Editor’s Note: Register to vote, check your voting status, request a mail-in ballot and more at vote.org.

Voters, get your ballots ready. In-person absentee voting starts Sep. 20, and all six seats on the Alexandria City Council are up for grabs.

In a series of interviews with Theogony in collaboration with the Alexandria Gazette Packet, the nine candidates for City Council revealed that they are sharply divided over everything from free DASH buses to how elections are administered. The four Democratic incumbents and two Democratic nominees support programs like Zoning for Housing, which rolled back restrictions on where single-family homes can be built. The two independents and one Republican are opposed. Some candidates vye to resist city cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the rest are reluctant to share their views. All candidates say it’s time for a second high school in Alexandria.

Back in June, voters chose the six Democratic candidates in a hotly contested primary election, where the stakes were particularly high because Democrats hold such an advantage in Alexandria. It’s been more than 15 years since a non-Democrat was elected to the City Council, as Democrats have held a lock on power since local elections were moved from May to November.

Voters will ultimately choose which vision of the city’s future will become a reality when they select all six City Council members by Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Full graphic available at bottom of the story.

Democrat Canek Aguirre is a second-term City Council member and health consultant. Born in Los Angeles, Aguirre graduated from the University of North Carolina with an undergraduate degree in Latin American studies. After college, he worked in North Carolina as a tutor for academically-challenged students, among other jobs. Aguirre moved to Alexandria in 2011, where he was the bilingual parent liaison at George Washington Middle School before creating a community outreach program at the district central office. He then worked as an outreach specialist for Virginia Medicaid, and is now a health consultant. Among the civic positions Aguirre has held are chair of the Virginia Board of Social Work, president of Tenants & Workers United and chairman of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.

“I really care and am passionate about the policies that impact the community, and I want to shape them in a way that improves the lifestyles of our residents,” Aguirre said. “A lot of what I’m about is making things easier for people or creating better opportunities so that people can succeed.”

Aguirre says he’s passionate about housing affordability, and he voted in favor of Zoning for Housing, a plan he says “expanded opportunities” for residents. In addition, he wants to strategically build new developments around transit hubs. Aguirre also says he would like to see the city contribute more toward affordable housing in the budget, and that he wishes the Potomac Yards sports arena plan, which would have provided millions of dollars in city revenue, could have been “discussed locally.” (The plan was shot down by state lawmakers in Richmond.) Instead of raising property taxes on residents again, Aguirre would like the state to allow Alexandria to progressively tax income, which he says would have little impact on low-income residents.

“Right now we’re overly dependent on the real estate tax,” Aguirre said. “I’d really like to ask for more flexibility and authority from the state to tax differently and generate some more revenue.”

In the event that Donald J. Trump were to win the presidential election and begin mass deportations, Aguirre says he would do everything he could to stand in the way of ICE. On the transportation front, he says that he supports building a “sufficient bike network” and the Duke Street in Motion project, and “absolutely, 100 percent” wants to keep DASH buses free in the long term. He also says he is against ward-based City Council elections.

Democrat Sarah Bagley is a first-term city councilmember and the executive director of affordable housing non-profit Chisom. Born in the Virginia Beach area, Bagley received an undergraduate degree in government from the nearby College of William & Mary. She then received a law degree from the Catholic University of America and began clerking at the district court in Montgomery County, Maryland. Bagley spent the next eight years pursuing a career in law and worked at two firms based in Washington D.C. In 2015, she began working for Chisom. City council was Bagley’s first city government experience, though she has volunteered on several political campaigns and served as local event lead for gun-violence prevention group Moms Demand Action and as captain of the Lyles Crouch ADC precinct. 

“I genuinely want to be a part of making the place I love even better for everyone,” Bagley said. “I’ve seen the impact that local government can have on improving the quality of life for people, and I want to be a part of what’s possible for the community.”

An environmentalist, Bagley helped create Alexandria’s office of climate action, which works to mitigate climate change and improve energy efficiency. She is an avid cyclist, and says she would support the creation of a connected bike lane network across the city because there is “not quite enough” connectivity within existing bike lanes to “allow people to truly get from one place to another safely.” She is an advocate for the complete streets program, which aims to make streets safer for all users, and says she supports the Duke Street in Motion project as well as free DASH buses.

