The Alexandria City Council is seeking applicants to fill vacancies on city boards, commissions and committees. Council will act on these vacancies at the Sept. 11 City Council meeting. All applicants must complete a personal data record form and return it to the City Clerk’s Office or file the form electronically via the city’s website no later than 5 p.m., Aug. 31.
The following information was provided by the City of Alexandria:
Affordable Housing Advisory Committee – four vacancies: one vacancy for a licensed and practicing attorney, due to an expiring term; one faith community representative, due to a resignation; one vacancy for a representative from the Planning and Zoning Department due to a resignation; and one representative from the Department of Community and Human Services, due to a resignation. The Committee, whose members also serve on the Housing Master Plan Advisory Group, meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. for Housing Master Plan business. Separate Affordable Housing Advisory Committee meetings will be held at 6:30 the same evening on an as-needed basis. In the event Committee business is expected to take longer than 30 minutes, a special meeting will be held on an alternate date convenient to the majority of members. Approximately four to five hours per month are required of Committee members.
Alexandria ASAP (Alcohol Safety Action Program) Board – This is an existing board but its members will now be appointed by City Council. One vacancy for a public defender representative. The Board meets quarterly on the third Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m.
Alexandria Gang Task Force – one vacancy for a member from and representing the youth of the City, due to a resignation. The Task Force meets quarterly during the weekday evening. Approximately two hours per meeting are required of Task Force members.
Alexandria-Gyumri Sister City Committee – seven vacancies for citizen members due to resignations. The committee meets at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Approximately three hours per month are required of Committee members.
Alexandria Transportation Commission – two vacancies: one vacancy for a representative of the Environmental Policy Commission, due to a resignation; and one vacancy for a representative of the Planning Commission, due to a resignation. The Commission meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Approximately two hours per month are required of commission members.
Archaeological Commission – one vacancy for a citizen member, due to a resignation. The Commission meets at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. Approximately four to five hours per month are required of Commission members.
Board of Architectural Review – Parker-Gray Board – one vacancy for a citizen member, due to an expiring term. The Board meets on the fourth Wednesdays of the month at 7:30 p.m. (except in August when they are on recess.) Approximately five hours per month are required of Board members.
Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission – one vacancy for a City employee member, due to a resignation. The Commission meets on the second Wednesday of each month. Approximately eight hours per month are required of Commission members.
Citizen Corps Council – five vacancies: one representative from the Alexandria Chapter of the American Red Cross due to a resignation; one representative of an Alexandria civic association due to a resignation; one representative of the Alexandria business community, due to an expired term; one member designated by the Alexandria School Board due to a resignation; and one representative of the Crime Prevention Council, or an individual with law enforcement or crime prevention experience, due to a resignation. The Council meets on the fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Approximately four hours per month are required of Council members.
Commission for the Arts – one vacancy for a student member who resides in the City of Alexandria and attends a high school located in the City, due to a resignation. The Commission meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Approximately twelve hours per month are required of Commission members. Commissioners are required to become involved in various art projects/events throughout the City and serve on one grant review panel and one committee.
Commission on Aging – one vacancy for a citizen member, due to a resignation. The Commission meets on the second Thursday of every month, except in July and August, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Approximately four to six hours of work per month are required of Commission members.
Commission on Employment – one vacancy for a business representative from among recognized area businesses, including minority owned and small businesses, due to a resignation. The Commission meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 8 a.m. Approximately five hours per month are required of Commission members.
Commission on HIV/AIDS – five vacancies: one citizen member, due to an expiring term; one Alexandria chapter of the American Red Cross representative, due to an administrative action; one member from and representing the Inova Alexandria Hospital’s Department of Pastoral Services; one member from and representing the Community Services Board due to an expired term; and one member from and representing the City of Alexandria Public Schools due to an expired term. The Commission meets on the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Approximately three hours per month are required of Commission members.
