Mayor Justin Wilson
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT
Uniting Alexandria. Getting Results.
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT
Uniting Alexandria. Getting Results.
Friends,
Sixteen years ago this month, I sent the first edition of "The Council Connection." Every month that I have been privileged to serve, I have sent out another edition.
I have always giggled when residents would ask me who was on "the team" that writes the newsletter each month. It was just me (with some great volunteer editors), usually in the middle of the night, typing out what I thought would be useful information for the residents of our City.
The list has grown over the years. These days there's about 15,000 residents who get the newsletter each month, and I love the dialogue this newsletter prompts.
At various points over the years, I have probably sent you things that you have agreed with, that have confused you, that have confounded you and that have enraged you. In turn, you have given me your candid feedback on the issues facing our City. It's been a fun dialogue for me, and it's made me more effective in representing you on the City Council, and for the past 5 years, as your Mayor.
This newsletter seemed like as good a place as any to let you know that a year from now, I'm going to send the final edition of "The Council Connection" at the beginning of my final month as your Mayor.
A few months ago, my son graduated Alexandria City High School (ACHS). It was an exciting moment for our family, particularly as he graduated from the same school my wife graduated from back in 1997. One of the great perks of being Mayor is that you get to sit on the stage during the graduation. For me, that meant I had the opportunity to give my son a hug right after he got his diploma. It was an awesome moment for me, and one I replay in my head frequently.
A few months later, I was discussing this moment with my daughter, a sophomore at ACHS. I recounted how special it was to be up on the stage to hug her older brother, but noted that if I wanted to do the same for her graduation, I would have to run for re-election. Without skipping a beat, my daughter responded, "not worth it, Dad!" While I would agonize over this decision for many months, including over these past few weeks, if I'm being truthful, the decision was made at that moment, in that conversation with my daughter.
I love this job. I am in awe of what we have been able to accomplish by working together during the 13 years I have been able to serve. I would be thrilled to do this job forever. But doing two full-time jobs and being a good husband and father is not sustainable forever. Nor should anyone be in elected office forever. Good governance requires the constant injection of new ideas and energy.
Next year, Alexandria will choose a new Mayor. While I may have more to say about that decision at some point, for now, I'm going to hope we get good people to step forward and articulate a vision for Alexandria's future to the great people of our City.
On the first day of 2025, I'll take my place on the sidelines. Until then, we have a lot of work to do, and I have a finite deadline with which to do it! With this announcement out of the way, let's get back to work!
This weekend is one of the best weekends in our City, as the holidays come alive. Tomorrow morning, the 52nd Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Parade, a partnership between The Campagna Center and Visit Alexandria will begin at 11 AM in the streets of Old Town.
Tomorrow night, beginning at 5:30 PM, find your spot along the waterfront to celebrate the 23rd Annual Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights.
I will see you out there this weekend!
Preparations are well under way to ring in 2024 with First Night Alexandria. Tickets are available now to celebrate the New Year in Alexandria!
If you would like me to host a town hall in your neighborhood, please drop me a line and we'll get it on the calendar!
Contact me anytime. Let me know how I can help.
- Justin
Friends,
Yesterday, Alexandria voters made their voices heard.
I am so grateful for our incredible volunteers and our campaign team. This victory is your victory.
To those of you who encouraged your friends to turn out and vote, posted on social media about our campaign, contributed money or put a sign in your yard, you made the difference in this race.
I did have the opportunity to speak with Former Mayor Silberberg last night and she offered her congratulations on the race. Our system is stronger when we have competition and debate about the important issues facing our community.
This fall, I will have the honor of running alongside a dynamic, energetic and forward-thinking Democratic ticket for City Council. Congratulations to my colleagues Canek Aguirre, John Chapman and Amy Jackson on their nominations to return to City Council. We will be excited to welcome Sarah Bagley, Alyia Gaskins and Kirk McPike to the team. I know this team will do great things for the residents of the City that we will be privileged to serve.
But first, we need to ensure a Democratic victory on Tuesday November 2nd. We will be reaching out soon to discuss how you can make sure that happens.
I am thankful for your support,
- Justin
Friends,
Over the weekend, we knocked on over 1,300 doors in our City! My colleague, Councilman Canek Aguirre and I jointly launched a canvass in the Maury precinct on Sunday and I personally knocked on doors in the Beth El precinct both days.
Later this week, the voters of Alexandria will begin casting their ballots in our Democratic Primary. This morning, I am proud to announce a critical endorsement in this race, the endorsement of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club.
In providing this endorsement, the Sierra Club has cited my dedication to the protection of the natural resources of Alexandria.