“The DASH bus is a real point of pride for Alexandria in terms of the rideship recovery, the accessibility and the energy efficiency standards we’re setting,” Bagley said. “We need to continue investing in it so it can remain available to anybody who wants to give it a try or make it their primary transportation.”

With a background in affordable housing, Bagley says it is also one of her top priorities. She voted in favor of Zoning for Housing and called it an “important” step because it allows more housing to be built. She says she hopes to increase development around schools and transit hubs, and to “pursue legislative tools” that allow for “more protections for tenants.” Bagley also says she would not like the city to cooperate with ICE and that she would support Council doing “whatever we could” to make “immigrant families and communities in our city feel safe.” In terms of election reform, Bagley says she is opposed to transitioning to ward-based city council elections because “our current style of government is serving us well” and “is reflective of geography all over the city.” 

Independent Mason Butler is a technology executive for Accelerated Solutions Group. Born in Louisville, Ky., Butler received an undergraduate degree in English from Wittenberg University, where he also played soccer. After college, Butler got a job at IBM, and later worked for several tech startups. In 2004, Butler began working for Accelerated Solutions and moved to Arlington. He settled in Alexandria nine years later. Butler is a graduate of the city academy, a board member for the Campagna Center and a poll worker. He also served on the city Scooter Commission.

“I’m running a campaign based on moderate politics,” Butler said. “When you have a country that continues to be as divided as ours, we have to find ways to recognize each other as Americans. What strengthens us is the ability to make decisions to benefit a greater group of people.”

Butler says that he opposes Zoning for Housing, as “there was a huge disconnect” between the city and residents, and that he “can’t support anything that causes the city and a group of citizens to fight it out in a courtroom.” He also says that he envisions an Alexandria where tall buildings are not constructed in historically “quaint” districts such as Del Ray. He says he does support “thoughtful” development throughout the city to increase housing affordability, and that he is “absolutely” in favor of a housing voucher program, though he says he would like to get to a point where that is not necessary to mitigate the cost of housing. He also says lowering the cost of housing could help change the culture of Alexandria.

“Where I grew up, there’s a lot of pride that people take in the city they live in,” Butler said. “They’ll go to college, or wherever else, but then they want to move back. I’ve seen that here, people that come in, they make their money and they want to leave. I think the next generation of Alexandria should be fueled by people that want to put someone ahead of themselves.”

Butler is open to the idea of ward based city council elections, and says he would support a pilot program to test if they work, as he “doesn’t believe that you should change global policy overnight.” When asked if he would support city cooperation with ICE in the event of a second Trump presidency, Butler did not directly respond, saying that he “doesn’t treat people differently” depending on their nationalities, but “is not in favor” of immigrants staying in the country if they “want to cause chaos and break laws.” On the topic of transportation, he says he supports keeping DASH buses free in the short term, but not the long term, as he says the buses could provide critical city revenue. Butler says he is opposed to the Duke Street in Motion project and that he thinks there are too many bike lanes in the city, although he would support creating “sectioned-off” bike lanes and a “comprehensive” bike trail network.

Independent Roy Byrd is a civic activist who co-founded and chairs the Coalition for a Livable Alexandria, an association that opposes increasing density and aims to improve quality of life in the city. Born in Berlin while his father was on active duty, Byrd moved around the world as a child. He secured a Marine ROTC scholarship to attend Purdue University, where he received an undergraduate degree in political science. After graduating, Byrd continued his global travels, serving in the Marine Corps for 30 years. He picked up a master’s degree in national security strategy from the Naval War College during this time, before eventually transitioning into private-sector aerospace and defense contracting. Although this is Byrd’s first time running for public office, he has been active in Alexandria civic life. In addition to co-founding the Coalition, Byrd has served as co-chair of the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations, president of the Clover College Park Civic Association and as a member of several city working groups. 

