Sumpter Considering City Council Run

West End resident Charles Sumpter is eyeing a run for City Council, though he’s unsure if it will be as a Democrat or an independent.

A former staffer for U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Washington, D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh, Sumper has lived in Alexandria for two years. He said he has been active in the Seminary Hill Association and now lives at the Watergate at Landmark. He was recently appointed to the Alexandria Commission on Employment.

When asked if he was going to run as a Democrat, Sumpter said he was unsure.

“I am thinking about it,” Sumpter said. “I don’t know if that’s how I am going to run here. I don’t want to lose out. I want to make sure my message gets across. … Seems like a cast of characters have come and gone and come and gone [as Democratic council candidates].”

He recently launched a campaign website and announced he is forming an exploratory committee.  

Sumpter said he’d like to work to make Alexandria’s government more fiscally responsible and efficient. He believes city employee salaries in excess of $200,000 are “unacceptable.”

“I want to make sure we’re spending taxpayer dollars in the best possible way,” he said.

Sumpter, who is pursuing a graduate degree in business from Catholic University, also said he’d like to work toward economic development in the city in a way that is transparent and well supported. He identified the redevelopment of Landmark Mall as a much-needed project “that could revitalize” the area.

“Development without a majority of backing from the community is development I will never support,” Sumpter wrote on his campaign site.

A New York City native, Sumpter said he’s found Alexandria to be very embracing. 

“I lived in D.C. and never felt that,” he said. “Here, I’ve felt welcome.”