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Democrats Unofficially Secure City Hall

The latest in election results for mayor, City Council and School Board.

Democratic candidates for Alexandria mayor and City Council appear to have secured the coveted seven slots from voters who cast their ballots on Election Day.

As of midnight, 26 of the 27 precincts had reported their results, but absentee and overseas ballots still needed to be counted.

When those votes come in, the winners listed below are subject to change.

Mayor: Bill Euille

Vice Mayor (Council member who gets the most votes): Allison Silberberg

City Council (Six Members): Allison Silberberg, Del Pepper, John Taylor Chapman, Tim Lovain, Justin Wilson, Paul Smedberg.

Alexandria Democractic Committee Chair Dak Hardwick praised the slate of candidates for "doing the hard work" to earn the most votes on the ballots cast on Election Day. 

"The people who went to the polls [on Tuesday] voted for candidates committed to moving this city forward and have talked to more voters over a longer period of time than we can remember," Hardwick said. "We've been talking to voters since January."

Also on Tuesday's ballot were elections for Alexandria City School Board. When those votes come in, the winners listed below are subject to change.

School Board District A (three members): Stephanie Amann Kapsis and Karen Graf, but without the additional ballots counted either Bill Campbell or Helen Morris could secure the third spot.

School Board District B (three members): Kelly Carmichael Booz, Marc Williams, Justin Keating.

School Board District C (three members and only three candidates): Christopher Lewis, Pat Hennig, Ronnie Campbell

For a full list of votes by precinct, see the City of Alexandria, State Board of Elections page.

