A Contrast in the Campaign for Alexandria Council
Democrat Justin Wilson Has a Record as an Activist; Republican Bill Cleveland Served 15 Years in Office

By Jerry Markon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 5, 2007; VA10

The Alexandria City Council special election is a classic battle of old vs. new, experience against youth, and competing visions for the future of the city that both candidates want to serve.

The election to fill the seat left open when former vice mayor Andrew H. Macdonald resigned in May pits Democrat Justin Wilson, 28 and a civic activist, against Republican former vice mayor William C. "Bill" Cleveland, 58. The citywide ballot is set for July 17.

Republicans are portraying Wilson as inexperienced and too close to Mayor William D. Euille (D) to be an independent voice on the council. "Bill is deeply rooted in the community, he has a lot of popular support, and he's lived here for over 30 years," said Chris Marston, chairman of the Alexandria Republican City Committee. "Justin is 28, so I'm sure he hasn't lived here 30 years."

Democrats paint Cleveland, who left the council in 2003 to run for mayor, as out of touch and lacking substantive knowledge of city issues. They say that Wilson, a transportation expert who has served on city and state boards and commissions, has experience that is more relevant because it is recent.

"In terms of experience and ideas, believe it or not, it's the younger man who has it all over the older candidate," said Susan B. Kellom, head of the Alexandria Democratic Committee.

"Justin has given so much of himself to this city. The whole time Mr. Cleveland was on the council, he didn't offer alternatives. It was always 'no, no, no,' " Kellom said.

Political analysts generally give the edge to Wilson, if only because of the traditional Democratic advantage in the left-leaning city. The mayor and all five council members are Democrats, and Democrats have controlled the seven-member council, including the mayor's seat, since 2003. But they caution that anything can happen in a single-seat special election for which turnout is expected to be low.

"This race is wide open," said former Alexandria mayor Kerry J. Donley (D), who has endorsed Wilson. "It's the middle of the summer. People are on vacation, they aren't focused on this election. It's going to boil down to who can identify their voters, motivate them and turn them out."

Donley said the race "is a good matchup. You've got a guy in Bill Cleveland who has some experience on the council, has won some council races and lost other races. Then you have another candidate who is bright, involved in the community and has new ideas."

Macdonald, who was elected to the council in 2003 and reelected in 2006, was an advocate for the environment and historic preservation who often clashed with fellow council members and was known as something of an iconoclast. He cited personal reasons when he resigned this spring.

Wilson won a Democratic caucus last month to nominate a candidate for Macdonald's seat, defeating four other candidates: former prosecutor James K. Lay; Boyd Walker, Macdonald's former campaign manager; lawyer Mark Feldheim; and civic activist Lenny Harris.

Cleveland won the Republican nomination, defeating Pat Troy and Lisa Miller.

Wilson, a past president of the Del Ray Citizens Association, is a senior information technology systems engineer for Amtrak and chairman of the board of directors of Alexandria Transit, which operates the city's DASH bus service.

He portrays the election as a referendum on Alexandria's future and how the city can encourage economic growth while maintaining its historic character and neighborhood feel. "It's about the type of community we want," Wilson said. "Alexandria has a long history of being a caring and compassionate community, and that would certainly be a legacy I'd want to continue."

As he campaigns throughout the city, Wilson has been calling for expanding mass transit by doubling the number of DASH buses from 70 to 140 and making service more frequent and better scheduled. He said the scheduled 2009 opening of a bus-maintenance facility is a perfect opportunity to expand the system into more neighborhoods.

Wilson also called for protecting the city's strong bond ratings and finding more soccer fields and other open spaces to give teenagers alternatives to gangs and drugs. He acknowledged that "there is no space left" but said the city can "think creatively about it."

After Macdonald's resignation, Wilson was quickly endorsed by a slew of Democratic elected officials, including all of the remaining council members. Some observers have questioned whether Wilson, who is close to Euille and has been the mayor's campaign treasurer since 2003, can maintain the independent spirit that Macdonald often brought to council debates.

"I'm concerned that he's too much like everyone else on the council and that he has aligned himself with the mayor and may believe in a lot of the mayor's opinions," said Macdonald, who supported Walker in the caucus but is now backing Wilson. Macdonald added that he expects Wilson to win and that Republicans could have chosen a stronger candidate than Cleveland.

"They're trying to rely on people who were on the council many years ago," Macdonald said. "That's unfortunate, and I don't think it's going to be a successful tactic."

Wilson declined to respond to questions about his age but said he will not "come onto the council and be in lockstep with anyone."

"I'm going to talk about my vision for the city and my record of accomplishment," he said, "and anything else is just a distraction."

Cleveland is a retired Capitol Police officer who served on the council for 15 years, including as vice mayor. Since leaving the council, he has worked as a substitute teacher for Alexandria city schools and volunteered as a mentor for two organizations that work with teenagers. He also lost an election for Alexandria sheriff in 2005.

If elected, Cleveland said, he would focus on the city's youth and try to expand mentoring programs "so we can get a mentor for every child who needs one." He declined to specify other priorities.

"I will do everything that is possible to do for what the people of the city of Alexandria would like to see done," Cleveland said. "I know all of the issues. I know development. I know traffic. I know the old and historic district. I know zoning. I know the budget. I know the whole gamut, and I may need to get reoriented into a few issues, but it won't take me long."

Former city council member David Speck, who served with Cleveland as a Republican before becoming a Democrat, said Cleveland "has a very compelling personal story" but lacks a deep understanding of city issues.

"Bill is very good at staying on message," said Speck, who is supporting Wilson, "but don't ever expect him to be somebody who really wants to sit down and engage you in a substantive conversation about issues and the consequences of decisions."

Cleveland declined to respond. Of his opponent, Cleveland would say only: "He's a nice kid."

The deadline to register to vote in the special election is 5 p.m. today. Applications are available at the city's voter registration office, DMV centers, City Hall, Alexandria libraries, recreation centers and post offices. On July 17, polls will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call 703-838-4050 or visithttp://www.alexandriavoter.org.