Justin Wilson Kicks Off Campaign for Alexandria Mayor

Supporters packed Live Oak Restaurant Sunday in Del Ray for the kickoff of Justin Wilson's campaign for mayor of Alexandria.

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With additional reporting by James Cullum.

The campaign for Alexandria mayor "is about where we go as a City," Alexandria Vice Mayor Justin M. Wilson told a packed room of supporters Sunday as he kicked off his campaign for mayor.

Wilson was flanked by wife Alex and their two children, son Eli and daughter Lena, as he made his announcement at Live Oak Restaurant in Del Ray.

"Preservation of the status quo is not a vision," Wilson told a cheering crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, the tone and vision of leadership at the top of city government matters."

Improving the City's schools, infrastructure and economy will be some of his topmost priorities, Wilson said. Adding a not-too-veiled jab at his opponent, incumbent Mayor Allison Silberberg, he said "expressing concern" isn't enough to move the needle. Wilson, elected to City Council in 2007, is completing his third term.

"I build coalitions on the council to move policy," Wilson said in an interview with Alexandria Living Magazine before his speech. "What I have said is it's how we spend the money, it's where we spend the money. I've tried to steer more money into our capital investment. That not only lowers taxes in the future, because it means we have to play catch-up less, but it also places us in a situation where we're able to attract more private investment. People don't want to invest in a community that doesn't keep up their own infrastructure."

Wilson introduced a 5.7-cent historic tax rate hike to Council last year, which passed — despite a dissenting vote from Silberberg. To critics who say that Wilson has a "tax and spend" mentality, he maintained that he recently directed the city manager to create a budget without any tax hike for City residents.

"This year we said to the manager we don't want a tax increase on the table," Wilson said.

The crowd that came out for the campaign kick-off was a mix of politicos, friends and family. 

Wilson's wife, Alex, is an employee of the Department of Defense and called the campaign a mixed blessing. She also said she and her husband were lucky to have family help pick up the slack with babysitting.  

"It's exciting, it's definitely going to be an interesting ride," she said. "It is tough, and up until recently I was on a shift where we were literally only seeing each other at 3 in the morning — when I was going to work and he was finishing his emails after meetings. ... It can be a bit of a juggle with two kids."

The event was a who's who of local Democratic politics, including former four-term Mayor Bill Euille, who, with former Mayor Kerry Donley, has announced support for Wilson. The event was attended by a majority of city leaders, including Councilors John Chapman, Del Pepper, Paul Smedberg, Tim Lovain and Willie Bailey. Also in attendance were Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne, Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter and a number of candidates running for the two open slots created by Wilson's candidacy and Lovain's departure.  

Euille, who is considering a run for city council this year, considers himself Wilson's mentor.

"Justin is a leader, a team player and he has a vision to help move Alexandria forward and he can get things done. He has a proven track record," Euille said, adding he would make his decision to run by March 12.

Councilman Willie Bailey, who decided to seek reelection last month, said he hasn't endorsed anyone yet in the mayor's race, but that the issues closest to his heart are development and affordable housing. 

"It's not fair that our teachers, police officers and firefighters can't afford to live in Alexandria," Bailey said. "I grew up here. My house is worth four times what I paid for it. I should be happy, but I'm not, because my kids can't afford to live where they grew up."

Others in the crowd included former federal prosecutor and political newcomer Gene Rossi, who was defeated in a three-person Democratic primary in last year's lieutenant governor's race.

Rossi said he is backing Wilson because of his "energy level and passion for public service. I am voting for Justin Wilson and not against the current mayor. He's a community activist from way back."

Former City councilman and state delegate Rob Krupicka, owner of Sugar Shack Donuts and father of two daughters, said that he's backing Wilson because Alexandria's schools are "bursting at the seams." 

"We have to decide if we're going to be a place where families want to come or not," Krupicka said. "A big part of that is what level of investment we want to make in our schools. I know Justin is willing to fight for our schools to make sure they get better."

Outgoing City Councilman Tim Lovain said Wilson is "deeply substantive — more than she. People like Jim Moran, Patsy Ticer, Kerry Donley, Bill Euille — they understood the issues in depth. All of these people are policy wonks, as is Justin. I don't think you'd go that far with Allison."

Dak Hardwick, who is running for City Council, is a former chair of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and Alexandria Democratic Party, and served with Wilson on the City's Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, stopped short of officially endorsing Wilson, but said they shared alignment on a number of issues.

"We're focusing on education and infrastructure," Hardwick said. "There's a lot of literature out there right now that says state and localities can no longer rely on the federal government to provide them a way out. So states and localities need to be the beacons of innovation for governance in the 21st century...the Trump administration is giving us an opportunity to make our own solutions...I'm not governing for the next three years. My focus is on governing 30 years from now."

Wilson is running against Mayor Allison Silberberg in the Democratic primary, set for June 12. Silberberg plans to kick off her reelection campaign Sunday, Feb. 11 at Los Tios in Del Ray.

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