Jonathan Huskey
This spring, Alexandria Living Magazine sent the following questions to every person running for City Council as of May 2024. The answers from Jonathan Huskey are below. See links to all other candidate questionnaires here.
Huskey's campaign website is at www.huskeyforcouncil.com.
Have the current efforts to improve affordable housing been sufficient? Why or why not?
Alexandria should be a welcoming, inclusive place to live and work. I also believe recent growth and development issues have divided Alexandrians, without much to show for it.
A home is more than an investment — it’s where we find safety, where we build relationships, and nurture our families. Complex and emotional, the housing crisis must be solved and we haven’t done enough. On Council, l will support both rental and ownership solutions that create wealth and foster long-term stability while balancing residents' concerns for their neighborhoods.
Alexandria must find ways to build ownership opportunities, promote alternative financing programs to bring stalled projects online, and provide more affordable housing options for seniors.
What can be done to make sure the increasing population density in Alexandria doesn’t hurt quality of life?
I believe that Alexandria should and will grow in opportunity and population. I also believe this Council has been too quick to approve developments that could have been better for the community. To improve our quality of life, I’ll fight for neighbors, small business and workers who want vibrant retail corridors, pedestrian safety and to make sure our infrastructure meets our needs. I think we can all agree that Alexandria would benefit from more recreational opportunities and upgraded facilities.
How can the city make public transportation a more viable and attractive option for residents?
The city has done an admirable job to fund DASH free service. Let’s focus on the small things like reliability, accessibility for seniors and try to build more shelters. Alexandria will also need to continue to advocate for METRO funding in the region and in Richmond.
What do you think is the most important factor in making the roads safer and more efficient for everyone?
The city can build on the Vision Zero success (it has been an important program, with credit to current and past Councils) and we need to ensure that major projects, like Duke Street in Motion, don’t slow down needed changes in the short term. There are a number of choke points and dangerous roads that continue to make life difficult for riders, bikers and pedestrians – let’s make sure they get attention too.
What are the biggest challenges facing Alexandria’s smallest businesses and how can the city better support them?
Small businesses are the beating heart of Alexandria. They help define our neighborhoods and represent the American Dream for many Alexandrians, no matter where they come from or how long they've been here.
Our energy and city resources must be spent on projects that help small- and medium-sized businesses thrive in our city. While Alexandria has added a number of high-quality economic development initiatives for entrepreneurs in recent years, we continue to see too many vacant storefronts and a lack of services in neighborhoods. On Council, I'll look for additional opportunities to champion small business development and success. Here’s a few ideas:
When major development projects arise, we should negotiate lower-rent retail space for small businesses, in the same way we add affordable housing units.
Consider partnerships with commercial office space holders to subsidize co-working spaces for small business startups, freelancers and specialty craftspeople who need temporary and/or low-cost workspaces.
Depending on available space in the West End, this idea could be piloted as there are few, if any, commercial coworking spaces.
As part of any economic summit, Alexandria should consider alternatives to building vibrant commercial corridors by connecting local entrepreneurs with capital, for example, a Neighborhood Trust Model.
Establishing a legacy business program that supports local landmarks with recognition, grants and strategic planning support, like transition planning.
Continue to streamline and simplify the bureaucracy involved with starting, expanding or renovating a business and prioritize small, locally-owned businesses over major chain retailers whenever possible.
Do you think Alexandria should return to ward representation? Why or why not?
I know all the people on the City Council care deeply about their neighbors and the city at large. But I think there are noticeable differences in our city and recent decisions by Council that reflect a need to move to a hybrid Ward system.
I can tell you, if we had a representative on Council for Del Ray, Lynhaven, and Potomac Yard – there’s no way the Potomac Yard project would have come up the way it did – or they’d be out on their butt in the June primary for sure! All Alexandria voters deserve accountability from their representatives and I believe the current city-wide system creates an incumbent protection system that needs some reform.
People on the West End often believe they haven’t been heard on matters that affect their neighborhoods. With a representative on Council, they would have someone to go to bat for them, rather than have proposals imposed by those who think their mandate is to only value projects on a city-wide basis. A ward system wouldn’t mean any neighborhood could veto the will of the majority, but would, at minimum, allow for neighbors to have more say and accountability.
