2024 General Election Candidate Profile: Mason Butler For Alexandria City Council

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As Alexandrians cast their ballots for president and Congress, the Nov. 5, 2024 general election in the City of Alexandria features local races as well. In the City Council general election, Mason Butler is one of nine candidates.

There are six City Council seats up for grabs. Six of the candidates won the Democratic primary election in June — incumbents John Taylor Chapman, Sarah Bagley, Kirk McPike and Canek Aguirre and School Board members Abdel Elnoubi and Jacinta Greene. Butler and Roy Byrd are running as independents, and Celianna Gunderson is running as a Republican.

The City of Alexandria will have the mayor, all six City Council seats and all nine Alexandria School Board seats up for election in November. Federal elections on the ballot include president, Sen. Tim Kaine's U.S. Senate seat, and Rep. Don Beyer's eighth congressional district seat. The next state-level elections will be in 2025.

Early voting for the general election will begin on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 and continue through Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. More information on how to vote is available from the Alexandria Office of Voter Registration & Elections.

Patch asked candidates for mayor, Alexandria City Council and Alexandria School Board to fill out a candidate questionnaire with the same questions. Here are Mason Butler's responses:

Name

M. Mason Butler

Office Sought

Alexandria City Council

Campaign Website

https://masonbutler4alx.com

Age (As of Nov. 5 election)

54

Education

BA

Occupation

Small Business Executive

Family

Wife, Kristin, is life-long resident. I come from a family that has been dedicated to education and law enforcement for over 100 years.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Previous public office positions or appointments

None

Why are you seeking this office?

There are many reasons I'm running to represent Alexandrians, but the most obvious is that I want our city government to represent all Alexandrians.

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

If elected, I will form a task force of people that don't look like me or live near me to vet various ideas and policies that come before the Mayor and Council. As a business executive, I measure the performance of our work and I intend to understand and share the impact each department has in our community.

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

Representation of all Alexandrians, Transparency of how our programs are executed, and finding a middle ground on policies to impact a greater number of Alexandrians.

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

Our company has many clients, but we’ve kept the same client for 20 years because I listen to their needs and adapt my priorities around what they want. I’m able to take technical or complex information and present it, factually, in a way that non-technical people can understand. I want to be able to show Alexandrians the programs they fund and how well they are succeeding or failing. If they are failing, I want to solicit public input to turn them around.

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

I love Alexandria. My wife grew up here, my mother in law taught non-English speakers how to speak English in the ACPS school system. I bring a business background to showing compassion and kindness in how our local government addresses issues that face us. I want to represent your views and I want to attract new businesses and associations to move here in coordination with The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership and VisitAlexandria. This is a beautiful place to raise a family and to live, work, and play and I want to be your voice as we chart the future of our great city together.