“As an independent, my only allegiance is to residents. I don’t have to have an allegiance to a party,” Byrd said. “I feel that there are certain aspects in the city and our governance that could be enhanced, and that I’ve got the experience to help do that.”

Byrd is against Zoning for Housing, and his coalition is currently suing the city in an attempt to block its implementation. To increase housing affordability, he says he prefers providing a “mix of housing options that cater to various income levels.” He also says he would like the city to work with nonprofits and leverage state and federal resources to promote “programs that help renters transition to home ownership.” Byrd is especially enthusiastic about his plan for a “housing allowance” that would provide funds to teachers, emergency responders and other city employees to incentivize them to live in Alexandria.

“This is a complicated issue, and we need to come up with complex, realistic solutions that actually solve the problem,” Byrd said. “You can’t turn around and say you want affordability and then increase property taxes, because that raises the cost of housing for everyone. We’re taking one step forward and two steps back.”

Byrd says he believes more accountability for city elected officials is necessary, and spoke in favor of exploring alternative city council models, including increasing the number councilmembers, adding ward-specific positions (council elections are currently at-large), and transitioning to a strong-mayor form of government where the mayor is chief executive instead of the city manager. In terms of transportation, Byrd says he is against the Duke Street in Motion project, as he believes its “configuration [will be] inconsistent.” He supports keeping DASH buses free, but just for low-income residents, and prefers bike trails instead of bike lanes. In the event that Trump wins the presidency, Byrd said he would like the city to refuse to cooperate with ICE.

Democrat John Chapman is a fourth-term city councilman, a community-use program specialist for Fairfax County’s school system and a tour guide for the Manumission Tour Company, which he founded. A fourth-generation Alexandrian, Chapman attended St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School before heading up north to St. Olaf’s College, where he received an undergraduate degree in social studies education. He then moved back to Alexandria, where he worked in the Alexandria and Fairfax county school systems and eventually became an administrator. Outside of council, Chapman has held positions on several boards, including the Youth Policy Commission, the Redevelopment and Housing Authority task force and the HIV/AIDS Commission. By far the candidate with the most city government experience, Chapman has served on council for the last 12 years.

“There’s still work that needs to be done,” Chapman said. “Policy work continues, so there’s a need for good people to get involved and stay involved.”

Among the policy work Chapman says he is passionate about is affordable housing. He voted in favor of Zoning for Housing, and says he hopes it can “provide additional options for people in various, socioeconomic backgrounds to find housing.” To further address the housing crisis, Chapman said he would like to “advocate for additional support” at the state and federal levels on things like increasing the state housing trust fund instead of further raising city taxes. He says he wishes the Potomac Yards arena deal would have “panned out” because he says it could have provided revenue towards housing affordability and programs like rental assistance vouchers.

“Right now we commit a lot of our dollars to new housing opportunities, but people who are already in housing are also struggling to afford it,” Chapman said. “The rental voucher program would address some of those people’s needs, but we need additional resources to do it.”

As for transportation, Chapman says he supports keeping DASH buses free “as long as high ridership continues” and would like to expand bike lanes and sidewalks to ensure residents can “be safe moving around the city.” He says he supports the Duke Street in Motion project, as “something has to be done to get people to move around,” though acknowledged there is room for improvement before it is finalized. Chapman says he is “not super excited” about the idea of switching to ward-based city council elections, though he says he’s open to a hybrid model that includes at-large positions. Though Chapman did not directly respond to a question asking if he would support city cooperation with ICE in the event of a second Trump presidency, he says he would look to what the council has “historically done.” (Alexandria turns over some inmates to ICE voluntarily, though this process has decreased in recent years. In 2018, the sheriff’s department transferred 121 inmates to ICE, compared to 33 in 2023.)

Democrat Abdel Elnoubi is a first-term school board member and capital program manager for Metro (WMATA). Born in Chicago to Egyptian parents, Elnoubi moved to Alexandria, Egypt at seven years old. He would stay there for 13 years, before returning to the states and receiving an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the City College of New York and a masters degree in engineering management from George Washington University. He then moved to Alexandria to work at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, before transitioning to Metro, where he has worked the last 12 years. In addition to serving on the Alexandria School Board since 2021, Elnoubi has worked on the City Community Criminal Justice Board and the Building Code Board of Appeals. He was also president of Samuel Tucker Elementary’s parent-teacher association, the school where his two children attended.

