News Publication, June, 2022
ALEXANDRIA, VA–Orange shirts could be seen across Market Square yesterday when over 350 people attended the Alexandria Chapter of VA Moms Demand Action’s (AMDA) Wear Orange Rally. The event was intentionally held June 3 – National Gun Violence Awareness Day – kicking off a weekend campaign from the National Moms Demand Action organization to wear orange in solidarity with victims of gun violence.Brooke Glisson, the Local Group Lead of AMDA, explained why they wear orange, saying, “Orange signifies the value of every human life.” In an email obtained by The Zebra dated May 29 and addressed to AMDA, Glisson wrote: “Our hearts are with the city of Buffalo, NY and the students, staff, and families of Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX. It has never been more important for us to gather to honor gun violence victims and survivors.”
Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson also spoke to the crowd, welcoming everyone to Market Square and mentioning the presence of every member of City Council. He declared June 3 Gun Violence Awareness Day in Alexandria, reading excerpts from City Council’s Proclamation on Gun Violence issued May 23.
News Publication, October, 2021
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Mayor Justin Wilson has proclaimed October 24, 2021, as World Polio Day in the City of Alexandria. Members of the Rotary Club of Alexandria Central joined the mayor in chambers for the proclamation. Rotary Club of Alexandria Central President Ronal Butler said he was glad the Club could support the 2021 GPEI during the present pandemic, particularly as they couldn’t celebrate World Polio Day in 2020.
News Publication, August 2021
ALEXANDRIA, VA – On paper, Alexandria may seem like an unusual place to test the idea of “guaranteed income.”
The Northern Virginia city of 160,000, known for its historic Old Town, consistently ranks among the wealthiest counties or equivalent jurisdictions in the nation. The median household makes about $103,000, more than one and a half times the national average.
Yet local officials, flush with millions in extra cash thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act, are preparing a plan to do just that: Starting this fall, they will give $500 debit cards each month to 150 families, with no strings attached — part of a growing wave of places in the United States and beyond embracing the idea.
“We have built an entire apparatus of bureaucracy around how we administer programs designed to address the impacts of poverty,” Mayor Justin Wilson (D) said. “In some ways, the philosophy around it is: Let’s cut all that out of there and just provide money.”
News Publication, July 2021
“This long-anticipated project will not only revitalize a currently vacant site many had given up on and provide significant new economic activity, but will also be a catalyst for redevelopment and enhancements throughout the West End of our city," said Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson.
"This truly transformational redevelopment of the Landmark mall site will provide a new, modern hospital facility where Inova can continue to provide world-class care to our community and to the region," Wilson added. "In addition, the much-needed mixed-income housing, new municipal facilities and services, and new open space will come together at this site to support and enhance the health, wellness and quality of life of the West End and our entire community for generations to come.”
News Publication, May 2021
ALEXANDRIA, VA – In his morning COVID update on his social media, Mayor Justin Wilson today cited the Virginia Health Department’s statistics regarding Alexandria’s virus status, exclaiming, “Zero Looks Good Alexandria!”
“With 40% of Alexandrians ages 16 and up fully vaccinated and approaching our lowest 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases, we are thrilled to be able to take a step toward returning to normalcy,”
News Publication, June 2021
Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson handily defeated his predecessor, former mayor Allison Silberberg, in a Democratic primary win Tuesday that sets him on the path to a second term leading Northern Virginia’s largest city.
In a race featuring starkly different views on the pace of Alexandria’s growth, Wilson, 42, promised to embrace economic development and update aging infrastructure while touting his efforts to attract major institutions to the city.
Wilson won by about 3,200 votes, according to unofficial results, more than double his margin of victory in the 2018 race in which he unseated Silberberg.
News Publication, May 2021
ALEXANDRIA, VA – In his morning COVID update on his social media, Mayor Justin Wilson today cited the Virginia Health Department’s statistics regarding Alexandria’s virus status, exclaiming, “Zero Looks Good Alexandria!”
“With 40% of Alexandrians ages 16 and up fully vaccinated and approaching our lowest 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases, we are thrilled to be able to take a step toward returning to normalcy,”
News Publication, May 2021
“We are truly honored to have received these accolades,” said Mayor Justin Wilson. “Redeveloping the Landmark Mall area in concert with locating and establishing a new, state-of the-art hospital center will generate economic growth for the West End, enhance the city’s ongoing plans for the area, and help increase access to health care for all Alexandrians.”
News Publication, March 2021
ALEXANDRIA, VA-On March 23, the Alexandria City Council unanimously adopted a resolution condemning hate, scapegoating and violence directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The resolution affirms the City of Alexandria’s commitment to actively combating racism, achieving racial and social equity, and protecting its vulnerable residents.
“Alexandria is a diverse, culturally rich community,” said Mayor Justin Wilson. “We celebrate our diversity and affirm our unwavering commitment to protecting the human rights of all our residents. We deplore the acts of hate that have occurred against people of Asian descent. Our hearts go out to the victims of violence, their families, and to all who have suffered due to these racist attacks.”
News Publication, March 2021
Alexandria is looking back on a full year of the coronavirus, and hopes are high that the end of the pandemic is in sight.
“It has been an extraordinary year in our City,” Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson tweeted this morning. “The fact that we are here, with an end in sight, is a testament to the tireless commitment of thousands of volunteers, public servants, community organizations and brave healthcare workers.”
Local News Channel, March 2021
A new COVID-19 mass vaccination site is opening in Alexandria, Virginia, and officials said Tuesday it will be able to administer thousands of doses a day. The site, located at 5001 Eisenhower Avenue, is a joint partnership between Alexandria, Fairfax County and Inova Health System, which is based in Falls Church. It’s slated to open by the end of March.
News Publication, March 2021
“Our partnership with NVCT is critical in helping to reach the City’s Environmental Action Plan goal to increase open space and improve its environmental quality and management,” said Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson. “Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Brown and NVCT’s stewardship, Alexandrians will have even more natural area to enjoy for generations to come.
News Publication, March 2021
The release also notes that customer-facing servers are unable to maintain a safe distance while diners are actively eating or drinking without masks, and it says many food service workers are uninsured or underinsured without paid time off. Restaurant workers who previously selected “food service” as their occupation while pre-registering on the Virginia Health website will automatically be added to Phase 1B in Alexandria, the city’s release says. The news is a win for Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson, who previously campaigned at a state level for the food service industry to be lumped into the 1B vaccine distribution phase.
News Publication, March 2021
One year after classes were abruptly suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students at T.C. Williams High School returned for in-person studies March 16 with social distancing practices now the new normal at the King Street campus.
“It’s been a tough year for everybody,” said Wilson, whose two children attend ACPS schools. “It’s been challenging for our students and a year of sacrifices. But today is a day of celebration and an opportunity for us to pay tribute to our educators, support staff as well as our families who have sacrificed so much over the past year.”
News Publication, January 2021
Securing land use approvals and the "nitty gritty" of bringing Virginia Tech to Alexandria is a top priority in the new year, Wilson said. "We're now past the point of the euphoria and now we're in the phase where we work through the details of bringing it to Potomac Yard. Those approvals will come this year and some will have a community planning process to bring that to a close. It's exciting, it's a good thing, but it's work you've got to do."
"Last year we kicked off this partnership with Arlington to make sure it's more inclusive and benefits the entire community and this year we're going to put some flesh to those bones," he said. "Virginia Tech will be a big part of some of the work we do in 2020."
Local News Channel, January 2021
Alexandria, Va. (WJLA) — Issues between the City of Alexandria and their power provider Dominion Energy have come to a head.
Now, Mayor Justin Wilson is saying something needs to change, as he sees residents and businesses getting frustrated.
Wilson wants Dominion to commit to three things:
News Publication, January 2021
When two local governments just outside of Washington put together their bid for Amazon’s HQ2 project, they decided on a different approach, one that would provide a lasting benefit to the city of Alexandria and Arlington County even if Amazon’s tax revenues didn’t fill the gap. To prove to Amazon that its residents would be qualified for the estimated 25,000 high-tech jobs the company would bring, the cities helped bring a new Virginia Tech campus to their region.
“There was very much a feeling that the benefits of the [Amazon] investment were going to accrue to a very small percentage of the residents,” said Justin Wilson, the Democratic mayor of Alexandria. “We felt like there was an opportunity to chart a different course.”
News Publication, May 2018
Mr. Wilson — astute, practical, no-nonsense — has both a keen strategic sense of how to position Alexandria to cope with an era of slowing federal spending and an impressive command of the city’s $730 million operating budget — and its limitations, given the acute challenges facing the city. He has been proactive in addressing the fact that Alexandria’s revenue growth has failed to keep abreast of its burgeoning population, overstretched services, rusting infrastructure and aging schools, where more than half the students are from needy families, making them eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.
Press Release, May 2018
“We highly value your dedication to the protection of the natural resources of Alexandria, and we are confident that you will safeguard the quality of the land, water and air. We will contact our Sierra Club members, urging their support of your election. We also look forward to working with you so that Alexandria can become a model green city through the implementation of clean energy and efficiency actions through your leadership." - Sierra Club, Mount Vernon Group of the Virginia Chapter.
News Publication, April 2018
"In contrast with Silberberg's answers, Wilson has demonstrated support for urbanism in his questionnaire and on the council. He said, “I supported the 'road diet' on King Street and I believe that a road diet can be part of the City's solution to pedestrian safety issues in a few locations in our City.”"
Official Press Release, April 2018
Official Press Release, February 2018
Official Press Release, January 2018
Official Press Release, January 2018
Official Press Release, November 2017
The Connection, December 27, 2017
Alexandria Gazette, December 14, 2017
Alexandria Gazette, November 15, 2017
Washington Post, November 13, 2017
WTOP, November 13, 2017
NBCNews4, November 13, 2017
Alexandria Times, November 13, 2017
Alexandria News, November 13, 2017
Virginia Connections Newspapers, October 27, 2017
Virginia Connections Newspapers, October 27, 2017
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