Alexandria just hired Cheran Cordell Ivery as the city attorney, replacing outgoing City Attorney Joanna Anderson.
Ivery, who starts work on Jan. 8, has been the city attorney in Hampton, Virginia, for the last five years. She replaces City Attorney Joanna Anderson, who has had the role since 2018, and announced her retirement in June.
As city attorney, Ivery will advise City Council, as well as all city agencies, provide public records and represent the city in court, according to the city.
Mayor Justin Wilson said that Ivery brings experience and energy to the position.
“The City Attorney is one of the few positions across our organization selected by Council, which reflects the level of responsibility this role holds in the City,” Wilson said in a statement. “We are enthusiastic about Ms. Ivery joining the City and look forward to her counsel and leadership.”
Ivery was previously the deputy city attorney in Portsmouth from 2010 to 2018, and from 2014 to 2018 was an adjunct professor at William and Mary Law School, which is where she earned her law degree in 2003, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also has a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Cornell University.
The Council has concluded its search for a new City Attorney.
The Council just voted to select Cheran Cordell Ivery as Alexandria’s new City Attorney, beginning in January.
She brings a wealth of experience and energy to help lead our City! https://t.co/mX1Fyqj5aP
— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) November 14, 2023
All arguments aside, Alexandria’s equity standards and economic prospects have been declared sound.
Yesterday, the city announced that S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service reaffirmed Alexandria’s ‘AAA’ bond rating. The city has maintained the designation since 1992, and it equates to a good credit rating for the city to get low-interest rates from bond investors to provide funding for multiple projects.
“This is the ‘Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval’ for the city’s fiscal management and the state of our municipal balance sheet,” Mayor Justin Wilson told ALXnow. “This allows the City to borrow at the lowest-possible rates and maximize taxpayer dollars as we invest in critical infrastructure projects, including two new schools.”
This city said that before the end of the year it will issue $258 million of tax-exempt general obligation bonds to pay for capital improvement projects, like the Minnie Howard Redevelopment Project at Alexandria City High School, the newly constructed Douglas MacArthur Elementary School, and to the West End project at the former Landmark Mall property.
Alexandria also announced Thursday that it got a perfect score in The Human Rights Campaign’s 2023 Municipal Equality Index. The city, which got its third annual perfect score, is one of more than 500 municipalities across the country evaluated on the inclusiveness of their laws, policies and services toward LGBTQ+ residents.
Last year, city leaders decried Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s recommendations restricting transgender bathroom and pronoun use in public schools. In July, Alexandria City Public Schools put out a statement refusing to comply with the recommendations.
“(W)e want to reaffirm our commitment to all students, staff and families, including our LGBTQIA+ community, that ACPS will continue to both implement and develop gender affirming policies for all ACPS students,” School Board Chair Michelle Rief and SUperintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said in their joint statement. “School Board Policy JB: Nondiscrimination in Education protects students from discrimination due to gender expression, gender identity, sexual harassment and transgender status.”
Wilson said that equity was prioritized by City Council in its 2021 ALL Alexandria resolution, as well as by the city’s LGBTQ+ Task Force.
“I’m thrilled to see that paying off, and our efforts being recognized with another perfect score,” he said. “But this recognition is not the mark of a finished job. We have to keep working to ensure that Alexandria is an inclusive environment for everyone.”
The Virginia Dept. of Transportation is mulling expanding the Express Lanes system to a section of I-495 from Fairfax County across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and into Maryland.
The city of Alexandria, however, is skeptical of the current plans, as many of the alternatives come down to adding traffic lanes. Staff say these changes could hamper attempts to get people out of their cars and onto public transportation, including future transit across the bridge.
VDOT has wrapped up a study of how to improve transportation and reduce rising congestion along this segment of I-495. So far, it has come up with several preliminary alternatives, including adding general purpose lanes, express lanes or reversible express lanes and allowing part-time shoulder use.
