Anonymous wrote:Three more high-ranking officials overseeing major city departments have resigned, adding to the growing wave of departures. With major projects in motion, the lack of oversight raises serious concerns about continuity. A mass exodus is underway—what happens next?

Anonymous wrote:The City of Alexandria quietly seeks to empower independent Police Community Board at the Expense of APD and risks public safety. In 2022, the city created the Independent Community Policing Review Board (ICPRB) and Alexandria Independent Policing Auditor (AIPA). Residents posted about this at the time (link below), expressing concern about purpose of this group, and the composition of the ICPRB raising questions about its objectivity and purpose. It was recently reported that serious crimes in the city (referred to as Part I crimes) rose 74% from 2,722 to 4,733 incidents per year from 2019-2024. In other words, we have a serious crime problem!
I happened to check the docket for tomorrow, and Item 11 is an Ordinance increasing the power of the ICPRB and AIPA. The only group the city gathered input from was Tenants and Workers United (TWU). They claim they sent an email to 200 persons, but did not say who they were or how they got a name. There was one "public event" held with 11 attendees, 7 of whom were Board members or their staff. There was no effort to engage civic associations, victim support groups, or any other interested public stakeholder. Please let us know if you received that email requesting feedback
The big change in this ordinance is the Board would establish a formal inquiry intake process for complaints, and the Board can request investigations. They would also have subpoena power (which is legally questionable since normally only courts have that power). The memo in the docket item suggests one reason for the change is to evade FOIA. It at least seems the purpose is to pressure APD even more. With a crime wave on our hands, the last thing we need if for APD to be under further siege.
There was little effort made to inform the public, as reflected in the feedback form. For example, they identified one person from the “West End” who provided feedback, 3 from "Seminary Hill," and it is unclear where and when that happened. We do know Seminary Hill Association was never notified.
Bill Rossello recently wrote a piece in the Times on our exploding crime problem, noting that “elected officials overreacted to terrible events in places not named Alexandria.” The reaction is puzzling since APD has a history of professionalism, and has no record of systemic misconduct. In lieu of focusing on public safety in light of our crime wave, the city appears to be doubling down on neutering APD.
This is all last minute with little public notice. Please review the materials and ask Councilors to thoughtfully wait until the public has an opportunity to understand the impact of these changes.
https://alexandria.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx...
https://alextimes.com/.../city-hall-watch-with-bill.../

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Anonymous wrote:But what about all the bike lanes?!?!?

Bike lanes are what make people move to a city in the first place!

I blame that nimrod Justin and his bowing to the Biker Beta Boys. All that really works well in Alexandria are the trash, recycling, and yard waste collectors and the men who fix the rampant water main breaks. Can't wait for Alex to pass their form of Missing Middle and we are dumping our house on a 16,000 lot for affordable housing or whatever the new chick mayor wants to call it.

Good luck with that the investors are already pulling out of the city projects.

Examples?

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But what about all the bike lanes?!?!?

Bike lanes are what make people move to a city in the first place!

I blame that nimrod Justin and his bowing to the Biker Beta Boys. All that really works well in Alexandria are the trash, recycling, and yard waste collectors and the men who fix the rampant water main breaks. Can't wait for Alex to pass their form of Missing Middle and we are dumping our house on a 16,000 lot for affordable housing or whatever the new chick mayor wants to call it.

Good luck with that the investors are already pulling out of the city projects.

That’s been going on for years. Arlandria was going to be redeveloped back in the early 2000s but after a few years and no movement the developer backed out.

Alexandria City is small @150k resident if that and something like 60% are low income and it is the only area in NOVA with dedicated public housing. It is codified in City law that any public housing torn down must be replaced. The schools are bad and overall there is very little room for developers to make money. Once that sinks in they abandon the projects.

The schools in the city of Alexandria were only accredited a few years ago!

The brand new low income housing projects they're jamming only in the west end is incredible, really incredible to see whats happening here now. Sad really. Its pretty much going to be a city for only low income folks. They made it very welcoming with free busses, phones, internet, free housing, free food...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But what about all the bike lanes?!?!?

Bike lanes are what make people move to a city in the first place!

I blame that nimrod Justin and his bowing to the Biker Beta Boys. All that really works well in Alexandria are the trash, recycling, and yard waste collectors and the men who fix the rampant water main breaks. Can't wait for Alex to pass their form of Missing Middle and we are dumping our house on a 16,000 lot for affordable housing or whatever the new chick mayor wants to call it.

Good luck with that the investors are already pulling out of the city projects.

That’s been going on for years. Arlandria was going to be redeveloped back in the early 2000s but after a few years and no movement the developer backed out.

Alexandria City is small @150k resident if that and something like 60% are low income and it is the only area in NOVA with dedicated public housing. It is codified in City law that any public housing torn down must be replaced. The schools are bad and overall there is very little room for developers to make money. Once that sinks in they abandon the projects.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But what about all the bike lanes?!?!?

Bike lanes are what make people move to a city in the first place!

I blame that nimrod Justin and his bowing to the Biker Beta Boys. All that really works well in Alexandria are the trash, recycling, and yard waste collectors and the men who fix the rampant water main breaks. Can't wait for Alex to pass their form of Missing Middle and we are dumping our house on a 16,000 lot for affordable housing or whatever the new chick mayor wants to call it.

Good luck with that the investors are already pulling out of the city projects.

Anonymous wrote:Alexandria resident here. Agree that the City seems to struggling a bit lately. But would like to point out that the DASH bus would only be for HS students. The article clearly states (even in the title and link below) that MS and ES would still have school buses. HS students should be able to manage on DASH.
https://www.alxnow.com/2025/01/21/alexandria-could-ditch-school-buses-for-high-school-students-and-switch-to-dash/

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Anonymous wrote:The decision to remove school buses from the city is deeply concerning. Taxpayers deserve access to adequate transportation for their children, yet the City has failed to provide this basic necessity. Adding to the frustration, the Mayor and City Manager have proposed raising taxes, further burdening residents without addressing these critical issues. It’s unacceptable and highlights a lack of accountability.

How will kids get to school?? City buses?

Why not? Does it make sense to run two bus systems and one of them only 9 months out of the year? No doubt, ridership is down due to WFH on DASH and DASH is going fare free.

With DASH achieving record-high ridership in 2023—over 4.5 million boardings—it’s clear that the system has become a vital part of the community, even thriving post-COVID. In fact, rather than hindering public transit, the pandemic brought forward innovations and service enhancements that increased accessibility and convenience for riders.

However, I would ask the previous poster: would you feel comfortable allowing your 5- or 6-year-old to ride a DASH bus, especially during a 2:30 p.m. drop-off, without knowing who might be waiting at the stop? Can you honestly say your child would feel secure in such an environment, given the lack of control over who shares the space? Public transit thrives on inclusivity, but the reality of shared spaces raises questions about safety and comfort for our youngest riders. Would you trust this system for your child under these circumstances?

Anonymous wrote:Alexandria is facing significant challenges due to ineffective leadership, marked by difficulties in hiring and retaining qualified employees. Unfortunately, this has led to a decline in overall performance and morale among the remaining workforce.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The decision to remove school buses from the city is deeply concerning. Taxpayers deserve access to adequate transportation for their children, yet the City has failed to provide this basic necessity. Adding to the frustration, the Mayor and City Manager have proposed raising taxes, further burdening residents without addressing these critical issues. It’s unacceptable and highlights a lack of accountability.

How will kids get to school?? City buses?

Why not? Does it make sense to run two bus systems and one of them only 9 months out of the year? No doubt, ridership is down due to WFH on DASH and DASH is going fare free.