Commission on Information Technology – four vacancies: one vacancy for a representative from the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, due to a resignation; one vacancy for a member representing a provider of local telephone communication services in the City of Alexandria due to an expired term; one School Board representative, due to an administrative action; and one member representing the holder of the City’s cable television franchise, due to an administrative action. The Commission meets on the second Monday of every month. Approximately two hours per meeting are required of Commission members.
Commission on Persons with Disabilities – five vacancies: one vacancy for a citizen member, due to an administrative action; three vacancies for disabled citizens, due to resignations; and one representative of the business community, due to a resignation. The Commission meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month. Approximately six to ten hours a month are required of Commission members.
Community Criminal Justice Board – one vacancy for a representative of local education to be nominated by the Superintendent of Schools, due to a resignation. The Board meets quarterly on the first Thursday of the month at 4 p.m. Approximately two hours per month are required of Board members.
Community Services Board – three vacancies: one representative of the Sheriff, due to an expiring term; and two citizen members, due to expiring terms. The Board meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Approximately eight hours per month are required of Board members.
Economic Opportunities Commission – four vacancies: one for a representative of business, industry, labor, religious, welfare or other private groups and interests certified by the Commission, due to a resignation; two for representatives of low income individuals and families in the City of Alexandria, who must be democratically chosen as an EOC representative by the low-income members of the respective organization or geographic area, due to resignations; and one representative for Councilwoman Hughes, due to a resignation. The Commission meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. Approximately four hours per month are required of Commission members.
Emergency Medical Services Council – one vacancy for a representative of the Emergency Nurses Association from Alexandria Hospital due to an expired term. The Council meets quarterly at the call of the chair.
Environmental Policy Commission – three vacancies: one for a citizen member, due to a resignation; one member from the field of environmental sciences (e.g., environmental/sanitary engineering, ecology, geology, botany, hydrology, chemistry) or who have Alexandria waterfront expertise, due to a resignation; and one vacancy for a representative from the Alexandria business community, due to a resignation. The Commission meets for a work session on the first Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. and a regular meeting on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Approximately 15 hours per month are required of commission members.
George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee – eight vacancies: one Alexandria Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution representative, due to a resignation; two business community representatives nominated by the Chamber of Commerce, one due to an expired term and one due to an expiring term; one member nominated by a veterans organization other than the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion, due to a resignation; one member nominated by the Veterans of Foreign Wars due to a resignation; one member nominated by the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations due to a resignation; one member nominated by the Masonic Fraternity, due to a resignation; and one member who attends high school in the City of Alexandria, due to a resignation. The Committee meets on the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Approximately three to five hours per month are required of Committee members.
Historic Alexandria Resources Commission – five vacancies: one citizen member from Planning District I, due to a resignation; one Historic Alexandria Foundation representative, due to an expiring term; one representative from the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage due to a resignation; one representative from Landmarks Society/Stabler Leadbeater due to an expired term; and one representative for the Torpedo Factory Artists Association, due to a resignation. The Commission meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. The Commission does not meet in the summer. Approximately two hours per month are required of Commission members.
Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission – one vacancy for a citizen member, due to an expired term. The Commission meets at the call of the chairperson.
Human Rights Commission – one vacancy for a Landlord-Tenant Relations Board representative due to a resignation. The Commission meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Approximately five hours per month are required of Commission members.
Industrial Development Authority – two vacancies for citizen members, due to expiring terms. The Authority meets at the call of the Chairperson.
Landlord-Tenant Relations Board – one vacancy for a landlord or representative of a landlord, due to an administrative action. The Board meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. Approximately five hours per month are required of Board members.
Local Emergency Planning Committee – two vacancies: one vacancy for an owner/operator of facilities subject to the federal emergency planning requirements of the Super Fund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA), due to an expiring term; and one vacancy for a representative of the broadcast or print media, due to an administrative action. The Committee meets quarterly at the call of the chair. Approximately two hours per meeting are required of Committee members.
Park and Recreation Commission – three vacancies: one vacancy for a representative Planning District III, due to a resignation; and two vacancies for high school youth in the City of Alexandria, due to resignations. The Commission meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Approximately 10 hours per month are required of Commission members.