Kim Moore November 7, 2012 at 06:27 am
Wow. As a Demorcrat, yet supporter of Frank Fannon, I am stunned and sad that he will not be returning to City Council. Since the Patch is reporting returns as being unofficial, Alexandria appears to have lost a practical, thoughtful contributor to our City's business.
Frank, thank you for your work and dedication. Please continue to be active in Alexandria's political process and representation.
Sherry Henderson November 7, 2012 at 06:38 am
I'm a Democrat and I am thoroughly shocked, too, that Frank Fannon didn't win, either. As a matter of fact, Frank Fannon clearly raised more money than any candidate running, yet Alicia Hughes beat him. That's even more of a shock. I feel sorry for Frank. He's such a nice guy, too. I hope that he stays involved with community involvement, even if not on city council, and hopefully runs for election in 2015!
lawgal November 7, 2012 at 07:35 am
Yes, I agree with you both. It is important to have different viewpoints and a concern for fiscal responsibility on the Council - particularly in a difficult economy. The professional pundits may have some ideas about the incumbents, but as you know, the Democratic machine was busy dragging people to the polls to help their federal candidates and telling them to vote the Democratic city slate.
Lee Hernly November 7, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Basically, the Democrats in Alexandria got what they wanted when they voted to move the election to the fall.
Jensen November 7, 2012 at 12:56 pm
One party rule is never a good idea. With all the talk of fiscal responsibility, voters in Fairfax vote 3-1 to borrow $185 million dollars, and Alexandrians throw out one sane voice for restraint. Do people not understand the connection between spending and taxes? Property taxes affect everyone, whether they own property or not. This is a shame.
cwer November 7, 2012 at 01:00 pm
Dragging - really? You are surprised that Democrats encouraged their members to vote? And then encouraged them to vote Democrat?
cwer November 7, 2012 at 01:01 pm
A far higher voter turnout is a bad thing?
Jim Roberts November 7, 2012 at 02:03 pm
If most Alexandria voters are Democrats, then their party should allow future elections to be conducted by a ward vote.
A ward vote format will at least allow neighbors to select neighbors to represent their interests on city council. Wonder of wonders, it would also allow voters to select a representative because their views and vigor were the most compelling; not because they were pre-selected by the Democrat Party in its primary
Rob Krupicka November 7, 2012 at 02:11 pm
I really appreciate the service of both Frank and Alicia. Both have been very dedicated to our City. This election has really increased voter participation. I'm very impressed about the amazing participation in City Council debates, the extensive door knocking by candidates and the extensive voter outreach. The press coverage was greater than any recent Council race. People had a lot of chances to hear from and learn about the candidates. In terms of where Frank and Alicia ended up in the vote, I have one simple observation. Alicia has consistently made efforts while on Council to reach out to traditional Democratic constituencies. Her work with residents of Arlandria and the West End of of the City are examples. I think that helped her. Frank has been a good colleague on the Council and I like him a lot. But despite all the money he raised, he didn't target much of his message to the Democratic base in the city. Big signs and t-shirts don't vote. It may have helped him if he had sent mail to strong Democrats making the case for a vote for Frank. I think D's in Alexandria are willing to vote for Moderate R's. But I think the case has to be made.
Gail November 7, 2012 at 02:34 pm
Rob is correct - Frank did no visible outreach to Dem voters for fear of alienating Republicans, but at the same time, he alienated Republicans anyway when he refused to help the entire ticket and basically ran alone. That is why he lost. Frank was a good moderate Republican on council, but you can't play both sides against each other and expect to win.
Vicki Moeser November 7, 2012 at 03:05 pm
I totally agree with you Kim!
Neil Wolfe November 7, 2012 at 03:41 pm
Hey guys what's wrong with a one party system? Works in China right?
lawgal November 7, 2012 at 04:25 pm
Good points, although Fairfax County did need to do something about Huntington or get those residents into a Federal buyout program. In addition, the unruly crowd waiting for absentee voting was also a sign of potential problems - perhaps a law enforcement issue.
Sherry Henderson November 7, 2012 at 04:30 pm
Frank Fannon lost because he gave up on the Alexandria Republican City Committee and the Alexandria Republican City Committee gave up on Frank. For Frank to win a seat, again, on the Alexandria City Council, he might have to switch parties, become a Democrat, and then he'll have more of a shot. If Frank doesn't change parties, he needs to work to project himself better to Democratic constituencies in Alexandria. Also, Frank's campaign team really let him down by working with him to out raise every other candidate running for a seat on the Alexandria City Council, and then not correctly targeting his message. Rob's right, you can't win elections with big signs, tee shirts, or kissing up to the small band of Republicans who live in Alexandria. They would have voted for Frank, anyways, so he should have worked to bridge the gap and become more involved with Democrats as he ran for reelection. My husband and I voted for Frank because, we, as a lot of our friends thought, that a moderate Republican would be good on the Alexandria City Council. When you raise more money than any other candidate, and come in eighth, and when Alicia Hughes even beats you, Frank needs to distance himself from his campaign team, and from his advisers, fire them all, and go back to hitting the streets of his hometown that he knows so well as a fifth-generation Alexandrian. Democrats won big yesterday, but Alexandria lost big by losing one of its native sons, Frank Fannon, too. Frank is a very good man.
