Heated Discussions Saturday at City Council Meeting

PHOTOS: Mayor Allison Silberberg, left and Councilman John Chapman exchanged heated words Saturday during a discussion about a proposal for affordable housing. Official photos

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ALEXANDRIA, VA -- A meeting Saturday by the Alexandria City Council that included a discussion on affordable housing devolved into what appeared to be frustration and confusion among councilmembers and staff.

The item in question was part of a seven-hour meeting and concerned the proposed construction of 53 multi-family residential units in two buildings to replace Ramsey Homes, built in the 1940s. While City Council members said they were in favor of affordable housing, some weren’t comfortable with requested mixed-use rezoning, which required a 6-0 vote; needing a “super majority,” with a 5-2 vote (with Mayor Allison Silberberg and Paul Smedberg voting “no”), it failed to pass.

Constructed in 1942 to provide defense housing for African-American workers during World War II, post war effort, Ramsey Homes were bought by a public entity and repurposed to serve as the first public housing in what is now the Parker Gray Historic District.

Discussion about the matter, especially between Mayor Allison Silberberg and Councilman John Chapman, was heated, with Chapman criticizing a meeting the Mayor had with the City Manager and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority leading up to Saturday’s meeting.

But Silberberg said that as mayor it was her job to find out what’s going on. “I like bringing parties to the table,” she said. “As the mayor, that’s part of my job to get things going.”

“The line of communication was broken,” Chapman said, talking about a task force that was supposed to be a part of the discussions. “It was broken. We appoint them, we’re supposed to reach out to these people running these boards. We need to include them.”

“I show you respect, I expect the same,” Silberberg said to Chapman, adding that the City was having trouble getting information. “Staff shouldn’t have to call more than once. Your anger toward me is truly misplaced.”

Newcomer Councilman Willie Bailey said he too was frustrated, noting that talk of ethics at a previous meeting got more attention than affordable housing.

Attempts to vote on the matter devolved into questions about what exactly the members were voting on and what it meant for the project long-term.

Longtime Councilwoman “Del” Pepper could be heard exclaiming “Lord have mercy!” as the meeting went into recess when no one could agree on what action to take next.

Hours later, Chapman posted a message to Facebook Saturday night: ”Wow! Still trying to find the words for how disappointed I am in my new mayor....”

Watch Saturday’s meeting here; the item in question is #4 on the agenda, starting at about 00.44.00: