Making Alexandria Government More Open, Accessible and Representative

1. Citizen Input into Council Agendas

To limit the likelihood issues of major concern to city residents are considered by the Council late at night or during the wee hours of the morning, citizens by a petition signed by more than 50 registered voters should be able to have a specific issue moved to the beginning of the Council’s meeting agenda.

2. Public Disclosure of City Contracting

To better inform taxpayers of how their tax dollars are being spent, the City should publish for each year, the specific contracts issued by the City, including the recipients and the purpose. Disclosure of any non-profits receiving contracts should include identification of significant contributors to those non-profits.

3. Public Disclosure of Grant Applications

To limit the possibility that decisions are effectively made in response to receipt of a grant, applications for grants should be made public, to include how the grant would be utilized if received.

4. Return to Electing Some Council Members by Wards or Districts.

It is time for a discussion on having some Council members be elected by wards or districts. We have legislative districts on the federal level. We have them on the state level. Other cities our size have them. There is no reason we shouldn’t have them here in Alexandria as well.

Having wards or districts would make it easier and less expensive for interested residents to run for City Council — opening up the opportunity to serve to more in our community. As opposed to running in a 160k city-wide at-large district, one could run in a district of 53k covering only a portion of the city.

Alexandria could be the only city our size in America that elects all of its Council at-large in partisan elections.

Here is how cities sized similarly to Alexandria select their city councils:

Salem, Oregon (170,000 residents) - Mayor + 8 Council Members Elected by Wards
Eugene, Oregon (169,000) - Mayor + 8 Council Members Elected by Wards
Peoria, Arizona (168,000) - Mayor + 6 Council Members Elected by Districts
Springfield, Missouri (168,000) - Mayor + 4 Council Members Elected At-Large, 4 Elected by Zone
Cary, North Carolina (166,000) - Mayor + 2 Council Members Elected At-Large, 4 Elected by District
Ft. Collins, Colorado (165,000) - Mayor + 6 Council Members Elected by District
Hayward, California (160,000) - Mayor + 6 Council Members Elected At-Large (note: elections are non-partisan)
Lancaster, California (160,000) - Mayor + 4 Council Members Elected At-Large (note: elections are non-partisan)
Jackson, Mississippi (160,000) - Mayor + 7 Council Members Elected by Wards
Savannah, Georgia (144,000) - Mayor + 2 Council Members Elected At-Large, 6 Elected by District
Syracuse, New York (142,000) - Mayor + 4 Council Members Elected At-Large, 5 Elected by District
Charleston, South Carolina (138,000) - Mayor + 12 Council Members Elected by District