Ask City Council Candidates!
Friday, Oct. 5 is the last day to post/vote for Oct. 15 forum!
What would you ask the candidates?
Civic engagement is what ACTion Alexandria is all about and what's more civic than voting? It's been a boisterous year in city politics, and with more than a baker's dozen worth of candidates running for City Council, it's hard for a lot of us to figure out which candidates best represent our vision for our community.
So, we're turning the tables on traditional political debates by giving YOU the starring role in our online forum.
It's your turn to Ask The Candidates!
If you were moderator of your own City Council candidate debate, what would you ask the candidates? Now's your chance to let the candidates know what you think are the important issues.
Post Your Question
Post your questions in our public forum and/or vote up the questions you most want City Council candidates to answer, and we'll make sure the candidates see them and work with the candidates and political parties to get some responses. Let's create a public forum where everyone can see what Alexandria residents think are the important issues.
To post your question, click "Add Your Idea" below and ask away!
Vote for Questions
Each registered member of ACTion Alexandria has three votes to assign anyway they choose. Vote for your favorite question three times, vote once for three different questions--it's up to you.
The Rules
- Ask questions only! Our focus is on the City Council elections and candidates only.
- Keep it civil. Civility is golden here. We'll remove questions and comments that are not civil. You will also be removed for posting them.
- Real people use real names.
- If you work for a candidate, please disclose that. It'll end up being embarassing if you don't.
- Pontificating, accusations, and insults will not be tolerated.
Ideas
Dear Candidates for Alexandria City Council, What are your plans for making Alexandria more livable? Specifically, how will you implement effective measures and programs to improve infrastructure and traffic flow for pedestrians and bicyclists in the City? The City has made...
There is much data to suggest that the most economically sensible and most developmentally effective time to impact a child's life is in the very early years (0-5). What do you plan to do to increase investment and ensure best practice programs for this age group?
What is your stance on allowing food trucks to serve in Alexandria? While I appreciated the city's stab at this by inviting restaurants in Old Town to set up carts, that program has not seemed effective from a consumer's point of view. Food trucks bring a variety of flavors and create a festive...
How highly do you priortize funding for Health and Human Services versus funding for other areas? If elected, do you see yourself voting to increase, decrease, or maintain current levels of City spending for Health & Human Services?
There is much talk about affordable housing, and that Alexandria must do more. What would you change about the city's current development policies and practices that have contributed to this situation?
Disclosure- I am the current volunteer treasurer for John Chapman, and I volunteered for Justin Wilson's prior campaign. I donated money to both of them, and to Sean Holihan and Paul Smedberg, over the past few years. I know all of the candidates and previously sued Arthur Peabody for regarding...
George Washington Middle School students found high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Winkler Botanical preserve in late 2011. These levels were mostly concentrated around the areas where storm drain water was leading into the preserve.This information was presented to City...
A number of candidates are talking about buying the private land on the waterfront, spending city money to create trolley's instead of BRT, and to buy historic properties. How would you balance these capital spending items with current plans to build new classroom space for the schools,...
How do you weigh the need to increase Alexandria's tax base, to keep Alexandria competitve with other areas of the D.C. region, and to take advantage of Alexandria's geographic location and access to public transportation with community concerns about the potential effect of development on...
What, if any, role do you think that the City Council should play in addressing the capacity issues (too many students for the number of spots in existing elementary schools) currently faced by ACPS? How do you propose that the City Council should work with the school board and...
According to a recent study, The number of Alexandria's children living in poverty has quadrupled in the past 5 years. . This is a sobering statistic. Service needs for children, youth and families have increased in the past year, but the budget for nonprofits serving children, youth and...
Create a place on this site where each candidate for local office can answer such community questions. Why wait for a forum or debate (which may never happen) to have your questions asked, if ever.
Create a nonpartisan citizen group that will be responsible for setting up election season...
I, like many of my fellow students at my high school, may vote for the first time in this election; and I find myself wondering how many of us actually will. What, in your opinion is, the most effective way to bring the youth back into the political sphere and increase their ever low voting...
Disclosure: 'm the Community Manager of ACTion Alexandria
The City of Alexandria makes great efforts to engage residents in both traditional and new ways (email/text, video, social media, in public meetings and even through online comment opportunities), but in the past year, a frequent...
There is much data to suggest that the most economically sensible and most developmentally effective time to impact a child's life is in the very early years (0-5). What do you plan to do to increase investment and ensure best practice programs for this age group?
As a council member, how do you feel about our City of Alexandria? How would you keep it Olde Towne, rather than the whole city turning into New Town? To much construction and not enough of what we stand for.
George Washington Middle School students found high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Winkler Botanical preserve in late 2011. These levels were mostly concentrated around the areas where storm drain water was leading into the preserve.This information was presented to City...
It is impossible to make an intelligent choice, nor to have a semblance of a debate, when candidates run at-large. Will you support the creation of single-member districts for Alexandria?
What would you do to further implement the Eco-City Alexandria initiative?
I've been surprised and very disappointed to find that there are no prohibitions against cutting down large old trees in neighborhoods when residents are adding on or remodeling homes. Recently for example our neighborhood lost a huge old tree that was providing shade to 4 different yards.My...