To the Editor:
In 34 years of service in the Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, I worked with five different mayors. Hands down, Kerry Donley was the most effective, and the city would be fortunate to have him at the helm once again.
The challenges facing Alexandria make the stakes in the coming election higher than usual. Balancing revenue sources to meet core expenses, repairing an aging infrastructure, and fostering a first class work force that can continue to meet the high demands for service to the citizens are all matters that are close to a tipping point. Addressing these issues will require informed and decisive leadership.
What sets Donley apart from his two competitors in the June 9 primary are two critical qualifications: vision and experience. Current Mayor Bill Euille means well, but unfortunately his stewardship has been mostly reactive. Donley’s governance was and will be proactive: he has a clear vision and sees what is ahead and can plan accordingly. One term council member Allison Silberberg, is, by any objective standard, simply not ready to be mayor. Governing the city effectively will require extensive budgetary and managerial experience which she lacks, and which Donley brings to the job on day one.
Donley’s record, and his clear articulation of what lies ahead, demonstrate his solid understanding of and focus on the core responsibilities of municipal government. Whatever else this election may be about, it should focus on selection of a candidate for mayor who has the common sense, vision, experience and and decisive leadership ability to govern efficiently and in the best interests of the City. By this measure, Kerry Donley is the clear choice.
Randolph Sengel
The writer is the former Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Alexandria who served in the office from 1979-2013.