Public Health Advisory Commission – one vacancy for a physician practicing in the City nominated by the Alexandria Medical Society due to a resignation. The Commission meets on the third Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m. Approximately four hours per month are required of Commission members.
Public Records Advisory Commission – two vacancies for citizen members, one due to an expiring term and one due to an expired term. The Commission meets on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. Approximately two hours per month are required of Commission members.
Real Estate Assessments Review Board – one vacancy for a citizen member, due to a resignation. Applicants must be residents of and own real property within the City of Alexandria. The Board meets three times per week from June through December at the call of the chair.
Sister Cities Committee – four vacancies; two vacancies for representatives of the Alexandria-Gyumri Sister City Committee due to resignations; and two vacancies for citizen members, due to resignations. The Committee meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. and participates in the Christmas Walk and Scottish games.
Social Services Advisory Board – one vacancy for a parent member, due to a resignation. The Board meets on the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Approximately six hours per month are required of Commission members.
Urban Design Advisory Committee – one vacancy for a qualified professional skilled in urban design, architecture or landscape architecture, due to an expiring term.
Waterfront Commission – one vacancy for a representative of the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association, due to an expiring term. The Commission meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 a.m. Approximately five hours per month are required of Committee members.
Why shouldn't a designated representative to a City board or commission be required to keep their constituency fully informed before they vote? Shame they aren't, or don't on their own accord. If Andrew were Mayor, would he fix this?
A number of years ago, I served on the City's Consumer Affairs Commission. We worked with city staff to identify if certain business/utilities appeared to require greater City attention and if there were opportunities to bring to residents' attention. In 2002, we launched an educational iniative about identity theft. The expectation is that city board/commission members will have the background to represent all citizens and advise Council when/if an issue requires greater input from a City Council level. Typically, if an issue needs to be forwarded to the Council, city staff do the research and legwork to make those requests occur. I hope that this info is helpful. -Kim
I think the point you make is an excellent one. There are certainly many members of appointed boards and commissions that try very hard to represent their "constituents" and their neighborhoods. It's also true, unfortunately, that some members of commissions are appointed less for their ability to represent their particular neighborhoods and more for their "willingness" shall we say to represent the political interests of the Council members that appoint them. These conflict if you will can have very serious repercussions if the commission in question is being used to gerrymander a particular policy decision. When it comes to the Planning Commission and other boards with the ability to approve critical development plans the impact of such politics is magnified. So, I do think it's something we need to take a look at. I'm not sure what would be a practical fix, but it warrants real review. The problem begins when members are elected or as is often the case not elected if they don't fit the "end point" represented by the party on power, or people in power. A more non-partisan approach to city governance is in order since that will hopefully temper the rush to appoint folks for reasons that have little to do with open debate and analysis. If elected, I will work with my Council colleagues to try to encourage our boards and commissions to be autonomous and utilize them to expand, not stifle public debate. Andrew Macdonald Independent for Mayor
Great comments. I would like to see improvements to the city commissions/boards system. Do you know if they are term-limited? Since the Council seats are not term-limited, putting restraints on non-voting, advisory positions may be warranted. As a matter of cost-cutting, the City could do well by reviewing the missions, efforts and relevance of each commission/board. Even though the members are volunteers, they require staff resources. For example, looking at the recently posted list of open opportunities, could some of the Historical and Archaeological groups be combined? Could the Local Emergency Planning and Emergency Services groups be collapsed into one over-arching group? Each group has merit yet our citizens and staff have limited free time. When I served on a commission 10 years ago, I had to submit my resume plus letters of recommendation. Is that still the case? It should be. Even though these are not elected positions, the opinions that each body provides can carry weight depending on the situation. I have to say that the posted openings for the GW Parade Committee reads as criteria for entrance to an exclusive club. Speaking theoretically, does it really need to be that selective? Regardless of who succeeds as our Mayor or members of City Council, our committee/commission system should be re-visited to evaluate current priorities and reduce duplication of purposes.