“We are evaluating transportation improvements that would extend and provide continuity of the express lanes system on the southern section of the Capital Beltway,” said VDOT project manager Michelle Shropshire in a September public meeting.
In his most recent newsletter, Mayor Justin Wilson said the city has expressed to VDOT its concerns regarding “induced demand, increased cut-through traffic, potential impediments to future transit connectivity over the Wilson Bridge and more.”
“The City has generally had a ‘cautiously skeptical’ stance towards similar proposals in the past,” Wilson said. “We have worked with the Commonwealth to ensure that these projects generate revenue for transit initiatives and include protections to prevent such efforts from exacerbating cut-through traffic on City streets.”
Traffic on I-495 — between Route 1 and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge — is also a concern, however.
There is severe eastbound congestion from 3-7 p.m. starting at the Van Dorn Street interchange, Shropshire said.
“Travel through this area is often impacted by accidents,” she said. “During the Covid pandemic, there was a significant decrease in traffic volumes but we are currently experiencing traffic at or above pre-pandemic volumes.”
Now that a slate of alternatives have been identified, the next step for VDOT is to gather feedback and select a handful to evaluate via an environmental assessment. People can learn about the project and answer a short survey online or write to VDOT with their comments.
A preferred alternative is expected to emerge next spring.
In his newsletter, Wilson shared what city staff said about the study in a letter sent to VDOT sent last month:
- The criteria provided, including continuity of the Express Lane system, seem to bias the selection of alternatives towards those that include new Express Lanes, rather than those that prioritize transit and transportation demand management measures.
- Additional lanes may lead to additional demand on; therefore, increased traffic on the facility overtime.
- Reduction in congestion may reduce the number of crashes, but it could cause increased severity of crashes as vehicles are able to travel at higher speeds.
- Express Lane options could add constraints on providing new transit, specifically Metrorail lines on this corridor and across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in the future.
- New access points from I-495 to and from Alexandria could cause increased traffic on City streets.
- Right-of-way impacts have not yet been identified, and project limits should be minimized to minimize the impacts on adjacent and nearby properties.
VDOT has said that the alternatives it will consider for I-495 will be informed by a concurrent transit study.
In addition to incentives for riders, this recently completed transit study recommends new bus service, arguing it would be more cost-effective than rail, per the September presentation.
Woodrow Wilson Bridge was designed with additional space for future transportation needs and to accommodate future rail across the bridge, according to VDOT.
“Future rail service on the bridge would not be precluded by 495 Southside Study alternatives,” says the transportation agency.
Thousands turned out in costumes for the 27th annual Del Ray Halloween Parade on Sunday.
This year, the parade was named one of the top 10 Halloween Parades in the country by USA Today.
The Del Ray Business Association parade started at Mount Vernon Avenue and E. Bellefonte Avenue and ended with live music and prizes at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center athletic fields.
“We couldn’t have made such a successful event without more than 100 volunteers,” said parade organizer Gayle Reuter. “We start planning for this months in advance, and it takes so many neighbors and friends to make it a success.”
Del Ray’s next big event is the 48th annual Alexandria Turkey Trot on Nov. 23.
The @AlexCityTitans Zombie Band was out in force for the best Halloween Parade on the planet in Del Ray!
Amazing and creative costumes!
Thanks to @visitdelrayVA for making it happen. pic.twitter.com/4KtyPp3FR2
— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) October 29, 2023
Another great Del Ray Halloween Parade is in the books! pic.twitter.com/yjlrAkjElq
— Canek Aguirre (@CanekForCouncil) October 29, 2023
Another amazing Del Ray Halloween Parade this afternoon! pic.twitter.com/DIGmAUrnXk
— Alexandria Sheriff (@AlexVASheriff) October 29, 2023
One of #AlexandriaVA favorite traditions, the Annual Del Ray Halloween Parade! I had such a fun time judging the Pet Costume Contest! Over 50 pets entered the contest this year! @visitdelray pic.twitter.com/I7KVGtsH2b
— Alyia Gaskins (@Alyia4ALX) October 29, 2023
Like trains pulling into a station, regional transportation leaders converged in Alexandria today to cut the ribbon at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s new technology hub, the Metro Integrated Command and Communications Center (MICC).
