I’m running for City Council because I want Alexandria to be a safe, affordable and beautiful community in which to live, work, play and raise a family. We are a caring community that provides high-quality services to rich and poor, young and old alike. We should always be proud of our inclusivity, our diversity, our public school system and our commerce. It is who we are.
I am a product of this community from birth. I attended Cora Kelly Elementary School and G.W. Middle School. I grew up playing soccer with the Del Ray Dragons, riding my bike up and down Mt. Ida, gardening with my mother and accompanying my father from one event to another in Alexandria and across Northern Virginia.
My wife, Danielle, and I have chosen to raise our one-year-old daughter to love Alexandria as much as we do. We bought a townhouse on North Henry Street in the Parker-Gray neighborhood of Old Town in 2015. It was affordable because it was infested with mice and termites. So, the two of us rebuilt it. Around the corner, on Queen Street, is my sustainable landscaping company, Tactical Land Care, built upon a passion for protecting nature and helping neighbors.
After graduating from Yale, I worked for two local technology firms. I founded a non-profit, Fitizen, and I served as executive director of the International Spirit of Healing, which trained health providers to serve in underserved areas around the world. I now spend my time running TLC, creating jobs and finding solutions that maximize ecological benefits of properties while mitigating stormwater damage.
I believe that we all have a responsibility to give in the ways we can. I chair Alexandria’s Citizen Corps Council, a position I’ve held since 2018, and I volunteer for the Medical Reserve Corps, a dedicated group of volunteers that I have been proud to be a part of since 2014.
Before my mother passed away this past year, she affirmed her belief that I was destined for a life of public service, that I had the ability to lead and that I should continue to bring the same determination my father had to look beyond those who want to tear people down to focus on the nobler goal of building people up. She believed that people and communities are capable of great things if they can work together with the right vision and leadership.
I recognize the pressures our city faces and believe we must seize the opportunity to strengthen our local economy and leverage new investment to prepare Alexandria to be a thriving beacon of hope for future generations. Stagnation is not an option for us. Given our location, there will always be market demand to maximize the value of every square inch of our city. But we must be deliberate and proactive in anticipating tomorrow’s problems so that we can work proactively to protect against them, all the while maximizing quality of life today.
There is a special character to our historic, unique and largely residential city that gives it its identity. Potomac Yards, Eisenhower Valley, Landmark and North Old Town are appropriate for thoughtfully planned redevelopment. But we need to grow in concert with our neighborhoods that breathe life and identity into this city every day in every way. They cannot be collateral damage. We must meet our neighborhood needs.
Alexandria has a great future ahead of it. I’m running for City Council because I have a vision for how we can do it. Please join me on this journey online at http://patrickmoran.org.
The writer is a candidate for City Council in the June 8 Democratic primary.