Allison Silberberg has something to say.
The former Alexandria mayor says she has received a great response after launching her own Substack on July 1. So far, she posts once a week with “Allison Silberberg’s Plain Talk,” weighing in on the recently passed Big Beautiful Bill in Congress (BBB) and the devastating flooding in the Texas Hill Country.
“Here are the bare bones facts for the current BBB,” Silberberg wrote, “it is unfair and dangerous.”
Silberberg called the legislation “a disaster” that will result in massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
“Over a decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the BBB would add about $3.5 trillion to our debt, plus the interest on the debt,” she wrote. “That would set our nation on a financial death spiral. We are going in the wrong direction.”
On July 7, Silberberg opined that the recent floods in the Texas Hill Country should serve as a warning to other localities. She also said that the affected region in Texas should have been better prepared with early warning sirens.
“If you are an elected official anywhere in the country, look hard at the flooding in Texas as a cautionary tale,” Silberberg wrote. “There is no time to go to your office and grab a binder off the shelf to figure out what to do or whom to call. Seconds matter. All city staff members must be aware of their responsibilities. Every city or county leader can lead a similar exercise.”
What will she talk about next?
“I’m not sure yet,” Silberberg said. “It’s gotten a big response, which I’m grateful for. A lot of writers have a Substack, and it’s a good way to get views known, and if I can advocate for something or help a cause or provide some insights, then through a short piece that will be fine.”
Silberberg was vice mayor from 2013 to 2016 and mayor from 2016 to 2019. She’s the author of two books and has had articles published in The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, and local publications in Northern Virginia. She moved to Alexandria in 1989, the same year that she wrote an episode of “Mama’s Family” entitled “Mama’s Layaway Plan.”
She named the Substack “Plain Talk” after receiving a compliment while working for Texas Sen. Lloyd M. Bentsen (D). She said that Benson’s Chief of Staff, Michael Levy, told her that she was hired for having a plain-spoken communication style.
“It’s really written beyond our boundary of 15 square miles, and people from all over the country can read it,” Silberberg said. “My thought right now is posting once a week. Maybe it will be more. I haven’t quite figured out what to do if I’m on vacation.”
