Alexandria — To the Editor:
A number of decisions by Alexandria City staff and City Council have raised questions about the City being responsive to citizen concerns and needs. Consider, for example, the location of the BRAC-133 complex of buildings, the process for the approval of the Waterfront Plan, the unpopular draft Beauregard Small Area Plan that calls, among other things, for displacing 10,000 lower-income residents; an ambitious and largely unfunded rapid transit Corridor C in the West End; and the general lack of adequate traffic solutions within the City. All these point to the great importance of the elections this year (primary and general) that will select a Mayor and six Councilmembers in Alexandria.
I invite those who also consider these elections to be crucial to join a new group, Democrats for a Better Alexandria (DBA), co-chaired by Dorathea Peters and Jack Sullivan. DBA has a deep interest in such issues as land use; traffic and transportation; green open space; transparency, accountability, efficiency and civility in government; and adequate affordable housing in Alexandria. Its steering committee includes present and past Democratic party officials, and it welcomes others with a similar interest in these issues.
DBA plans to provide a range of support, including financial support, for candidates for Council which it endorses. Endorsements will depend on a number of things, including responses to a questionnaire that the DBA is preparing, regarding pressing issues that Alexandria faces. Our goal is to assure that the new City Council reflects the commitment to good government that has been a tradition in our city since its founding.
John Broughton
Alexandria