Chapman, Peabody join Democratic field of Alexandria council candidates

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Chapman, Peabody join Democratic field of Alexandria council candidates
Arthur Peabody and John Chapman
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Two more notable residents have tossed their hats into an already crowded ring for a spot on the Democratic slate for Alexandria City Council.

School board member Arthur Peabody made good on rumors of a potential candidacy with his weekend announcement to run in the Democratic primary. The two-term board member is a Massachusetts native, but has resided in Alexandria for the past 34 years.

Peabody works for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association as an associate counsel and served as an attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia as well as the Justice Department.

Alexandria’s NAACP chapter president John Chapman also announced his candidacy for city council this week. Chapman, a school administrator in Fairfax County, is a native Alexandrian.

Education and affordable housing are the two main tenets of his campaign, he said. Chapman wants to examine what the city can do to support resident’s educational efforts, like boosting job-training opportunities, and keep the city affordable for police officers, firefighters and teachers.

Peabody and Chapman are the ninth and 10th candidates in the running for a spot on the Democratic Party’s six-slot slate. They join Donna Fossum, Sean Holihan, Tim Lovain, Charles Sumpter Jr., Boyd Walker and Justin Wilson, as well as incumbent council members Del Pepper and Paul Smedberg.

The six Democrats selected in the party primary will square off against Republican city council members Frank Fannon and Alicia Hughes as well as newcomer Scott Gordon.

Vice Mayor Kerry Donley, citing health concerns, and City Councilman Rob Krupicka, fulfilling a campaign promise, aren’t running for re-election.

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