Recently, as you may recall, Alexandria City Council member Kirk McPike was elected to replace Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (who is moving up to the State Senate, taking the place of Sen. Adam Ebbin, who is joining the Spanberger administration, and whose last day in the State Senate is today). So with McPike joining the House of Delegates, there will now be a vacancy on the Alexandria City Council. As such, the Alexandria Democrats are holding a firehouse primary this Saturday, (2/21) – at the Charles E. Beatley Central Library and Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center, from 8:30 am to 7 pm – to select a nominee.
So last night, the five Democratic candidates running faced off at a forum in Del Ray – see below for video, courtesy of the Zebra Press. I watched the entire thing, found it very informative and helpful, and definitely felt like any one of these Democratic candidates would be FAR superior to the Republican running (note that the special election will be on April 21, the same day as the redistricting referendum, so turnout should be VERY high – more like a statewide election than an often-low-turnout, local city council race). I also came out with some initial feelings about which candidates’ responses were the most appealing to me, but since this is the first time I’ve ever seen most of these folks, and since I don’t really know them (and haven’t talked to any of them), I’m going to keep those thoughts to myself for now (other than to point out that, for me, the most important issues right now are the fight for our democracy against Trump et al; combatting/adapting to the climate crisis; dealing with the depradations of ICE; affordability, particularly regarding housing; helping federal employees who were harmed by DOGE; etc.). 🙂 Anyway, with that, here are the candidates, in alphabetical order:
- Roberto Gomez: “…a Democrat, long-time Alexandria resident, and Executive Director of Cornerstone Craftsman, an award-winning nonprofit. He has dedicated his career to building second chances by creating apprenticeships for underserved youth.”
- Tim Laderach: Attended pharmacy school and then served in the U.S. Navy; curently “an attorney in D.C. specializing in complex regulatory advising and litigation”; was elected chair of the Economic Opportunities Commission and head of the Del Ray Citizens Association.
- Sandy Marks: Worked in US Senator Bob Graham’s constituent office, served “two terms as Alexandria Democratic Committee Chair,” “advocated for gun violence prevention with Moms Demand Action, practiced social and racial justice in the BLM movement and at Beth El Hebrew Congregation, protested Trump policy and appointments, led PTAs, volunteered in the Alexandria library system, and elected Democrats to local offices.”
- Charles Sumpter: “…a neighbor who has spent years working in this community, showing up, listening, and helping solve real problems…helped found Safe Space NOVA, a nonprofit created to provide housing support and mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth across Northern Virginia.”
- Madison Tapia: “a teacher, Army veteran, immigrant, and community advocate running for Alexandria City Council to put people first.”
So again, five impressive Democratic candidates. In terms of endorsements, Sandy Marks has been endorsed by Del. Alfonso Lopez, State Senator Saddam Salim, former Alexandria City Councilwoman Del Pepper, Alexandria Clerk of Courts Greg Parks, etc.; Roberto Gomez has been endorsed by Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins, IBEW Local 26, the Regional Council of Carpenters, etc; Tim Laderach has been endorsed by Alexandria School Board member Donna Kenley and former Alexandria City Council member David Speck; Charles Sumpter has been endorsed by former Del. Mark Levine; Tapia doesn’t list any endorsements on his website.
With that, check out last night’s forum. I’m curious who people are supporting and why…
