To the Editor:
Having been active in Alexandria for the past 15 years, it has been clear that the city has faced its fair share of challenges, including many outside of its control. We have seen our quality of life erode at the edges because of the differences between the city’s revenues and expenditures. I fear that the demands of our citizens and the ability for us to pay for them have been out of balance for too long, and we must engage in a deliberate and aggressive growth strategy to ensure that the basic needs of our citizens are met while respecting the historic nature of our city along with the modern needs of those that live, work, and play in Alexandria. The challenges we face over the next several decades can only be addressed by thoughtful expansion of our business base that accommodates the entire economic spectrum from local micro- and small businesses to large multi-national corporations, and from small associations and non-profits to large government agencies. The diversity of our economy is essential to our city’s vitality. The citizen residents of Alexandria have been tapped out with the amount of the budget comes from individual taxes. To pay for the amenities we demand, we can no longer saddle our real estate taxes with the vast majority of the burden. We must grow our business base and expand our revenue sources. It is clear that as our population grows, we will continue to see an increase in the demand for key services and that the tax base needs to expand well beyond our residential taxes to address that demand.
The best person to lead our city into the future is not one who will curtail economic growth; rather it is one who will lead the city and embrace the needs that we have for significant additions of businesses within and across Alexandria. I want my Alexandria to be a place where my children want to live, work, and play, and the only way we can do that is with a mayor who will lead us through difficult decisions and secure our future. It is for this reason that I fully endorse Bill Euille’s write in campaign.
Bill Euille has the understanding of Alexandria’s complexities as well as the vision for bringing Alexandria into the future. Bill can address the challenges of our present and future in a way that no other candidate can; he has outlined a future that ensures our future needs are addressed in a deliberate and meaningful approach, rather than “hitting the pause button” and stopping our economic development. Bill Euille has presided over major improvements within the city to enable long-term sustainability, and our city needs a mayor with extensive experience addressing the variety of social and economic issues that our city faces today. Bill Euille has proven time and again that he is willing to address tough issues, facilitate a collaborative problem solving approach, and reach decisions that will enable Alexandria to grow in the long term. At times his approach and direction has not been popular, but in almost all instances it has shown to be right for the city’s long term vitality.
As we build our city for our future, Bill Euille is the one who will ensure that our children’s futures are secure. I endorse Bill Euille for Mayor and will write in his name on the ballot on Nov. 3. I ask you to consider the importance of the future of Alexandria and do the same.
Larry Altenburg
Alexandria