The new 14-story MICC, located at 2401 Mill Road in the city’s Carlyle neighborhood, will hold up to 1,400 Metro staffers, and is home to the system’s data center, cybersecurity operations, bus and rail video teams, communications, and administrative support.
Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said the new facility is a game-changer.
“The MICC is a world-class control center that brings our rail, bus, security, and maintenance operations together in one place for the first time and our customer communications teams,” Clarke said. “Instead of managing service from separate control centers, we can coordinate together in real-time, working as a unified team to provide customers with clear, consistent messaging.”
Mayor Justin Wilson said important regional work will be done in the building.
“Metro is a key partner throughout the region, and we are proud they will call Alexandria home,” said Wilson. “The hundreds of employees who will be here will find the Eisenhower Corridor is a great area where they can work, live, and play.”
The MICC is Metro’s final piece of its Office Consolidation Plan, replacing the aging Jackson Graham Building in Washington, D.C.
Metro Board Chair Paul Smedberg, a former Alexandria City Council member, said the move will save Metro millions over the next two decades.
“Metro’s new Alexandria office with the MICC is the last major step in a broader office consolidation strategy that will save the transit authority $120 million over the next 20 years,” Smedberg said. “The Board recognized the importance of implementing this strategy, the goals of which were not only to create a long-term revenue stream, but also to improve employee safety, productivity, and satisfaction.”
Future cost-savings will be crucial, as the region has to help bail the transit system out of a $750 million budget deficit by next summer.
Community champions were honored as Living Legends of Alexandria on Wednesday night.
The prestigious annual honor was given to a dozen well-known former lawmakers, city employees, activists and business owners.
Mayor Justin Wilson said that Alexandria draws people who contribute to the greater good.
“This community has a way of just sucking you in to something great and it’s wonderful,” Wilson said. “But quickly, whether you’re growing up or you just got here, you start to realize that some of the same people are involved in multiple things, and… those are the kinds of people we’re honoring tonight. These are the people that make a lasting difference to our community. Decades from now when all of us are long gone, you will go around and you will say, ‘Wow, that happened because of them.'”
The reception was held at the George Washington National Masonic Memorial and was hosted by former Alexandria City High School principal John Porter. Three of the honorees who died recently were still recognized.
The 2023 Living Legends of Alexandria
- Former Police Chief David Baker
- Nelson Greene Jr., who died last year
- Retired Sheriff Dana Lawhorne
- Carolyn B. Lewis, founder of Project Discovery Alexandria
- Patty and Kate Moran
- Gary Oelze, who died this year
- Colonel James Paige
- Former City Council Member Redella S. “Del” Pepper
- Jack Sullivan
- Former School Board Member Charles Wilson
- William Vosbeck, who died in 2021
Nearly 500 signatures have been collected in an effort to name the new and yet-to-be-built athletic fields at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard campus after former Mayor Kerry Donley.
A steering committee of civic leaders, colleagues and friends submitted the petition with 486 signatures yesterday to the Alexandria School Board. In their letter, the steering committee wrote that the name is fitting, as Donley’s contributions were through public governance, education and community service.
“In so many ways, his contribution served to improve the day-to-day lives of countless individuals who live (and will live) in the City of Alexandria, to enlarge and strengthen the capability of ACPS (Alexandria City Public Schools) to deliver educational excellence to its students, and to assist a broad spectrum of nonprofits in their delivery of essential services to members of the Alexandria community,” the Kerry J. Donley Facility-Naming Steering Committee wrote.
The committee wrote that the athletic fields at the Minnie Howard campus would be a fitting place to honor for former mayor.
