By Larry Altenburg, Alexandria (File photo)

To the editor:
Having been active in Alexandria for the past 15 years, it is 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 the demands of our citizens — and our ability to pay for them — have been out of balance for too long. 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 who live, work and play in Alexandria.

The challenges we face over the next several decades only can be addressed through thoughtful expansion of our business base that accommodates the entire economic spectrum, from local small businesses to large multinational corporations, and from small associations and nonprofits to large government agencies. The diversity of our economy is essential to our city’s vitality. The residents of Alexandria have been tapped out with the portion of the budget that comes from individual taxes.

To pay for the amenities we demand, we can no longer saddle our real estate taxpayers 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 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 our need for significant business growth 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 Mayor Bill Euille’s write-in campaign.

Euille has the understanding of Alexandria’s complexities as well as the vision to bring the city into the future. He 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 economic development.

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.

He has proven time and again that he is willing to address tough issues, facilitate a collaborative approach to problem solving, and reach decisions that will enable Alexandria to grow in the long term. At times his approach and direction have not been popular, but in almost all instances Euille’s judgment has been right for the city’s long-term vitality.

As we build our city for the future, 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 November 3. I ask you to consider the importance of the future of Alexandria and do the same.