Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and City Council sworn into office amid ‘backdrop of deep uncertainty’

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Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and the new City Council were sworn into office on Thursday (Jan. 2), ushering in a new era of city governance with the new year.

Gaskins is the first Black woman to be elected mayor of the city. She stood alongside her husband and two children and took the oath of office from Clerk of the Court Greg Parks onstage at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center (4915 E. Campus Drive) at Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria campus.

Gaskins said that the installation ceremony was occurring amid the backdrop of “deep uncertainty.”

“I am here because in November, you chose hope and progress,” Gaskins said. “I reconcile that not everyone in our country voted the same way and like you the consequences of those results worry me and have me thinking a lot about what they mean for our city. Tonight’s celebration … is taking place against the backdrop of deep uncertainty, but here in Alexandria, we will not stop dreaming and we will not stop fighting, because you have told me we cannot afford to, you have told me what we want, and you have told me what we deserve.”

Also sworn in were the Democratic slate of Council Members — Sarah Bagley, John Taylor Chapman, Canek Aguirre, Kirk McPike, Jacinta Greene and Abdel Elnoubi.

Council’s first action after being sworn in was to unanimously elect Bagley as vice mayor. Bagley received the most votes in the November general election, and the Council Member who gets the most votes traditionally becomes the number two in the Council hierarchy.

Bagley said she wants to spend the next three years to “continue the work of repairing the world.”

“Climate change is real,” Bagley said. “Humans are contributing to it, but we can work to solve this challenge. Housing is not sufficiently available nor affordable. This will only worsen under the status quo, but we have tools and the collective ability to address this problem … While Alexandria has done incredible things of late to support public education, we must be increasingly nimble and accountable. We must cultivate civic engagement in our youth, maintain vital connections with our seniors and foster ways to invite all members of our diverse population into our work to improve the livability and goodness of our city.”

McPike, now starting his second term, warned that the city must maintain Democratic values in the face of a Republican administration in the White House, as well as pressure from Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.

“There are those coming into power who would soon who plan to target some of our residents because of who they love, because of who they are, because of where they come from,” McPike said. “We may be pressured to participate in actions that run contrary to our values as a city, we may be threatened with dire consequences if we do not join in efforts to prosecute and persecute we may be told that we have to go along if we want to get along, but in response, we must say no.”

By day, McPike is chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), and sheltered in place in the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

Gaskins, who now begins her second three-year term on Council, said that the city will need to take “bold swings” to invest in schools, infrastructure and more.

“I know this is possible,” Gaskins said. “Together we will deliver a city that works for all of us together, we will disrupt the status quo as we will turn what seems like impossible into the possible, but together, most importantly, we will fight to deliver on the next generation of Alexandria’s dreams, and in doing so, help her reach her full potential and make history while we’re at it.”

Chapman is now the senior member on Council.

“To be entrusted with a fifth term in my hometown as your city councilman is not something that I take lightly at all,” Chapman said. “As we enter this new term, I pledge to continue listening to your voices, fighting for your needs, and ensuring that Alexandria is the city that leaves no one behind.”

Former two-term Mayor Justin Wilson and former Vice Mayor Amy Jackson also spoke at the installation.

Jackson, who lost to mayoral Democratic primary to Gaskins in June, said that she will continue serving the community.

“I congratulate the incoming mayor and council on their new term, and appreciate their time and commitment to our city. I wish them well in their endeavor, we know there is still more work to be done, and I, too, intend to continue doing my part in seeing to it that Alexandria continues to succeed. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to serve my hometown in this capacity.”

Wilson said that he would have plenty of time on his hands now to take calls for advice from his former colleagues.

“Every challenge that you will face is one that was created by a previous council, and there is a very fuzzy line between legacy and blame,” Wilson said. “And it requires courage and dedication to solve those challenges that are before this community, and I know this city council has it in them, and I look forward to sitting on the sidelines with popcorn and cheering you on as you take on these important issues.”