I am proud of our accomplishments over the past 2 years to make Alexandria a more sustainable place. We have added the first electric busses to our DASH fleet, expanded maintenance to preserve our tree canopy, launched a new glass recycling program, approved the first “Net-Zero” (no greenhouse gas emissions) public building in the City, adopted new sustainable building standards for private development, adopted a new Environmental Action Plan with aggressive targets for emission reductions, advanced clean water efforts, expanded mass transit (including a new proposal to eliminate fares), created a new C-PACE program to make commercial buildings more efficient and much more.
We have made bold strides to create an Alexandria that serves as a leader in climate action, and protection of our air and water.
However, I need your help today as we continue our work.
There are a few ways you can help our campaign today:
Let me know your ideas, I am thankful for your support.
- Justin
Friends,
Achieving results for the residents of our City requires partnership. Today, I am proud to announce the support of so many elected and former elected officials who know the challenges of governing not just in the good times, but in times of struggle. I have been proud to work side by side with these dedicated public servants on behalf of the residents of our City and I will continue to draw upon their expertise and experience as we tackle the difficult choices ahead.
I look forward to earning the most important endorsement of all on June 8th, that of the voters of the City of Alexandria.
Thanks to those of you who were able to attend the Alexandria Democratic Committee's straw poll event last night. With your support, we were able to win. Now, we must keep the momentum going as we race to June 8th.
There are a few ways you can help our campaign today:
Let me know your ideas, I am thankful for your support.
- Justin
Dear Friend,
Two years ago, I began my term as your Mayor. With hope for the future, I promised that Alexandria would be “A Small City that Does Big Things.”
We could not foresee the pandemic that has shattered our economy, threatened the health, safety and financial security of so many and highlighted the very real inequities faced by Black and Brown residents of our community. Yet, we have faced those daunting obstacles together with a shared vision for a community that works for all of our residents.
The health, human and economic challenges facing our City will require our best ideas and collaboration. I am proud of how we have weathered this storm, but we must now lead the recovery. With that optimism for the City’s future, I am excited to seek your support to serve a second term as your Mayor.
Against these headwinds we have not stood still. We now have a plan for a new Hospital and a redeveloped Landmark Mall, budgeted funding for 5 new schools over the next decade (including a new high school building), we have begun redevelopment of the coal powerplant on our waterfront, expanded early-childhood education, began construction of the Potomac Yard Metro, advanced our climate resiliency and commenced the largest-ever investment in our sewers.
We are in a unique and challenging moment for our City. Our success has never been assured. It has been created through generations of leaders who have placed the City’s future first.
In the face of the pandemic, we have demonstrated that we could build the creative partnerships to preserve public health, protect our residents and keep our small businesses afloat. Leading the recovery requires that we support our children, invest in our infrastructure and expand our economy. As we grow, we can define a new model of inclusive growth that repairs the persistent racial inequities in our City.
I know we can do more! I ask for your continued support to lead Alexandria forward.
- Justin
As we conclude the week, I want to provide you with additional updates on the COVID-19 outbreak that is facing our community.
Alexandria currently has 4 cases where residents have received presumptive positive tests. There is every expectation that this number will grow.
This outbreak will have dramatic impacts on the health of our residents, the survival of many businesses that operate in our City, the jobs those businesses create and the finances of your City government. The collateral impacts will create human service challenges that will face our community for months and years to come.
The City has partnered with ACT for Alexandria to raise money for the emergent human service needs facing the residents of our City during this time. Please join me in contributing to this COVID-19 Response Fund.
For the first time, I am sending an edition of this newsletter, ordinarily sent monthly, to provide you with updates on the COVID-19 outbreak that is facing our community.
The significance of the pandemic flu outbreak that has been spreading around the globe for the past few months cannot be overstated.
Over the weekend, we announced that a second Alexandria resident had received a presumptive positive test for coronavirus COVID-19. There is every expectation that this number will grow.
Keep up with the latest information from Alexandria's City Council.
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News Publication, August 2021
ALEXANDRIA, VA – On paper, Alexandria may seem like an unusual place to test the idea of “guaranteed income.”
The Northern Virginia city of 160,000, known for its historic Old Town, consistently ranks among the wealthiest counties or equivalent jurisdictions in the nation. The median household makes about $103,000, more than one and a half times the national average.
Yet local officials, flush with millions in extra cash thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act, are preparing a plan to do just that: Starting this fall, they will give $500 debit cards each month to 150 families, with no strings attached — part of a growing wave of places in the United States and beyond embracing the idea.
“We have built an entire apparatus of bureaucracy around how we administer programs designed to address the impacts of poverty,” Mayor Justin Wilson (D) said. “In some ways, the philosophy around it is: Let’s cut all that out of there and just provide money.”
Justin loves to hear from his constituents!
Let him know your questions or concerns on the future of Alexandria.
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