Sotheby’s International Realty sent an advertisement to several Old Town homes recently advertising an Oct. 8 open house at 510 North Columbus Street. The oversized postcard boasted an unusual attraction: “Please stop by to meet the Honorable William D. Euille, mayor of Alexandria, Virginia.” Many readers might have missed the qualifying fine print that appeared below: “The above information, while deemed highly reliable, cannot be guaranteed.”
City Attorney Ignacio Pessoa, who lives on South Pitt Street, received one of the cards in the mail and asked the mayor about it. Euille, who had not agreed to be used in the advertisement, made a public correction at the end of City Council’s Oct. 10 meeting.
“I do not make myself available to for-profit companies. That’s not in my job description or in my character,” Euille said. “Now, nonprofit agencies are a different story. I’d do almost anything for them. But not for-profit companies.”
Euille said that he had agreed to attend an Oct. 8 open house next door, where homeowner Steve Stylianoudis was demonstrating an energy-efficient renovation to his house. Stylianoudis also owns 510 North Columbus St. — which is on the market for $1.5 million — and Euille said that Sotheby’s decided to market his appearance in the neighborhood without asking his permission.
“That was an assumption they made without asking for my permission,” Euille said. “And I wouldn’t have agreed to it anyway.”