Candidate Profile: Kirk McPike For Alexandria City Council

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria's Democratic primary will choose the Democratic nominees for the six City Council seats along with mayor during the June 18, 2024 election.

Democratic candidates who win in the primary will go on to the general election for the six City Council seats. Candidates are Councilmembers John Taylor Chapman, Canek Aguirre, Sarah Bagley and Kirk McPike; Alexandria School Board members Jacinte Greene and Abdel Elnoubi; Alexandria Traffic and Parking Board chair James Lewis; Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority commissioner Kevin Harris; former magistrate Charlotte Scherer; nonprofit leader Jesse O'Connell and progressive tax policy staffer Jonathan Huskey.

The City of Alexandria will have the Democratic City Council and mayoral primaries, along with a Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

SEE ALSO: Mayoral, City Council Primaries 2024: Early Voting To Begin In Alexandria

Early voting for the general election began on May 3 and continues through June 15. More information on how to vote is available from the Alexandria Office of Voter Registration & Elections.

Patch asked candidates for Alexandria City Council and mayor to fill out a candidate questionnaire with the same questions. Here are Kirk McPike's responses:

Name

Kirk McPike

Office Sought

City Council

Campaign Website

kirkmcpike.com

Age (As of June 18 election)

46

Education

Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX — Bachelors of Political Science, May 2005

Occupation

Congressional Chief of Staff

Family

Kirk and his husband, Cantor Jason Kaufman, live in the Seminary Hill neighborhood of Alexandria’s West End with their adorable senior beagle, Punky.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Previous public office positions or appointments

Former appointed member of the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission and past Chair of the Economic Opportunities Commission

Why are you seeking this office?

I am very proud of my record from my first term on Council. I have supported reforms to cut red tape, increased our investment into the affordable housing fund, and approved key projects that will make it easier for Alexandria to build the housing we need. I increased pay for our first responders, voted to approve two historic collective bargaining agreements, and have worked closely with workers and the unions that represent them on many issues. I led our City’s response to the Supreme Court’s attack on reproductive freedom, and wrote the resolution to protect our existing clinics and to make information on reproductive health services easier to access. We’ve made real progress on housing, flooding, transit and other essential issues, but more remains to be done. That is why I am seeking re-election to a second term: to continue the work and to build on the successes of the last two years.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate(s) seeking this post?

I’m currently serving in my first term on the City Council and I’m the former chair of the Alexandria Economic Opportunities Commission, which works with the city to support services for lower income Alexandrians. And in 2017, I was appointed to Alexandria’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee where I worked with representatives of communities from across Alexandria, with business leaders and policy experts, and with city staff to advise the City Council on budgetary issues.

In my day job, I serve as the Chief of Staff to Congressman Mark Takano, the Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and a leading progressive voice in the Congress.

These experiences, on Council, on commissions, in Congress, give me a unique set of skills and level of knowledge about how our City and its budget function.

What do you see as the top issues facing your city, and how do you address them in your campaign platform?

The most pressing issue facing the City is our revenue imbalance, which impacts all of our work on housing, infrastructure, supporting our schools, and other vital issues. I hope to continue using my experience from my first term on Council, and my time on the Budget Advisory Committee, to help Alexandria navigate these challenges.

Housing affordability remains a crisis in our City, as too many Alexandrians cannot afford the cost of the housing their family needs. I will build on my first term record of work on this challenge, wherein I supported the doubling of the city’s dedicated funds from the property tax rate for our Affordable Housing Trust Fund, secured an additional $3 million for approved-but-not funded affordable housing projects, voted in favor of numerous housing proposals, and helped lead the charge to cut red tape to make it easier for Alexandria to build the housing that we need

We also need to do more to combat Alexandria's carbon emissions, as climate change increases the risk of flooding and threatens the health and safety of our residents. I’m proud to have supported the creation of the Office of Climate Action, which brings all of Alexandria’s efforts to address carbon emissions under one central organization.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Beyond my work on the long-term issues facing the city related to our budget, housing, infrastructure, flooding and climate change, I have also led the Council’s efforts to stand up to attacks on our values by the governor and the Supreme Court. Immediately following the Dobbs opinion announcement, I worked with the Commission for Women and my colleagues on the City Council to revise land-use regulations and change our zoning laws to protect Alexandria’s abortion clinics. We also took steps to ensure that information about reproductive, abortion and maternal and child health services were accessible on our City website as a resource to all women and families in Alexandria.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Alexandria is an amazing City. When I first came here almost 14 years ago to run Adam Ebbin’s campaign for the state senate, I knew immediately that this is where I wanted to live for the rest of my life. I ran for Council in 2021 because I believed that Alexandria’s future can be even brighter than its present. And I still believe that. We face very real challenges, but we are a resourceful City full of residents dedicated to our community. There is no obstacle Alexandria can't overcome, no challenge we can’t conquer.

I am proud of the progress we’ve made on long term challenges like our housing crisis, climate change, transit, and infrastructure, and the investments we’ve made in our schools and first responders over the past two years. I’m running for re-election to build on this record of success, and to continue putting my experience and knowledge to work on behalf of our City. Serving Alexandria on the City Council has been an immeasurable honor, and I would be honored to earn your vote to continue doing so.