Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson will not seek reelection next year, he said in his monthly newsletter Friday.
“I love this job. I am in awe of what we have been able to accomplish by working together during the 13 years I have been able to serve. I would be thrilled to do this job forever.
“But doing two full-time jobs and being a good husband and father is not sustainable forever. Nor should anyone be in elected office forever. Good governance requires the constant injection of new ideas and energy,” Wilson wrote.
Wilson, 44, has been mayor for two terms. He was first elected in November 2018 and then reelected.
Before serving as mayor, the senior director at Amtrak who lives in Del Ray with his wife and two children, spent eight years on the city council.
His announcement comes the same week the council approved “Zoning for Housing,” a measure that allows multifamily housing of up to four units in neighborhoods where there are single-family homes.
He told The Washington Post his announcement was not timed to follow that vote.
The mayor said he made up his mind after a conversation with his daughter, a sophomore at Alexandria City High School. He told her that he would have to run for reelection to be on stage at her graduation, like he was for her brother’s. She told him it wasn’t worth it.
“While I would agonize over this decision for many months, including over these past few weeks, if I’m being truthful, the decision was made at that moment, in that conversation with my daughter,” he wrote.
He said he’ll take his place on the sidelines and hopes “we get good people to step forward and articulate a vision for Alexandria’s future.
Feature image courtesy of City of Alexandria
For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s News newsletter.