“I grew up in a corrupt dictatorship where there’s no such thing as ordinary citizens being represented in government,” Elnoubi said. “Leaving that, putting myself through college, and working minimum wage jobs has shown me how policies that are really meant to help people can transform lives. I feel that I have an obligation to be part of that and make sure I’m helping shape progressive policies here in Alexandria so everyone can thrive in our city.” 

One of Elnoubi’s top priorities is transportation, and he says he envisions an Alexandria where residents are able to “move freely” across the city with or without access to a car. He says he supports keeping DASH busses free in the long term and is a big fan of the Duke Street in Motion project, though “the devil is in the details—fine tuning and adjusting it as we go will be important.” Elnoubi was also enthusiastic about “transit oriented development,” and public-private partnerships to “add as much density as we can” around transit hubs. He says that he would like to add more bike lanes to the city, especially in the West End. 

“As we all know, the West End is less transit-friendly,” Elnoubi said. “That’s where our economically disadvantaged population tends to live, and if they can’t move freely, that further limits their access to opportunities.”

As a School Board member, Elnoubi supported collective bargaining and voted to raise teacher salaries by 6 percent this past year, in addition adding school psychologists positions to the budget. Like all other candidates, he says he supports adding a second high school. On the city-wide level, he says he is not in favor of transitioning to a ward-based election system for city council, and would support the city not complying with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in the event of a second Donald J. Trump presidency.

Democrat Jacinta Greene is a second-term school board member and independent marketing consultant. She was born in Glen Allen, Va., a suburb of Richmond. After receiving an undergraduate degree in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University, Greene stayed in the Richmond area and pursued journalism. She worked for WXCX, the local ABC affiliate, as a reporter, and for the Richmond Free Press as a copy editor and advertising specialist. In 2001, she joined the marketing team at Kraft foods and moved to Alexandria. Three years later, she began working for McDonalds Corporate as the regional marketing manager for the Washington, D.C. area. In 2013, she left corporate America and launched her career as an independent marketing consultant. Before serving on the School Board, Greene was vice chairwoman of the Alexandria Commission for Women. She was also vice chairwoman of volunteering at the Alexandria Democratic Committee and created the Ruby Tucker Readers program, which promotes literacy among disadvantaged children.

“There needs to be an advocate for our school system and our youth on the City Council, and that’s why I’m running,” Greene said. “Our children are our most precious commodities and they deserve to get the best education possible. I want to move into a role where I can continue advocating for our school system, but also fight for those who are less fortunate in our city.”

Like Elnoubi, Greene voted to raise teacher salaries by 6 percent this past budget session. However, the City Council did not allocate the full amount of funding the school system requested, and Greene is now vying for the seat where she would have a say in city budget processes. In addition to education, Greene says she is a proponent of affordable housing, and that she “absolutely” supports providing a housing allowance to teachers, emergency responders and other city employees. She also says she supports Zoning for Housing, and would like to “make sure things are very transparent and that everyone is listened to” when council makes future housing affordability policy.

“I’m a strong believer that if you want to live here in Alexandria, you should be able to,” Greene said. “I have friends who could not continue to stay here because renting prices kept going up. We need to really focus on affordability. That’s extremely important to me.”

Greene is all for keeping free DASH buses, what she called one of the city’s “best programs,” and says she would like to see a bike network in the city if it will ensure safety for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. Although she supports the Duke Street in Motion project, Greene says she “very much” would like to fine-tune the plan to a point where more residents are satisfied with it. She says she is also open to hearing residents’ perspectives on transitioning to ward-based city council elections, though “as of now” she is not in favor. On the topic of immigration, she says she would resist the efforts of ICE as much as possible in the event of a second Trump presidency. 