Lee Hernly November 7, 2012 at 04:31 pm
Actually, looking at numbers, turnout was flat in Alexandria in the Presidential election compared to 2008. Not a 'far higher turnout'.
Jonathan Krall November 7, 2012 at 04:56 pm
I think the Dems had a solid message this year in terms of moving forward sensibly to work positively with the development that is going to happen anyway. I think they made the case that they want to make this work for as many people as possible. They got a lot of pushback from people who were/are afraid of development and automobile traffic, but stuck to their transit, economic and affordable-housing plans and ideas. They also worked well together. I look forward to seeing the new city council in action.
Gail November 7, 2012 at 05:12 pm
Who exactly was Frank's campaign team?
cwer November 7, 2012 at 06:53 pm
Agreed but it was far higher than the last Council election. There was far more activity and debate around the issues. If one party's message did not get though as well as another's or was not so widely accepted that's political reality. No doubt there are many poorly informed voters but that is hardly the fault of the Democrats.
Lynn S. November 7, 2012 at 07:30 pm
In t
Lynn S. November 7, 2012 at 07:34 pm
I think Frank is a good guy, but having a family business and long-time roots in a city does not qualify you to be a good leader. Frank voted against the council on most issues, even when it didn't make sense. If someone can tell me exactly what and how he contributed an independent voice for progress in Alexandria during his term (which is not defined but just saying 'no' to what others were trying to do), please enlighten me. He and Alicia both got what they deserved, and no, NOT just because the election was moved to November.
David L. November 8, 2012 at 01:00 pm
Enough of this one party rule talk. The Democrats who were elected are a diverse group, with positions that do differ from each other. Alison Silberberg is a prime example; Del Pepper is another. They are local people, making local decisions, and I think each of them sees it that way, too. It's hard to see in them the ideological positions often taken by our national politicians, especially on the right.
lawgal November 8, 2012 at 03:10 pm
One party rule here is a fact, even if there is some diversity among the Democrats, including several who have significant business or banking experience. (Sorry to see Kerry Donly retire from politics, but his situation is understandable.) Your point about the national positions is a good one. Perhaps our local campaigns are really Wisconsin-style, with many voters highly interested in the qualifications and ideas of the individual. It's possible for any candidate to identify voters who could be persuaded to support his or her position, but as noted above, the candidate actually has to do it. We do not have to agree on everything. What we should try to agree on is a need for an absence of nasty verbiage, dirty tricks, violation of election laws, violation of the rights of other citizens, or personal attacks - whether it is due to ideological frenzy or a lack of understanding that some of the neighbors have to go to work acting and dressing like a grown up professional. Maintaining a civil society is important, even if there are other types of challenges ahead.
Nate McKenzie November 8, 2012 at 03:40 pm
What does one party rule even mean in Alexandria politics. I see very little alignment between the national issues (that get oversimplified in the election) and the local issues that dominated the city council election. For the issues that affect Alexandria, D & R distinctions are not very relevant, which may be why you see so much party affiliation change in our candidates over time.
Julie L. November 9, 2012 at 04:14 am
Couldn't agree more with David L on the rather over-simplified description of our Council. The Council is a diverse group with many different backgrounds and perspectives. Just because they all belong to the same party does not make them a group of party hacks. The issues that are before our Council are more local and basic than the issues and platforms of the national parties. If you've ever watched a council hearing you'll know that there is no group mentality where the "Democratic agenda" is being pushed forward before the members' actual concerns for this community. Frank Fannon and Alicia Hughes did not act this way for their party either. Perhaps they lost because people were not impressed with their performance. Or perhaps they were unfairly associated with the national Republican party---many local people from both parties were disgusted with the Republican's positions on so many issues that are important to them.

