previously worked as a public health strategist with the Center for Community Investment and the National League of Cities.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Gaskins 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.
