By Olivia Anderson | oanderson@alextimes.com
Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson shared a letter addressed to incoming Gov. Glenn Youngkin outlining areas of cooperation he hopes the two can reach next year.
“I know that while we may have different ways of solving the problems and challenges facing our community, we can find common ground to make life better for residents in Alexandria [and] in communities throughout the Commonwealth,” Wilson wrote.
The shift in party leadership toward Republicans at the state level has left some residents in Alexandria, which just elected an all-Democrat City Council slate, a bit apprehensive.
In Wilson’s letter, he outlined six key areas of interest, starting with “holding our electric utilities accountable.” Wilson pointed to the recent citywide frustration with Dominion Virginia Power, which Wilson most recently criticized for a power outage during Del Ray’s Art on the Avenue, and his subsequent petition with the Virginia State Corporation Commission that Dominion’s allowed profit be reduced.
Wilson also highlighted the importance of funding the Commonwealth’s criminal justice agencies and K-12 education, the latter of which he said needs recognition of the true cost of high-quality free education to all students, particularly those in localities with high costs of living.
“We urge you to work to ensure your efforts do not create significant underfunded mandates on localities and consider funding mechanisms and formulae that better reflect the true cost of education in the Commonwealth, including the often outsized costs borne by localities,” the letter reads.
Finally, Wilson highlighted the importance of modernizing the local tax structure and investing in public transit, including WMATA.
“We look forward to working with [Youngkin] for the next four years as we find common ground to move Alexandria and our Commonwealth forward,” Wilson wrote.
