To the Editor:
That “one Alexandria” motto Mayor Euille adopted when he first ran for office has become meaningless. I do not know where this One Alexandria is. It is not in the West End or in Old Town. These times cry out for a Mayor who will feel welcome in every neighborhood, and be ready talk to every citizen. There is no one in Alexandria today better suited to that task than Andrew Macdonald.
He is fresh from creating a civic movement to change the waterfront plan. In the summer of 2011, during a heat wave Andrew went door to door talking to citizens, informing them of the proposal for a remade waterfront and recruiting previously uninvolved citizens to civic activism. That was not the work of a dilettante.
I have worked in many Alexandria groups over the years, but never one that is more cohesive than the group that now functions as Friends of the Alexandria Waterfront. Andrew resigned from its leadership when he announced for public office. Nevertheless, the group remains as a monument to his organizational skills and steely determination in the face of great opposition. These are exactly the qualities we need as Mayor of Alexandria.
Katy Cannady
Alexandria