Letter to the Editor: Shades Of Blue

The June 12 vote for Alexandria’s next mayor is tough one for many lifelong Democrats. It’s not a choice of black or white, but rather shades of blue. After much consideration, I’ve decided to strongly support Allison Silberberg. Why? For me, it’s her commitment to expanding green space and protecting the environment.

Lately, some media have mocked Allison for being all about “trees, trees, trees.” But what’s the alternative, “cement, cement, cement”? A recent Justin Wilson flyer had a prominent photo of a road roller smoothing asphalt. Conspicuously absent in Justin’s list of priorities was any mention of the environment or green space. Allison, on the other hand, has made this a central part of her campaign.

This difference was evident at the mayoral debate in Del Ray a few weeks back. Allison said that if she had been mayor during the development of Potomac Yards, she would have fought for a large central park that could have been a jewel of Alexandria for future generations. Maybe she would have failed in that effort, but at least she would have tried.

That’s what I want! Justin said nothing on the matter. The open space that we got out of the mega Potomac Yard development was a thin linear park next to the railroad tracks, land too small or undesirable to actually build on. This is a perfect example of the widespread impression that developers run our city.

One pernicious argument against Allison is that she’s a stealth Republican! This is totally bogus. Allison fights for inclusiveness, against racism and bigotry, and basically supports all of the good things that progressives stand for. For these reasons and more, I’m going to cast my ballot for Allison.

Neal Learner

Del Ray, Alexandria