Republican Celianna Gunderson is a paralegal at an intellectual property firm in Old Town. With a father in the military, she was born in Germany and grew up around the world. After receiving an associate’s degree in business management from the University of Maryland’s global campus, Gunderson attended a vocational school in Stuttgart, Germany where she received a paralegal degree in international intellectual property. She moved back to the states in 1999, where she settled in Arlington before moving to Del Ray a decade ago. Gunderson has worked as a paralegal for the last 30 years on and off, taking time away from the “strenuous hours” when family members were diagnosed with cancer. She has also worked at various restaurants in Del Ray, for Aldi and for the school system as a substitute teacher and instructional assistant in the special education department of the high school. Although she has never run for office or worked on any city boards, she described herself as a “concerned parent and citizen.”

“I’m tired of seeing a one-party City Council operate in our city,” Gunderson said, adding she decided to run for office after a meeting with current council members and parents about school safety went awry. “They didn’t want to hear what we had to say. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, somebody’s got to do something.’”

Gunderson says a top priority for her is school safety and that she would support the installation of metal detectors in elementary schools (they are already in place at middle and high schools), as well as bulletproof doors and windows at all schools. She is also a staunch advocate for government reform, and says she would support transitioning to a ward or hybrid form of elections and increasing the number of seats on City Council. She also says the City Council should be non-partisan, similar to the School Board.

“I find little diversity of opinion or tolerance for disagreement on the council, and I think there needs to be more variety in the thoughts and the ideas,” Gunderson said. “We’re all trying to make the city a better and safer place to live, and I don’t believe that has any bearing whether you’re a Republican, independent or Democrat.”

Although Gunderson is in favor of Zoning for Housing’s promotion of accessory dwelling units, as she says they are “really important with all the affordable housing issues right now.” She says she is opposed to its provisions allowing for construction of larger homes and buildings on land previously designated for single-family homes only. To confront the housing crisis, she says the city should lower property taxes. Gunderson did not directly respond to a question asking if she would support the city cooperating with ICE, but says she “is not in the business of sending ICE to someone’s house if they’re living quietly.” Although she is a cyclist, Gunderson says that the city needs to be more conservative in installing new bike lanes and that she does not support the Duke Street in Motion project. She says she would like to keep DASH buses free for students but include a fare for adults with discounts for city residents.

Democrat Kirk McPike is a first-term councilman who works as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA 39). Born in Dallas, McPike attended Southern Methodist University and received an undergraduate degree in political science. He remained in Dallas for several years, coordinating and running campaigns for local Democrats. In 2010, he moved to Alexandria to manage Adam Ebbin’s campaign for state Senate District 39. Settling in the city, he chaired the Economic Opportunities Commission and worked on the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee, with a special focus on housing affordability. His first time running for office was in 2021, when he was elected to the City Council.

“I’m very proud of the things that we’ve done on this council and the investments we’ve made,” McPike said. “We’ve achieved a lot in the last three years, but challenges still remain and we need to stay focused on addressing them.” 

Among the “investments” referenced by McPike are those into affordable housing, which he says was the reason he ran for office in the first place. If elected again, McPike says he would support the implementation of further stages of Zoning for Housing, of which he is a self-described “big proponent,” although he says he would prefer to monitor current changes before implementing new ones. In the meantime, McPike says he would like to increase funding to the city affordable housing trust fund, even if it would mean possibly raising property taxes. He also supports “looking at what would be involved” in a housing voucher system.

“I think we need to take a look at every possible tool that we could use to make housing more affordable for folks,” McPike said.

McPike also says he is enthusiastic about alternate forms of transportation. Cycling is “one of the main ways” he gets around the city, and McPike supports the Duke Street in Motion project as it strengthens his goal of building a “comprehensive, safe bicycle lane network” throughout Alexandria. 

“Obviously, you can’t put a bike lane on every road in the city,” he said. “But we do need to make sure that you can use our bike lane network, whether you choose to drive, bike, or ride one of our free DASH buses, … and you will pull free DASH buses out of my cold, dead hands.”

As for election reform, McPike says he would not support ward-based City Council elections. He also says he would not like the city to cooperate with ICE if Donald Trump were to win the presidency.