“In recognition of the length, breadth, and impact of his aggregate community contribution, the Committee believes it would be fitting and appropriate to name the complex of athletic fields to be reconstructed on the ACHS Minnie Howard campus in memory of Kerry Donley,” the committee wrote.
The Minnie Howard campus, which serves ninth graders, is undergoing a total redevelopment, and athletic fields will eventually be built on the site of the old building that now accommodates students.
Donley, who died unexpectedly last year at the age of 66, was on City Council for 18 years. He was mayor from 1996 to 2003, after which he was chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia for two years. He was also vice mayor from 1994 to 1996 and then again from 2009 to 2012. After briefly leaving politics, from 2005 to 2008 he was also the athletic director at ACHS. Donley moved to Alexandria in 1963 and attended Douglas MacArthur Elementary School and Bishop Ireton High School.
“The importance that public education, and ACPS in particular, held for Kerry, the support he had provided ACPS while an elected official, and the gratification he had derived from his time as athletic director for ACHS were important reasons for the Committee’s decision to seek the naming of an ACPS facility in his memory,” the steering committee wrote.
Mayor Justin Wilson said that he’s been in touch with Donley’s family about the matter over the past year and that it seems like an appropriate honor.
“Kerry was passionate about athletics in every form, and was always a staunch advocate for our schools,” Wilson said. “A naming effort that honors his legacy and brings together those passions seems fully appropriate for me.”
The members of the steering committee are:
- Mary Lee Anderson, executive director of Senior Services of Alexandria
- Rosa Byrd
- Lynwood Campbell
- Former Vice Mayor Bill Cleveland
- Judge Nolan Dawkins
- Mark Eaton
- Former Mayor Bill Euille
- Frank Fannon, former City Council member
- Connie Hart
- Retired Sheriff Dana Lawhorne
- Ericka Miller
- Former U.S. Congressman and Mayor Jim Moran
- John Porter, longtime ACHS principal
- Gayle Reuter
- Paul Smedberg, chair of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board and former City Council member
- David Speck, former City Council member
- Philip Sunderland
- Lizette Torres
Donley’s name has also been offered as a replacement for one of the Confederate-named streets by the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission.
The City of Alexandria spent $1.8 million on its Taylor Run and Strawberry Run restoration projects and, at a meeting earlier this week, Mayor Justin Wilson said the city has virtually nothing to show for it.
That $1.8 million went into the project before shovels ever hit the dirt. The plan was to combat erosion and improve the flow of the waterway, but the city’s design attracted considerable pushback from some local environmental activists and city watchdogs who said the plans could do more harm than good to the stream. Critics also noted that pollution levels in the stream were being calculated based on modeling rather than testing in the actual waterways.
Over months of community engagement, city staff and critics of the project went back and forth on the projects. When the project finally went to City Council, the Council voted to send the project back for further study and analysis.
When those plans for the stream restoration returned earlier this year, city leaders were frustrated that the projects had been scaled back considerably. To add insult to injury: the city was forced to return $3 million in grant funding it had received for the project.
Now, the full bill of the aborted Taylor Run and Strawberry Run stream restoration projects has come due to the tune of $1.8 million.
“That’s $1.8 million that we spent on these two projects and we essentially have nothing for that,” Wilson said at a City Council meeting. “We had a lot of planning, a lot of meetings, a lot of discussion with the community, and that’s great, but we don’t have a lot else.”
Wilson said that bill is a reminder of the expense that goes into public engagement, something he said the City should be more aware of when approaching future projects.
“I note that as we think about how we design public processes in the future, as we think about how we approach engagement, that these things have a cost,” Wilson said. “In this case, they had a very significant cost to our taxpayers. This is in addition to grants that we returned and other things. There is a significant opportunity cost.”
The new plans for Strawberry Run mostly focus on spot stabilization of erosion rather than a comprehensive project.
“We ended up in an okay place, but we could have ended up in a better place,” Wilson said. “Nevertheless, that’s where we are.”
