Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s nearly annual straw poll on Sunday.
The event, which was attended by more than 100 people at Lost Boy Cider, is the first indicator of how Alexandria might turn out in the run up to Tuesday’s primary. Virginia is one of 15 states participating in Super Tuesday primary on March 3.
Schools Preparing for Coronavirus — “ACPS has partnered with the Alexandria City Health Department and local first responders to form a COVID-19 Task Force Planning Committee to work closely to monitor this evolving situation. We plan to provide updates as we progress with this planning and work.” [ACPS]
Reminder: Primary Day is Tomorrow — “On Tuesday, March 3, there will be a Democratic Party presidential primary election in the City of Alexandria. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.” [City of Alexandria]
School Board Approves New Budget — “The Alexandria City School Board has approved an Operating Budget for the 2020-21 school year focused on supporting students socially, emotionally and academically while also increasing graduation rates. The Operating Budget of $299.1 million is an increase of 4.4% on last year’s budget, in line with ACPS’ anticipated continued enrollment growth and needs.” [ACPS]
City Unveils New 311 System — “The City of Alexandria has launched a new customer service initiative called Alex311, to connect customers to more than 175 City services in a variety of convenient ways. The service includes new web, mobile app, social media and phone options to submit requests for service or information… Alex311 replaces the City’s previous Call.Click.Connect. service.” [City of Alexandria]
Boyd Walker has never done this before. On the night of Jan. 29, the Alexandria resident will travel nearly 1,000 miles with 18 others in a four car caravan from Alexandria to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to volunteer with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.
“It’s fun. It’s an adventure. It’s a road trip with a bunch of people who share your values and goals,” Walker told ALXnow. “Whoever the candidate is, there should be tremendous enthusiasm, because Donald Trump is the most corrupt, dangerous president we’ve ever had and will be very damaging to our democracy and our planet if he spends another four years in office.”
It’s an early Christmas for Alexandria leadership, with Democrats taking control of the Virginia legislature opening the door for efforts to assert local control of several key policy questions.
Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, which means that localities like Alexandria can only exercise powers expressly granted by the state. In practice, Mayor Justin Wilson said this leaves localities forced to seek approval from the state for basic city policy questions, particularly on fiscal issues. Under a Republican majority, Alexandria struggled to have many of its legislative priorities addressed.
(Updated at 2:20 p.m.) Virginia’s election on Tuesday (Nov. 5) could shape the future of the Commonwealth as Republicans fight to hold onto a slim majority in the state legislature.
But don’t expect to see those fireworks in Alexandria. In all but one of the five state Senate and House of Delegates races, the incumbents are running unopposed.
Voter Registration Deadline Today — “FYI: The deadline to register to vote in Virginia’s Nov 5 General Election is Oct 15.” [Twitter, City of Alexandria]
Alexandria’s Top Nats Fan Weighs In — Mayor Justin Wilson tweeted during last night’s Nationals win to pull to 3-0 in the NLDS series with the Cardinals: “This is exhilarating and so foreign to me… 27 more outs. #nats” [Twitter]
New Senior Care Center Set to Open in 2021 — “Construction is progressing quickly on a new senior care community in Old Town. Sunrise Senior Living broke ground on its new facility at the intersection of North Washington and Princess streets early this year. The McLean-based company is building a 93-room assisted living community.” [Alexandria Living]
Waterfront Construction Projects Well Underway — “Anyone living on Union Street in Old Town 10 years ago might not recognize it now… During the week, the street is crowded with construction vehicles, and there are several places where the sidewalk is temporarily blocked or under a protective awning because of the construction. Hardly the setting for tourists taking selfies.” [Gazette-Packet]
