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City Council candidates to debate Wednesday in Alexandria’s West End

By James Cullum
(Left to right) City Council candidates Sandy Marks, Frank Fannon and Alison O'Connell (via West End Business Association)

Three candidates vying for an open seat on City Council will participate in a forum Wednesday (March 25) in Alexandria’s West End.

ALXnow is moderating the West End Business Association forum, which will be held at Feru Bar and Restaurant (512 S. Van Dorn Street, Unit D) from 5-7 p.m. The free event is open to the public and will feature Democratic candidate Sandy Marks and independent candidates Alison O’Connell and former City Councilman Frank Fannon.

Attendees may bring their questions to the event or email them in advance to [email protected].

The special election for the City Council seat will be held Tuesday, April 21, coinciding with a statewide voter referendum on mid-decade redistricting of Virginia’s congressional districts.

The Council race is the last domino to fall after former State Sen. Adam Ebbin announced his resignation in January to join Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D)’s administration. After Ebbin announced his resignation, then-Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker won a firehouse Democratic primary and a special election to fill his Senate seat. Former City Councilman R. Kirk McPike then won a firehouse primary and special election for Bennett-Parker’s House seat, creating the vacancy on City Council.

Marks, who served as chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee for four years until last December, won the firehouse Democratic primary against four opponents on Feb. 21.

Fannon, who served as a Republican during a single term on City Council from 2009 to 2012, has said that partisan politics should be left out of local government. The seven-member City Council has been entirely dominated by Democrats since Fannon lost his reelection bid in 2012.

O’Connell is the co-founder of Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights, a group that has protested the war between Israel and Hamas as well as the Sheriff’s Office’s transfers to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. The group has spoken out at City Council meetings and dozens of public events.

Early voting in the City Council contest began Friday, March 6, and runs through Saturday, April 18. The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, April 14, although same-day registration is available after that deadline.

Image via West End Business Association/Facebook.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.