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Bea Porter May 22, 2013 at 02:38 pm
Very well said. A new building will not bring up the test scores, and its not the fault of theRead More parents. Dr. Sherman changes staff so frequently it makes sense that the scores are not improving. Jefferson-Houston needs to have consistency in staff, and not the turnovers that it has had in the last several years. These students can achieve, they can do well, but they need to have consistent structure, and teachers that are willing to teach them in the manner they can learn best. Take these 350 students and reintegrate them into other schools that are achieving, then see them rise as the stars they are. Stop keeping them segregated, stop the under achievement. Stop this new building.
Lee Hernly May 22, 2013 at 03:21 pm
While I agree with the commenters and the writer on their comments, I do suggest that, if you haveRead More not done so already, do take a tour of the school to see the changes taking place. It's hard to see how the kids can learn anything there at the school given the current open classroom environment. Having lived here all my life, I seem to recall as well that at one point in time, Lyles Crouch was in a similar situation like Jefferson Houston currently is. Lyles Crouch has turned itself around so who's to say that Jefferson Houston won't? Dr. Sherman though, needs to go.
Foo Bar May 25, 2013 at 04:33 pm
As I remember, Lyles-Crouch did not bootstrap itself but got help from Herb Berg, the superintendentRead More before Rebecca Parry. In the '99 redistricting he rezoned Lyles-Crouch's attendance area so that a number of disadvantaged kids who formerly went there now go to Jefferson-Houston.
Jon Rosenbaum May 23, 2013 at 03:10 pm
I find myself agreeing with the writer for once. This is a quality of life and security issue.Read More Actually 60 lights were out a few months ago from the river to the Metro station. TE&S does a survey only once a year. Otherwise its Director says it is up to citizens to report lights that are out. I report light outages on my block, but it is unreasonable to expect citizens to report each light number out on a commercial street. Then there is the issue of repair time. Last fall it took three months to repair a damaged light in the 100 block of N. Saint Asaph Street.
Defy Libtards May 23, 2013 at 03:49 pm
The city is sooooooooooooo boring. Why can't we just continue with the Hippie v. ConservativeRead More bashing; it's been too long since somebody has called me a (racist) because I like small government.
Scot May 23, 2013 at 03:57 pm
Not enough anger in this op ed, please revise. Clap*Clap*Clap Also, why is everyone typing when weRead More could all be out robbing banks? Apparently it is the new cool "thing" in Alexandria.
Sherry Henderson April 30, 2013 at 02:43 pm
Gail, I would say that past elected officials have been very much to blame for the problems with theRead More Alexandria City Public School system, especially the old regime who mismanaged the administration of those schools for the past few years. One can say that they most certainly weren't 'the brightest bulbs in the box'. But the honeymoon is over for the current Alexandria School Board and the Alexandria City Council to grab the bull by the horns and work to solidly fix Alexandria City Public Schools. I understand that a very small percentage of families in Alexandria have children, as the city is geared to newlyweds or people who either don't want or can't afford to have children. Many people move out of Alexandria by the time their children reach the age to go to school because of the low scores that Alexandria City Public Schools have in comparison to great schools in both neighboring Fairfax and Arlington Counties. Getting back to your comment that there are 'entrenched administrators', they need to be publicly outed for their incompetence and sent packing. It amazes me how many elected officials boast how great it is to live in the City of Alexandria, yet they have a glaring problem with Alexandria City Public Schools and are seemingly incompetent to fix them. This isn't a political issue, but as a Democrat, I'm very embarrassed by, as I've noted, the 'good ole boy' and 'good ole girl', wink-wink, back-scratching politics that go on in Alexandria City Hall. Disgusting.
Gail April 30, 2013 at 03:31 pm
We have an almost entirely brand new school board. They were stuck with a big mess. They were onlyRead More installed four months ago. Give them some time. This won't be easy. They are hampered by budget issues right now, existing contracts, etc. These new comers are NOT part of the "ole boy/girl" network. Karen Graaf, Patricia Hennig and Bill Campbell are NOT the "old network" at all. Kelly Carmichael Booz and Chris Lewis were politically active in the city but they are also most definitely NOT part of the "old" network. Marc Williams is the leftover from those days and for reasons I don't understand, he is very popular with parents in the George Mason district where he lives. Sherman has been a disaster, but the fact is that his hiring was actually spearheaded by former school board chair Yvonne Folkerts, who is a Republican. The Dems did not create that particular monster but we were somewhat responsible for allowing the monster to eat the city. I've been screaming for his firing since 2008 and there is a nice bottle of champagne chilling in my fridge for the day he gets his walking papers.
Sherry Henderson April 30, 2013 at 04:25 pm
