election | ALXnow

Morning Notes

Published June 2, 2021 at 5:00AM | Updated June 9, 2021 at 4:14PM

Musician King Street Sax performing on lower King Street in Old Town. Find out more at kingstreetsaxmusic.com. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Demolition complete at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School — “It’s official, the Douglas MacArthur Elementary School of old is now fully demolished, and we are on our way to a new building, opening January 2023! Watch the construction on the project website from Skanska: https://bit.ly/3bXgncs” [Facebook]

ACPS in early stages of developing safety plan without school resource officers — “Alexandria is not alone in re-evaluating its relationship between police and schools, but it is the only Northern Virginia jurisdiction to remove SROs from schools so far.” [Alexandria Living]

News

Bennett-Parker says Levine mailer on Commonwealth of Virginia letterhead is ethics breach

By James Cullum

Published June 1, 2021 at 1:00PM | Updated June 4, 2021 at 9:55PM

An annual mailer from Del. Mark Levine to Democratic voters in the 45th District has his opponent, Alexandria Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, raising concerns of an ethical breach of conduct.

Levine is running for lieutenant governor and his seat in the 45th District. The 17-page annual update is written on Commonwealth of Virginia letterhead, and asks for support in the upcoming June 8 Democratic primary. The letter also includes his campaign websites markfordelegate.com and levineforvirginia.com, but not a disclaimer stating that it was paid for by his campaign.

News

Wilson and Silberberg mayoral debate finale opens possibility of ‘tweaking’ Seminary Road Diet

By James Cullum

Published May 28, 2021 at 9:30AM

Mayor Justin Wilson and former Mayor Allison Silberberg in the Seminary Ridge mayoral candidate discussion on Thursday, May 27, 2021. (Image via Zoom)

With no more mayoral debates, now it all boils down to the Democratic primary on June 8.

Like the main event at a boxing match, Mayor Justin Wilson and former Mayor Allison Silberberg on Thursday night maneuvered through a series of questions in the final of four Seminary Ridge Civic Association candidate forums.

News

City Council candidate Sarah Bagley wants to be a voice for Alexandria women

By James Cullum

Published May 25, 2021 at 4:45PM

City Council candidate Sarah Bagley speaks at a candidate forum at Tenants and Workers United in Arlandria on Thursday, May 13, 2021. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Sarah Bagley has four cell phones sitting on her desk, and promises not to buy a fifth if she’s elected to the Alexandria City Council this fall.

By day, Bagley is the executive director of D.C.-based nonprofit Chisom Housing Group and manages 20 affordable housing communities in 11 states across the country, although none are in the D.C. Metro area. One phone is personal, one is for work and the other two are resident service lines.

News

City Council candidates talk Seminary Road Diet, transparency and ward representation (Part 3)

By James Cullum

Published May 25, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated May 25, 2021 at 1:33PM

Voting at Temple Beth El Synagogue (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Monday night was a clinic in anti-establishment thinking, as the final group of City Council candidates opined on such issues as transparency, the Seminary Road Diet, the elimination of school resource officer funding and shifting from an at-large to a ward system.

It was the third and final Council forum with the Seminary Ridge Civic Association, which last week featured two virtual panels with the other candidates.

News

City Council candidate Kirk McPike says he wants to bridge divisions with community conversations

By James Cullum

Published May 24, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated May 25, 2021 at 5:26PM

City Council candidate Kirk McPike speaks at a candidate forum at Tenants and Workers United in Arlandria on Thursday, May 13, 2021. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

On January 6, Alexandria City Council candidate Kirk McPike was sheltering in place at the U.S. Capitol with his boss, Democratic Congressman Mark Takano.

The world watched as American politics reached a boiling point, and McPike says that the experience was heartbreaking. As Takano’s chief of staff, McPike directed that all staff stay home that day. He and Takano were eventually evacuated to the Longworth House Office Building, where they rode out the proverbial storm.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published May 24, 2021 at 5:00AM

Waiting in line for frozen custard outside The Dairy Godmother at 2310 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Suit alleging admissions discrimination at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology moves forward — “More than 70 percent of the student body at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is Asian American; Black and Hispanic students have been woefully underrepresented there for decades. At a hearing Friday in Alexandria, lawyers for the Fairfax County School Board urged a judge to toss out the lawsuit. They argue that the new admissions policies are race-neutral. But the judge ruled that the parents’ group made a compelling claim that the board’s true motivation was to increase Black and Hispanic representation at the expense of Asian Americans.” [WAVY.com]

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra extends contract for Maestro James Ross — “The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) announced that Music Director James Ross received a contract extension through the 2023-24 season. Ross has been at the helm of ASO since 2018. He is the fifth music director in ASO’s 78-year history.” [Zebra]

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published May 21, 2021 at 3:30PM

It was another busy week in Alexandria.

For the second week in a row, our top story was on T.C. Williams High School teacher Gregory Elliott, whose D.C.-based go-go band Experience Unlimited was featured at the Oscars.

News

City Council Candidates talk Seminary Road Diet and government transparency in Seminary Ridge forum (Part 2)

By James Cullum

Published May 21, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated May 21, 2021 at 5:19PM

Voting at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center in Del Ray, November 3, 2020. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated 5 p.m.) Statements on the Seminary Road Diet and government transparency were the highlights of Thursday night’s Seminary Ridge Civic Association candidate forum.

Thursday night’s forum (the second of three events) included City Councilman John Taylor Chapman, former School Board Member Bill Campbell, Meronne Teklu, Republican candidate Darryl Nirenberg and Bill Rossello.

News

City Council candidates talk Seminary Road Diet, colocating affordable housing on public school property (Part 1)

By James Cullum

Published May 19, 2021 at 4:45PM

A voter participates in the Super Tuesday primary at Mount Vernon Community School, March 3, 2020 (Staff photo by James Cullum)

The Seminary Road Diet took center stage Tuesday night, as City Council candidates met in the first of three West End forums.

City Council candidates Canek Aguirre (incumbent), Alyia Gaskins, Kirk McPike, Patrick Moran and Sarah Bagley were the first batch of candidates to speak at the Seminary Ridge Civic Association candidate forum.

News

Did You Know: The last time Alexandria elected a Republican mayor was in 1872

By James Cullum

Published May 18, 2021 at 9:30AM

Alexandria City Hall (staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

It’s been nearly 150 years since Alexandria elected its last Republican mayor.

The year 1872 was big for Republicans. President Ulysses S. Grant won his second term in office, and it’s also the last time that Alexandria elected a Republican as mayor.