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Age: 42
Occupation: Chief Advancement Officer at American Council on Education
Bio: I am a long-time dedicated civic volunteer, as a past chair of the city’s budget commission and Park and Recreation Commission member and current service on the DASH Bus board and Scholarship Fund of Alexandria board. I live in Del Ray and have two children at Mount Vernon Community School.
Rank the following issues from most to least important:
- Affordable housing
- Other – school capacity
- Commercial tax diversity
- Crime/safety
- Environmental protection
- Equity
- Economy/inflation
- Ethics
- Historic preservation
- Increasing density
What’s the biggest problem facing Alexandria right now?
Housing affordability.
What’s your top policy priority?
Continue to increase housing supply throughout the city, across a variety of types of homes to rent or own and over a broad range of price and affordability.
What qualifies you to be elected?
I’m a dad with kids in the public schools, a youth sports coach, a long-time city volunteer and I’m running for City Council because I take this work seriously and like solving problems. All my past efforts on city boards and commissions as well as boards of local nonprofits have left me deeply knowledgeable about how our city government functions and has let me build relationships with community leaders and groups across the city. I’ll be ready on day one to get things done for all of us.
What’s the city’s biggest long-term challenge?
Opportunities for children and youth in the city. This starts with access to affordable high-quality child care and after care programs and continues through our school capacity issues and on through the need for more youth engagement and mentorship opportunities, including workforce pathways. Our young people need safe places they can gather and ample opportunity to do sports, art, entrepreneurship or any extracurricular that lets them discover themselves and thrive.
What is Alexandria’s greatest strength and how would you utilize it?
The talent and expertise of city residents in important areas like climate response, workforce development and public health. We are home to some of the foremost policy minds and national leaders on issues Alexandria needs to make progress on. I want to develop new close-ended opportunities – taskforces, roundtables, summits – that let these residents bring creative and dynamic solutions to bear here in Alexandria, and help us access and benefit from resources we might not have otherwise been aware of.
How should the city work to diversify the commercial tax base?
We should focus on transit-oriented development around our Metro stops and be creative and flexible about the kinds of resources we bring to these projects to get them going: coordinated development districts, use of various public bond authorities and economic incentive programs. We need more small business incubation programs and public support for new neighborhood-level business associations.
What policies would make Alexandria safer?
Manage the leadership transitions underway at Alexandria Police Department, including the hiring of a new chief. Emphasize community policing and build real relationships in neighborhoods across the city. Aim to bring stability to our police workforce by ensuring competitive pay and slow the rate but find work in other counties or cities. Traffic enforcement automation, so officers can spend more time on other public safety activities. Expand the ACORP Program and get more social workers partnered with trained officers. New mentorship efforts, after school activities and workforce development programs.
Do you think Alexandria has too much density, about the right amount, or not enough?
About the right amount.
What should go into Potomac Yard now that the arena plan was pulled?
An entertainment district, similar to the Mosaic District in Fairfax County.
