Meet Alyia Gaskins, Alexandria’s likely first Black woman mayor
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Alyia Gaskins. Photo: Astrid Riecken for the Washington Post, via Getty Images
For the first time, Alexandrians are poised to see a Black woman voted in as their mayor this Election Day.
State of the race: Alyia Gaskins, who was elected to Alexandria's city council in 2021, won 60% of the vote in the June Democratic primary.
- She'll almost definitely take office: There's no Republican challenger.
- Gaskins would succeed mayor Justin Wilson, who didn't seek re-election and has endorsed her.
Zoom in: Gaskins' platform emphasizes embracing change while also listening to residents.
- Context: Citywide disputes about urban growth have left some Alexandrians frustrated over what they saw as a lack of transparent communication from officials.
One of Gaskins' priorities: Diversifying Alexandria's tax base via development — a hot topic after the death of the deal to move the Wizards and Capitals arena to Potomac Yard.
- Though Gaskins saw potential in the deal, she didn't think it did enough to support transit or affordable housing, reports Alexandria Living Magazine. She panned it only hours before Alexandria backed out.
- But she supports developing Potomac Yard into a bustling mixed-use venue and has said build-out will happen during the next mayor's term.
One flashpoint: Housing. Gaskins supported the controversial move to end single-family-only zoning in Alexandria last year, and the urbanist group YIMBYS of Northern Virginia supported her bid for mayor.
- Gaskins says she'd work to protect tenant rights, stop displacement and help locals become homeowners.
By the numbers: Alexandria's Black or African American population share declined from 1990 to 2020, from 21.5% to 19.6%, per Census data in a city report.
Who she is: Gaskins was raised by a single-mother in a low-income Pittsburgh household.
- In addition to her council job, Gaskins is a senior program officer at Melville Charitable Trust, a foundation working to end homelessness.
- She has a background in public health and urban planning and lives with her husband, two children and a beagle in Alexandria's West End.
What she's saying: "Little girls who look just like me or look like my daughter Ellie will have representation that they've never seen before," Gaskins told WAMU. "And I hope that it inspires them to know that their voice matters, that they have something to give to our community, and if they see a problem, they can step in and fix it."
- Gaskins is currently hosting roundtable discussions with residents.
What we're watching: Gaskins would be sworn in for a three-year term in January.