After resigning unexpectedly from his second term on Alexandria’s City Council, Andrew Macdonald described his concerns about development to The Examiner. Not surprisingly, all the democratic candidates vying to replace Macdonald listed development among their top issues.
Lenny Harris, an Alexandria native, says development must be more mindful of less fortunate residents, pointing to several black neighborhoods that have been displaced.
Justin Wilson, who has been endorsed by all of the board members, said more dense new development should be built around the city’s Metro stations, noting they are the most underused in the Metro system.
Boyd Walker, who received the balance of Macdonald’s $800 war chest, has opposed the Braddock Road small area plan, which suggested building high-rise apartments and condos near the Braddock Road Metro Station. Walker said development needs to respect its residents.
Jim Lay, a former city prosecutor, agreed that density should be centered around the Metro stations. While he said he understood the neighbors’ concerns, Lay hoped they would consider the high-rise housing, which provides cheaper living options for city workers.
Mark Feldheim, a member of the city’s budget and fiscal affairs advisory committee, cited economic development — which he described as “the key to the future” — as his top priority. He criticized the city’s uncoordinated approach to luring new businesses to Alexandria, and wants to appoint an economic development “czar.”
Harris and Lay both cited education as their top concerns. Harris wants to improve minority children’s test scores and increase their participation in gifted classes. Lay, whose wife is a kindergarten teacher, said the city must pay teachers more, or they will be lost to competitors such as Loudoun County. Feldheim and Lay both criticized the handling of the schools’ 2008 budget dispute with the city.
Both Lay and Walker have urged the closing of the Mirant coal-fired power plant on Alexandria’s waterfront, another of Macdonald’s priorities. Lay said he would offer his legal expertise to the cause.
Whoever wins Saturday’s Democratic caucus will face the Republican candidate, Bill Cleveland, a former council member, in the July 17 special election.