With Alexandria’s consumption tax revenues hitting an all-time high in fiscal year 2023, Mayor Justin Wilson says that the city has emerged from the economic spiral created by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
The city’s consumption tax revenues (sales, meals and transient lodging) peaked at $81 million in fiscal year 2023, a 7% increase over the $76 million collected in FY 2022 and 23% more than the $66 million in FY 2019, according to figures presented at Visit Alexandria‘s annual meeting on Tuesday night.
“We’re back,” Wilson told an audience of hundreds at the Westin Alexandria Old Town. “And now it’s not about planning and recovery, it’s not about figuring out what’s next, it’s not about adapting. It’s about putting the pedal to the metal. This is an exciting moment for our community. And we have an opportunity to seize this incredible opportunity for the city in the future.”
Alexandria was also listed in Travel and Leisure’s Best Places to Travel in 2023 and Best Cities in the U.S. 2023, and was voted third in Condé Nast Traveler’s list of best small cities in the country.
Visit Alexandria CEO Patricia Washington said that her success is largely the result of a series of video advertising campaigns, like the “Best Kept Shh!” campaign, where the city is advertised as a best-kept secret. The campaign garnered a reported 60 million impressions, and contributed to a record 186 million total digital marketing impressions in FY 2023, according to Visit Alexandria.
“Our marketing strategy meets people where they are, whether they’re watching a YouTube video on their computer, a streaming app on their TV, or social media on their phone,” Washington said. “We’ve worked hard to gain national recognition and a national reputation and this is the moment to capitalize on it with a new spot that ties together all the accolades with the ‘Best Kept Shh’ campaign.”
Hotel occupancy rose 18% in Fy 2023, according to Visit Alexandria. That resulted in record revenue per available room of $111, a 4% increase from the previous record of $107 set in 2019.
Visit Alexandria is the city’s tourism bureau, and earlier this year City Council approved $2 million for marketing, advertising, printing and web expenses. The allocation, a 4% increase of $149,800, was directed to be spent at Visit Alexandria’s discretion. A majority of the funding, $1.7 million of it, is budgeted directly toward advertising, with $162,000 for website support and $127,000 for printing costs.
Washington said to expect new video campaigns highlighting Alexandria’s neighborhoods, Black heritage and more. She also said that travel inflation and fears of recession will mean that consumers will want to get the most value from their money in the coming year.
“At a time when so much of our life is lived in the digital world, we need to remember that authentic travel is a refuge that provides meaning, magic and connections,” Washington said.
Wilson said Visit Alexandria’s success allows the city to support critical services and protect an attractive quality of life.
“We’re in a joint venture,” he said. “And we’re going to make sure that joint venture is even more successful in the future.”
In-home childcare providers have, for years, faced a problem: many of them work in residential neighborhoods requiring Residential Parking Permits, leaving them with no good options for parking.
A zoning change working through city bureaucracy could make it easier for in-home childcare workers to secure parking in residential neighborhoods.
Mayor Justin Wilson said in a monthly newsletter that there are currently no good parking options for in-home childcare workers.
“For the parents who live in these districts and have in-home childcare, they are left with a few bad options, including disingenuous practices, leaving children unsupervised to rotate vehicles, etc.,” Wilson wrote. “The City Code creates an inequity between home healthcare workers and childcare workers which cannot be justified.”
Wilson said that the Residential Parking Permit program started in 1979. Back in 2005, then-City Manager James Hartmann put forward an ordinance that would allow issuance of residential parking permits for use by daycare and health care workers providing those services at residences in permit parking districts.
The City Council approved a pilot for home healthcare workers, but Wilson said the Council rejected the childcare proposal. The issue came up again briefly in 2008 but nothing changed.
“As such, last month I proposed to the City Council that we rectify this challenge by allowing childcare workers, serving families in a residential parking permit district, to access these permits, Wilson wrote. “With the support of my colleagues, this proposal will now return to the Traffic & Parking Board and eventually City Council for formal consideration this fall.”
