Bring Common Sense Government Back To Alexandria
Alexandria is at a crossroads
Shall we have a government that divides us or one that brings us together as a community?
Twenty two years ago, my wife and I moved to Alexandria to establish roots and raise our two children. We came here for many of the same reasons that likely attracted you. A tight-knit, caring community. Distinct and diverse neighborhoods. A history and charm that attracts tourists from around the globe. All just across the river from the nation’s capital.
A city where everyone counts, no matter one’s age, one’s economic status, one’s race, one’s religion, or one’s ethnic background. A community which values its diversity and recognizes it as a source of our strength – with a government focused on working for all who live here, and on seeking consensus on major decisions.
However, over the past few years, we have seen our city government pursue a different path.
Pushing divisive policies such as:
Building adult housing on school grounds when the focus should be on reopening schools.
Eliminating traffic lanes on major roadways when the focus should be on alleviating traffic.
Bulldozing parks when the focus should be on preserving green space.
Promoting density when our schools and infrastructure can’t keep up with the needs of our current residents.
Removing School Resource Officers when the safety of students should come first.
Continuing to raise taxes when so many households are struggling through the pandemic.
So, I decided I could not stand on the sidelines and watch our city, the city I love, so dramatically transformed. If you, too, are concerned with the path our city government has taken. If you, too, believe we can do better. And if you, too, are ready for a government that seeks to bring us together as a community rather than drive us apart with controversial policies, then please join me in this campaign to bring back common sense government to our very uncommon city.
Make it stand out.
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Fix Our Storm Drains Now!
Flooded Basements. Unusable Yards. Raw Sewage Flowing into Homes. No one living in our city should have to deal with this over and over with no end in sight. Enough is enough. There is no excuse in a city of our size with our resources for this to be occurring year after year. It’s time to fix Alexandria’s storm drains - and I have a plan to do it.
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Bring Back our School Resource Officers
Last year, the City Council voted - over the objection of the Alexandria School Board - to remove school resource safety officers from our middle and high school campuses. I vehemently oppose the Council’s decision. Nothing is more important than our kid’s safety. This is not a political issue, it is a matter of common sense. It’s time to bring back our School Resource Officers and ensure our kids are safe at school.
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Restore Checks and Balances
I will bring a fresh perspective to the Council & push for bipartisan, consensus decisions. Politics today is far too divisive. It shouldn’t be that way with city government. Potholes are not Democratic or Republican – they just need to be filled.
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End Road Diets. Preserve Duke St.
Traffic in Alexandria is bad enough already. Our City should work to alleviate traffic, not make it worse.
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Hit the Pause Button on Density.
To meet a “commitment” set by the Washington Council of Governments, a private, non-governmental organization which wants Alexandria to take on 10x more than our fair share of their regional goals for new housing, our city continues to promote more density. Even in the midst of the pandemic. When we are already the densest city in Virginia, and among the top 15 most dense cities in America.
Tax dollars should not be spent to promote more density until our schools and infrastructure catch up to meet the needs of our current residents, and Alexandria has a plan in place to address the addition of more density.
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Protect our Green Space.
Our city continues to approve zoning changes and other initiatives promoting overbuilding throughout Alexandria. Now, it wants to bulldoze Chinquapin Park, citing pollution data from streams with farmland runoff in Pennsylvania while ignoring testing of Taylor Run done by local residents and discounting findings by the city’s Natural Resources staff.
We have too little green space and tree canopy as it is. Plans to bulldoze Chinquapin Park should be halted. City Hall should preserve what little green space we have — not destroy it.
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No Adult Housing on School Grounds.
In its drive to create even more housing in Alexandria, the city has proposed, and the ACPS has spent tax dollars on designs for, “colocating” housing on school grounds.
School buildings and grounds are for our children, for their education and recreation. We need to focus resources on reopening schools, not housing adults there.
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Make City Government More Open, Accessible & Representative.
Since 1950, all our City Council members have been elected at-large, instead of by districts or wards. As a result, residents do not have a member of the City Council they can call “their own,” who is responsive to their neighborhood’s needs.
We have legislative districts on the federal level. We have them on the state level. Other cities our size have them. To truly represent the needs of our citizens and neighborhoods, there is no reason Alexandria, too, shouldn’t have some Council members elected by districts or wards.
Darryl’s Priorities
It’s Time to Bring Common Sense Government Back To Alexandria
Fix Our Storm Drains Now.
A few years ago, the city imposed a special “storm water” fee. But the city did not put those funds in a lock box, leaving storm drains clogged and unable to handle the runoff created in part by increased density with residents left to deal with flooded basements and unusable yards. Now our Council has doubled the fee with no guarantee that all funds raised will be dedicated to upgrading our storm drains.
American Recovery Act funds received by our city and not allocated to COVID relief should be used to speed up fixing our storm water and sewer infrastructure.
Restore Seminary Road. No More Road Diets.
Seminary Road is one of our city’s main arteries to our only hospital. It is a connector to a major fire station. It is heavily used by residents driving to and from 395. Regardless, City Officials replaced two of its four travel lanes with rarely used bike lanes. Future “road diets” are envisioned for Duke Street and upper King Street.
With cut-through traffic, lanes eliminated from major roadways, limited parking and increased density, traffic in Alexandria is bad enough already. Our City should work to alleviate traffic, not make it worse.
Hit the Pause Button on Density.
To meet a “commitment” set by the Washington Council of Governments, a private, non-governmental organization which wants Alexandria to take on 10x more than our fair share of their regional goals for new housing, our city continues to promote more density. Even in the midst of the pandemic. When we are already the densest city in Virginia, and among the top 15 most dense cities in America.
Tax dollars should not be spent to promote more density until our schools and infrastructure catch up to meet the needs of our current residents, and Alexandria has a plan in place to address the addition of more density.
No Adult Housing on School Grounds.
In its drive to create even more housing in Alexandria, the city has proposed, and the ACPS has spent tax dollars on designs for, “colocating” housing on school grounds.
School buildings and grounds are for our children, for their education and recreation. We need to focus resources on reopening schools not housing adults there.
Protect our Green Space.
Our city continues to approve zoning changes and other initiatives promoting overbuilding throughout Alexandria. Now, it wants to bulldoze Chinquapin Park, citing pollution data from streams with farmland runoff in Pennsylvania while ignoring testing of Taylor Run done by local residents and discounting findings by the city’s Natural Resources staff.
We have too little green space and tree canopy as it is. City Hall should work to preserve what we have — not destroy it.
Make City Government More Open, Accessible & Representative.
Since 1950, all our City Council members have been elected at-large, instead of by districts or wards. As a result, residents do not have a member of the City Council they can call “their own,” who is responsive to their neighborhood’s needs.
We have legislative districts on the federal level. We have them on the state level. Other cities our size have them. To truly represent the needs of our citizens and neighborhoods, there is no reason Alexandria, too, shouldn’t have some Council members elected by districts or wards.
Meet Darryl
Darryl Nirenberg is a 22 year resident of Alexandria and 40 year resident of Northern Virginia. He was raised in a small town in Upstate New York, where he attended public schools and played baseball and football.
Darryl paid his own way through college and law school; saving money from starting a paper route, delivering groceries for a neighborhood convenience store, painting interiors; working check out and stocking shelves in a grocery store, bussing tables at a Catskills resort, waiting on tables at the Key Bridge Marriott here in Rosslyn and starting his own business selling premium candies from a roadside stand.
The day he graduated from Colgate University, Darryl moved to what were then the Hamlets in the West End of Alexandria. He found a job on Capitol Hill, and returned to his job waiting on tables at the Marriott in the evenings to help save for law school.