The City Council held a special swearing-in ceremony for newly elected Councilwoman Sandy Marks, marking the first female-majority council in Alexandria's history, followed by a regular legislative meeting. The meeting covered the state of the economy, downtown parking management, a sidewalk encroachment ordinance, the Torpedo Factory Arts Center lease proposal, and a review of the 2026 Virginia General Assembly session.
No public comments or testimony were heard during this meeting.
Hello, okay. Um we need to have everyone to please take a seat due to fire code. I'm gonna ask that if you're standing it on the side, please find a seat. If you are able, please join us for the Pledge of Allegiance. Now, when this council was originally sworn in, it was January second, twenty twenty-five. And if you were that that installation ceremony, I'm sure you remember that all of us were swilled with smiles and excitement. We were ready to tackle the world. So excited to be sworn in as a new team and ready to hit the ground running. It seems as if almost every single day there has been another unprecedented or unexpected challenge. The first, we saw the swearing in of a new president who brought with him the destruction of many jobs and federal workers. Oops, okay. Wasn't expecting that. Um, threats to our immigrant workforce and to our immigrant neighbors, tariffs, wars, and so many other things that have caused complete chaos in the lives of many Alexandrians. Within a week after that, many of us were shaken by the horrific plane crash that happened at DCA, and we mourned the loss of friends and co-workers and neighbors. As time went on, we faced other battles like the January 2026 snowstorm, something that I don't think any of us would be able to weather. I tried to throw in a joke for Kirk McPyte, because I'm not the funny one on the council. But over 14 days and more than 500 staff members were mobilized to help see us through that response. And if those challenges were not enough, I'm sure you saw the announcements of the cases of measles and the rabbit raccoons that came throughout our community. It seemed as if it was just challenge after challenge. But the thing I'm probably most proud of is that as a council, we have been able to find ways to persevere and to keep going. And despite our ability to keep going, we've been doing it a member short. We have not been operating at our full strength. And so part of the historic nature of tonight and the opportunity that is before us is we get to welcome a new team member. We are going to be swearing in councilwoman elect Sandy Marks. And as I think about Miss Marks, her leadership could not come at a more important time. Because the challenges that our community is facing need new problem solving, new partnerships, new optimism, and new ways of thinking. Whether we're talking about climate change or housing affordability or how we continue to fund our schools and make sure that every young person and every person in our community has what they need to thrive. We've been a community where women have stepped up not for the title, not for the recognition, but out of a deep commitment to service and an understanding that public service has the opportunity to truly change lives and to benefit our community. Out of a recognition that at the end of the day, the status quo is not benefiting all of us. And out of a recognition that at the end of the day, the best way we can move forward is to never lose hope on what else is possible. And so tonight's swearing in of Miss Marks represents something that I'm sure many thought were never possible. And that is for the first time in our history, we have a majority female city council. We continue to be a community that is breaking barriers and shattering glass ceilings. And so it is my honor to begin tonight's ceremony. And I hope that we begin so in a way with a recognition that it does not matter the challenges that we face. What matters is that each of us never loses hope in what is possible. And as you look at your new council, you are looking at a team, a team that is ready to tackle anything, a team that will be refute that refuses to be defeated, a team that knows that no matter what lies ahead, we represent the power of new ideas. We represent the power of optimism. We represent a joy that cannot be shaken no matter what else is happening around this world. And we represent a deep commitment to serve you with an unwavering spirit to make sure that we never stop working until your needs are met. And so with that, I'm going to begin with our first order of business, which is the presentation of the certificate of election from our secretary Jack Powers. Thank you, Lee. Good evening. My name is Jack Powers, and I am the secretary of the Alexandria Electoral Board. It's my pleasure to be here tonight. On behalf of my two colleagues on the bipartisan board, Bruce Brown and Sarissa Cafaso, it is my honor to present the certificate of election to Sandy Marks, the candidate who was elected to the city, Alexandria City Council by the voters in the April 21st, 2026 special election. The certificate reads, and here's the certificate. Very nice. To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting. This is to certify that at the meeting of the electoral board of the city of Alexandria, held on April 27th, 2026, on an examination of the official records deposited in the office of the clerk of the circuit court.