Furthermore, the arguments against neighborhood representation seem to blame the voters for the mistakes of hypothetical politicians. In a hybrid-Ward system, all Councilmembers should work together and do right by both their neighbors and the city at large. If you can’t do both, you shouldn’t be an elected official.
What is something you don’t like about Alexandria that you want to change?
I’ve lived in a lot of places and this took me a while to consider. I think we have it pretty good here, all in all. It’s apparent that there are major challenges we all want to fix, and mine are implicit in my answers to other questions. I will take this opportunity not to dig into problems with the schools, roads, or our city’s past failures – but to send a plea to someone who can help. We have fantastic pizza, of many different styles, up and down Mount Vernon Avenue and in other parts of town. Someone has to complete the circle and open up a quality Chicago deep dish pizza restaurant in Alexandria. And no, UNO’s doesn’t count. There is money to be made, please @LouMalnatis @PequodsPizza!
How do you feel about the fate of the Potomac Yard Arena development proposal and how do you think the city should go about developing that location?
Most of my neighbors in Warwick Village, Del Ray, Potomac Yard and Lynhaven were against the proposal. I was a small part of the quickly organized but effective community opposition to it. Like many in my neighborhood and in the coalition effort, I believe the small area plan is a good one, and I’d look to adhere to it with density and some kind of entertainment vehicle. We objected to the proposal for many reasons but no one doubts that there should be development in Potomac Yard. I’ll work with other Councilmembers, AEDP, and others to find other options but I won’t settle for something less than the best. I believe we can do it; this site is extremely valuable and unique. Building in Potomac Yard will make a lot of money for the companies that invest in it, and we can facilitate that without financing a billionaire’s mini-city or by jump-scaring the neighbors with a half-planned arena proposal.
Do you think the current city staff is able to effectively serve all the development that is happening or do you think the city needs to hire more people?
I won’t know the answer until I am on Council, however, I think Alexandria is blessed to have wonderful employees who are asked to do a lot for our city.
We need to take the experience of the Potomac Yard arena into account in terms of how the City handles major projects. As a City Councilmember, I will look to make some changes so that AEDP and the city’s staff aren’t used to promote projects that haven’t been voted on. From the December 13th announcement to the death of the arena project, at least to most people in town, there was no daylight between Monumental Sports PR firm, AEDP and the City’s communications infrastructure. This was a big problem for the project’s credibility with citizens, experts and the media. We have talented staff in many departments, they can and should bring projects forward but the Council needs to make sure that the public trusts the process and believes in the product – and during the Potomac Yard arena campaign, our elected leaders failed on both fronts.
What would you tell a resident who doesn’t feel safe living in Alexandria?
Public safety is a top priority for me and I’m sure all the other candidates. There are no easy answers and I would do more listening than “telling” to a resident who doesn’t feel safe. By listening first, maybe we can find something simple that can be done or the conversation helps identify a trend that Council needs to understand better. There’s good reason to believe that Alexandria is a safe city and getting safer but the statistics aren’t as important as the last bad experience someone has.
I think it’s Council’s job to listen, try to get answers to constituents, and beyond economic opportunities, we should always look for what we know works. For me, I also see my role to seek out resources for our city staff and non-governmental organizations around the city. Here’s a few things that matter to me.
Increase police presence in areas known to be problems but we also need to be clear with the communities as to the purpose. Additional community policing strategies and multi-disciplinary response teams, that include social and mental health professionals, are good ideas to pursue.
Support and expand nonprofits and programs. Studies show that a vibrant nonprofit and community organization scene (both number and scope) is associated with lower crime. We have a good start here as Alexandrians are generous and civic minded.
Reducing non-policing staff time and other barriers to community engagement.
Focus resources to prevent homelessness and people with substance abuse and mental health challenges.
11. If you had to convince someone to vote for you in one sentence, what would that sentence be?
I’m going to fight for small business, neighborhoods and working families before I look to billionaires and developers to help set the course for Alexandria.
