Roberto Gomez, executive director of nonprofit Cornerstone Craftsman, will soon launch a special election campaign for an open seat on City Council.
Gomez plans to formally announce his candidacy at the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s meeting on Monday, he told ALXnow. The 38-year-old longtime West End resident said he is prepared to outwork opponents and can relate to the city’s underserved constituencies.
“This city doesn’t work for people that look like the younger version of myself,” Gomez said. “The people who don’t speak English that well, or unless you are super-educated, have multiple degrees or can afford to live here because of some remote job that pays $150,000 a year.”
Gomez confirmed his candidacy days after City Councilman R. Kirk McPike announced his resignation Tuesday night. McPike’s resignation goes into effect on Feb. 9, the day before he runs in a special election against Republican Mason Butler for the 5th District seat in the House of Delegates.
Gomez is the third Democratic candidate to throw his hat into the ring, joining former ADC Chair Sandy Marks and Del Ray Citizens Association President Tim Laderach in the upcoming contest. He said he wants to live in a community with “opportunities for all.”
“I think we should look like a community where people have full bellies and roofs over their heads, a place where you can live your whole life in safety and peace with your neighbors,” Gomez said.
Gomez said he is frustrated and angry this week because one of his teenage apprentices was injured in a fatal shooting that killed a man Wednesday night. He said the city needs “real, actual community policing and not just talk about it.”
“We need police officers actually in neighborhoods, making connections with residents,” Gomez said. “That’s not happening because APD is under-staffed and stretched thin. Underserved communities need to trust law enforcement, and lawbreakers should know there will be a swift response, and that they should never come here in the first place.”
Gomez was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and moved to the Alexandria area of Fairfax County when he was 15. He said his then-stepfather was abusive, leading him to move away from home. He was expelled from Mount Vernon High School for fighting and received his GED at 16.
He spent the next 15 years learning trades and working construction before founding Even Scale, a home remodeling company.
“I really didn’t turn my life around until I was about 27,” Gomez said. “When I was a kid, I wasn’t safe at home. I had to overcome a lot of adversity, and I ran away a lot and made poor decisions. Learning the trades and knowing how to work with my hands is really what helped me change my life.”
Gomez founded Cornerstone in 2021, where he and a group of volunteers teach trade skills to 28 underserved teens. He said the city needs expanded technical training programs, and he’s concerned about artificial intelligence displacing the local workforce.
“There are going to be millions of people out of work in the near future, with kids in college that are incurring debt for degrees where their jobs will not even exist by the time they graduate,” Gomez said.
Gomez is a member of several community groups, including the Alexandria Gang Prevention Task Force, the Alexandria Police Foundation, the Sheriff’s Community Advisory Board, the Alexandria Community Safety Forum, and the Alexandria City Public School Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee.
Gomez is working on hiring a campaign manager and plans to soon launch a campaign website. In the meantime, he has published a campaign Instagram page and will soon announce a kickoff party.
“I don’t do the work for accolades,” Gomez said. “I’m serious, and I want to serve you, and I want to listen to what it is that you want done in this city, what makes you feel safe. What can we do better? Let’s find a way to do things better.”
The dates for the Democratic primary and special election have not yet been set, according to ADC and the city’s General Registrar. City Council must approve a resolution indicating a vacancy to send to the Circuit Court to determine the election date, the Registrar said.