The Alexandria City Council, except for our great Vice Mayor, Allison Silberberg, is definitely allRead More run by the very entrenched 'good ole boy' and 'good old girl' network that has completely strangled Alexandria politics for years. Many Democrats that I know are completely turned off by our local elected officials, who, despite their good intentions, continuously embarrass us by their votes and misconstrued thoughts that they're doing something right for the future of our city. Alexandria is the true 'banana republic' of D.C. area politics, because those who, uhm, 'govern' us have a "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil" mantra to themselves, especially Justin Wilson, who loves to overly pontificate as he drones on until he foams at the mouth during his lengthy dissertations that are as mindless as he is. And Justin, and the rest of the politburo that we have seated at Alexandria City Hall are hell bent to run the city any way they like. As a Democrat, I know that we can sure do better than what we've got in office now, and there are a ton of great forward-thinking progressives who would be much better than the stooges who are in Alexandria City Hall now, but the 'political elite' throws up obstacles to keep themselves in power. That in itself is very shameful, but since the City of Alexandria is so 'provincial' in its 'my way or the highway' governance, we're always doomed to inefficiency in comparison to Fairfax and Arlington Counties. We definitely deserve better.
Dan Sehnal April 24, 2013 at 06:34 pm
46 pounds per household sounds like a lot per household. It would be interesting to know where theRead More number came from and how it was computed. Although anecdotal, a quick inspection of the 26 homes on our street in old town, I would guess we are talking about 10-15 pounds per household. That's a big differential. Is business and/or industrial waste included in that number? If so, I can better understand. Thanks, D. Sehnal Quay St.
Michael Clem April 25, 2013 at 02:30 pm
The 46 pounds per household is somewhat inflated because it includes weight from Alexandria'sRead More schools and City government buildings. But the number is not that far off. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that an average household generates 1.2 tons of trash a year. That's about 46 lbs. a week. People who recycle all that they can and do not have much yard waste will generate much less. You must be one of those households. Great job!
Nate McKenzie April 30, 2013 at 05:45 pm
Michael, What is your opinion of municipal composting programs? Would a municipal compostingRead More program make sense in Alexandria (not sure of benefits when we are already incinerating)? Can municipal composting be cost effective for us? Thanks, Nate
Concerned Virginian April 23, 2013 at 02:17 am
OldTowner, The city may be compare its pay/benefits with other jurisdictions, but that doesn't meanRead More they do anything to make them more fair and equitable. I provided a detailed comparison of Alexandria Police and a neighboring county, one full of facts and actual logic. I notice you didn't respond. You probably finally realized that your statements are incorrect and, to date, have not been based on research and facts. Where is your response? Then there is your "intangibles" and the city tends to be "Safer" than others. Tell that to the officer who was maliciously wounded by an ex-convict on Christmas day. Tell that to the officers who were fired at near police headquarters and had to return fire, mortally wounding someone. Tell that to the officer who got shot in the head. Here's an idea--Don't post anymore unless you have something factual and correct to say. Let's try that.
oldtowner April 24, 2013 at 10:14 pm
to Concerned: So get a job somewhere else if you don't like working in Alexandria. I certainlyRead More value the services of our police and fire employees....I also value the services of many other city employees. Regarding the incident on Duke Street, no report on the incident has been released, so we really don't know who fired first....Most assume the deceased did, but we really don't know. Our police dept is not well-known for releasing details about incidents. And all hope for the best recovery for Ofc Laboy. His unfortunate injury has nothing to do with the pay Alexandria officers receive. You really haven't added anything of value to the conversation. Everybody always wants to be paid more and have better benefits (that they don't have to pay for); that's a fact of life everywhere.
Concerned Virginian April 29, 2013 at 02:15 am
Oldtowner, I love working in and for Alexandria, but I will also fight for fairness and equity. AndRead More I will continue to counter people like you who intentionally make incorrect statements. You say I haven't added anything of value to the conversation? I have provided hard statistics as well as anecdotal evidence to back up my claims. All you have said is "Go check your facts. I haven't had time to do research myself, but will". It is you that haven't added anything valuable. I'm still waiting for a fact-based (I know, a shocker for you) response to the salary information I provided regarding us and Arlington. What have YOU added to this conversation? (Hint--your false statements and incorrect opinions aren't valuable)
OT insider April 4, 2013 at 01:22 am
This is simple... 1. The city should withdrawl from the BZA apppeal. 2. Any further litigationRead More against the city based on a super-majority WFP vote should be dismissed - the re-vote took care of that. It's time to stop the BS, end the delay tactics and start making real progress on finally improving our embarasing, ghetto waterfront.
Haunches April 7, 2013 at 01:56 pm
The decision was made in a closed executive session to pursue these policies. That is anRead More inescapable fact. Winning an election does not mean you are now unaccountable. The news in the last few days of a jury verdict substantiating the city retaliated against an employee to protect a developer underscores the author's point.
oldtowner April 11, 2013 at 07:01 pm
to Haunches....I think VA law requires legal issues to be considered in executive session...checkRead More your facts....this has always been the case...there are a few issues that they have to consider in executive session......this fact is totally unrelated to the recent case involving a terminated City employee....can't compare apples and oranges....