Alexandria Mayor William D. “Bill” Euille delivered an upbeat State of the City address Saturday, while acknowledging challenges the city faces as officials continue to navigate the fallout from the economic downturn.
“The worst of the recession is over,” he told the crowd in attendance, which included city council members, city employees, and residents. He added, though, that Alexandria is still feeling the pain and is “in its most serious budget crisis in recent memory.”
The address at the Station at Potomac Yard came on a beautiful Saturday morning, and featured a bit of everything — musically, at least. The City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums led off the event, and hip-hop music accompanied a performance by the Hot Topic Rising Stars Cheerleading team.
Still, finances remain an issue for development at Potomac Yard, which the city is trying to transform into a walkable, mixed-use community. City officials are pushing the private sector to contribute more money for a proposed $240 million Metrorail station at Potomac Yard.
While acknowledging that Alexandria, like other area jurisdictions, is facing a budget crunch, Euille highlighted a number of the city’s accomplishments over the past year, such as a 46-year low in the city’s crime rate. He also touched on the environment, transportation, and efforts to make Alexandria more energy-efficient.
Euille devoted much of the address to education, and noted the struggles of T.C. Williams High School, which has been labeled a persistently low-achieving school by the state.
“It is clear that our schools cannot do it alone,” he said.
Euille, who graduated from T.C. Williams himself, told his personal story — growing up in public housing before attending college and returning to Alexandria — to spur people to become champions for the city’s children.
“If it happened for me, and thousands of others, it can still happen today for our youth,” he said. “This is about all our children. This is our school system, and we must own it.”
