Photo by James Cullum
Former Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg has decided to run for Alexandria's top elected office again after serving in that role from 2016 through 2018.
She will challenge current Mayor Justin Wilson, who is running for re-election.
Republican Annetta Catchings also announced this week she is running for mayor.
Silberberg is a native Texan with a lifetime of political experience. She double majored in international relations and history at American University, where she headed up the College Democrats as a member of the class of ’84. She also interned for Sen. Edward Kennedy. After graduate school for writing at the University of California – Los Angeles, she returned to the Washington area and continued to work in politics.
Silberberg told Alexandria Living Magazine in late 2018: “I wanted to combine my writing and public policy interests and that’s why I had come back to the DC area.” Silberberg decided to live in Alexandria. “One of the main reasons was the strong appreciation for historic preservation that’s really so present here and that I feel so strongly about as well,” she said. “It’s so beautiful, it has a great sense of community, great neighborhoods. It’s safe, it’s fun. I just love it.”
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Silberberg ran for city council in 2012 (and became vice mayor, as the member with the most votes). In June 2015, Silberberg surprised political pundits when she ousted four-term incumbent Mayor Bill Euille, and beat him again in the November general election after he launched a write-in campaign.
Silberberg said, when leaving office in 2018, that some of her greatest achievements as mayor included opening new schools, pushing forward on sewer and storm water improvements and helping to bring Amazon to the region. She also helped significantly increase contributions to build affordable housing and took a measured, cautious approach to development.
The Democratic primary in Alexandria is scheduled for June 8.
Catchings announced her candidacy on Tuesday and said she was encouraged to run by people who "share her concerns over the lack of transparency in governance, increased fees and assessments, housing affordability and education issues," according to her campaign.
“Addressing broken promises to fix flooding in our city isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. Getting our kids back into classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. These are concerns impacting all residents, regardless of party affiliation. I will use my leadership abilities to find the common ground voters are seeking to create a better and more affordable Alexandria City for long-time residents who feel they are getting pushed out due to rising assessments and gentrification and newer residents like me who want to preserve Alexandria’s historic charm and diversity,” said Catchings in a campaign release.
Catchings, who had a long career with American Airlines, will face off in the November election against either Silberberg or Wilson, depending on the results of the June Democratic primary.
Earlier his year, current council member Mo Seifeldein announced he was running for mayor, but he dropped out shortly after announcing his candidacy, leaving Wilson to run unchallenged — until this week.
