Annetta Catchings is looking to make history. She is running for mayor of Alexandria, Virginia. If she wins, she will be the city’s first black female mayor. She will also be the city’s first Republican mayor since before Elvis debuted.
Catchings has a daunting task, but she is ready to take on the challenge. After decades of one-party rule, she tells me, she is the right choice to restore Republican politics in Alexandria. She is currently the director of a nonprofit organization called Elite 10s and Education. She feels Alexandria is on the wrong path and that she can change that.
“When we allow ourselves to transcend beyond the boundary lines that hold us back, only then do we truly expand ourselves and are humbled by our own discovery that we are more alike than different” is the first quote one sees when they land on Annetta Catchings’s webpage.
The events of 2020 made Catchings decide to run for office.
“What actually ignited me was seeing all the hatred, the growing division, and young black boys dying in the streets — particularly after George Floyd’s murder,” she said. “I saw the black community going through yet another inner civil war, and I knew that the only principles that were going to get our community back on track were those tried and true conservative values that have carried my community through the worst of times. I knew my voice, my story, my leadership was needed.”
Catchings is a steadfast believer in protecting qualified immunity for police. “Defunding the police terrified me as a woman and as the mother of two young black men,” she added. This has been a facet many Democrats and many Libertarians such as the CATO Institute have targeted as a problem in policing. Yet, Catchings bravely stands by her beliefs in qualified immunity.
Catchings is also a strong believer in the importance of education. She favors “improving the quality of our schools by offering school choice and school vouchers. Also, turning our high schools into academic-vocational and trade schools. If we do it right, our kids can graduate with full certifications to enter the job market with a marketable skill, and those who wish to focus on academics are better prepared to compete on a global stage.”
She was also critical of the actual subjects being taught and how schools are failing to prepare students for the future.
“I was a product of government schools,” she said. “I grew up in rural Moss Point, Mississippi. When I graduated in the top 25% of my graduating class, I went off to college only to discover how watered down my grades were. I spent a good two years playing catch-up and spending hours during the weekend in writing labs. There were many subjects I was just not prepared to take. Any field of study requiring math or science was out!”
Catchings also identified the rising costs of housing as a major issue in her community. She feels that it is doing more harm than good and leaving many people behind.
“Like a lot of urban cities, there is a major shortage of affordable units. Alexandria is becoming more increasingly unaffordable to buy or even live in. Only about 40% of the people who live here actually own here. Blacks in particular have been pushed out, priced out over the years, and it is a very tender subject for many who live here today,” Catchings said. “Questions of what will happen to our historic families and their communities as we continue to grow and redevelop are of great importance, and I want to ensure there is an accountability of poor past policies and have some assurances that we will strive to preserve the charm, the intimate feel, the small-town connectivity, and the diversity of Alexandria.”
Finally, she cited the need for greater transparency in the city’s government.
“I would like to bring a citizen-centric type of leadership to local government,” she said. “That means being as transparent as I possibly can be with the voters and allowing them and their civic organizations to have a greater awareness, greater participation on the changes that are being made in their city. I would also like to lead the charge in taking the city back to district-ward representation. This too would give our residents more direct accessibility to their City Council member. Alexandria is the only city of her size to have an at-large system of election.”
With the election only a day away, Catchings has been hard at work. When I contacted her for this interview, on multiple occasions, she was outside hitting the campaign trail, knocking on doors, trying to bring her voice to the voters. She has worked hard and is optimistic about her vision resonating with voters. As Alexandria goes to the polls tomorrow, voters should take note of Catchings’s perseverance and determination to change Alexandria for the better.
