To the Editor:

At City Council's meeting on Saturday, Jan. 25, council voted to uphold the resolutions for "What's Next Alexandria Civic Engagement" process and use these "tools" in order to foster better communication between city hall and Alexandria residents. At the end of this discussion after the vote was taken, Planning & Zoning Director Faroll Hamer stated that she and other staff members from the city manager's office had really learned a lot about civic engagement. What? You've got to be kidding me. If Ms. Hamer and other members of the city manager's office including City Manager Rashad Young don't already know what to do regarding communication, transparency, openness between citizens and staff, then they need to find another job. Alexandria taxpayers paid over $100,000 to learn these very elementary tools that Mr. Young referred to at the Federation Meeting on Jan. 29. All of these folks have worked in the public sector and it is insulting to citizens that city staff believes we citizens are unable to make fundamental decisions and senior staff members need to be trained in these very basic tools of engagement.

One of the most important things that did come from the four meetings for civic engagement was that citizens from various neighborhoods throughout Alexandria bonded together and now see how city hall is pushing their own personal agendas. Think the Waterfront Plan, BRAC-133, Beauregard Small Area Plan, proposed metro at Potomac Yard, bike lanes on upper King Street and finally, most important, Mayor Euille, City Manager Young and City Attorney Banks threatening the use of eminent domain in order to gain property from the boat club for the Waterfront Plan.

What's more important? Civic engagement or the fact that the city manager's budget for 2014-2015 has $500,000,000 of unfunded obligations and $657,000,000 in operating deficit for the next 10 years. I'll go with the proposed budget issues. It is time for Mayor Euille and all members of the council to instruct Mr. Young to stop spending so much money and get our financial house in order before Alexandria becomes another Detroit. Further, it is just as important for Mayor Euille and all members of the council to instruct Mr. Young that it is time to tell his senior staff members that they need to eliminate the many boards, commissions and advisory groups that continue to be set up, in particular, those advisory groups that Ms. Hamer, director of Planning & Zoning seems to believe make for good planning. Until Mr. Young is advised to do these things, it will be business as usual at city hall.

Annabelle Fisher

Alexandria