To the Editor:
Several neighborhood associations hosted the first Mayoral debate in the MacArthur School cafeteria last Thursday, April 23. As a relatively new Alexandria resident and voter, it was a good opportunity for me to learn about old and new city issues as well as to observe the candidates, and watch them interact.
From the reactions in the audience, it is clear that we share many common concerns in this part of Alexandria: traffic, a city budget that keeps on growing, city leaders seemingly obsessed with more growth and development as the only answer to our financial stresses, and the lack of respect for residential zoning in this endless quest for the next development dollar.
While we heard the Mayor Euille and the former Mayor Donley spar about which of them was more responsible for the city’s rezoning and other decisions at the Winkler property on Beauregard Street that brought the suffocating BRAC traffic to our part of town, neither proposed anything meaningful to deal with this traffic. In fact, the shared theme of the evening was for more growth. Mayor Euille talked about future growth projections in Alexandria with 50,000 more residents by 2040 — stating confidently that we could manage this growth. Former Mayor Donley oft repeated a mantra that we need smart, commercial growth near mass transit to better balance our commercial and residential tax burden. In response to a question on Old Town parking issues, Mr. Donley even observed that parking was a good problem to have since it demonstrated vibrancy.
Vice Mayor Silberberg also acknowledged the need for Alexandria to be open for business and called for growth around transit corridors in a measured and balanced way. But where she differed from the other candidates was in not seeing growth as the answer to all of our problems. In fact, she stressed that the city and its citizens need to do a detailed reassessment of our 10-year capital plan, stating that we, as Alexandrians, must be honest with each other, determine what is mission critical, and what is not.
She said what too many politicians are unwilling to say, but what every Alexandria household knows from daily living — “We must live within our means. We simply can’t have it all.” Not a radical concept, but a refreshing one nonetheless.
Shelby Olson
Alexandria