Meet The Candidate: Sarah Bagley For Alexandria City Council

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Sarah Bagley, an executive director of an affordable housing nonprofit, is one of 13 candidates seeking election to the Alexandria City Council in the 2021 primary.

On June 8, a Democratic primary will be held for Alexandria mayor and City Council, along with statewide races like governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and House of Delegates. Voters will choose up to six candidates in the City Council race, determining who will be on the ballot for the November general election.

Bagley, who had a career as an attorney before joining affordable housing nonprofit Chisom Housing Group, seeks to bring her advocacy and grassroots activism experience to City Council. She is also involved with the Alexandria Democratic Committee and the local Moms Demand Action chapter for Alexandria. Originally from Virginia Beach, Bagley now lives in North Old Town.

For more information about the election in Alexandria, visit www.alexandriava.gov/Elections.

Learn more about Sarah Bagley and why she is running for Alexandria City Council in 2021:

Age (as of Election Day)

44

Position sought

City Council

Party Affiliation

Democratic

Family

Father (Lee), Mother (Stephanie) and Brother (Chad) reside in Chesapeake, VA

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA in Government (College of William and Mary), JD (Catholic University, Columbus School of Law)

Occupation

Executive Director, Non-Profit - 6 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

www.sarahforcitycouncil.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I have a unique background that prepares me for public service, and I want to be a part of serving my community. My personal and professional experiences provide insight into many of the issues facing Alexandria including housing affordability, improving and modernizing our infrastructure including schools, stormwater and sewer, housing and transportation, and supporting those in need of services. I want to be part of continuing Alexandrian’s tradition as a desirable place to live and visit and one that strives to be inclusive and equitable.

The single most pressing issue facing our (city) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Alexandria faces infrastructure challenges that can no longer be delayed. We must prioritize investment in our most pressing needs including improving and expanding school capacity, making overdue investment in storm and sewer capacity, broadband access, and investing in development that is environmentally conscious and expands housing opportunities for those throughout the socioeconomic spectrum. To do this, we must work to expand our commercial tax base and fill vacancies in our business and commercial spaces, seek out creative public/private partnerships that will expand the ways we create affordable housing options and increase frequent, low cost and electric transportation options, and engage with our citizens to include them early and effectively in new projects so we can benefit from their lived perspectives and gain community support for projects.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have a unique blend of experience, both personal and professional that differs from many candidates in the race. My experience as a trial attorney prepares me to ask challenging questions of experts and staff when we are considering new projects and major budget items. As most lawsuits end in settlements, my experience also prepares me to bring key players to the table and help everyone emerge with an agreement that is suitable to all. Negotiation is a key element of crafting collaborative solutions and I have that experience. Additionally, my work leading an affordable housing non-profit these last six years, addressing issues facing residents of low-income communities around the country, including food insecurity, transportation and childcare challenges, education and job training and technology challenges gives me insight into how Alexandria can better address those needs for its residents. My work requires me to engage with a broad range of communities including new Americans, communities of color, single parents, seniors, and people with disabilities, and to understand how best to listen to and address their needs. Finally, the work I have done with Moms Demand Action, a gun violence prevention organization, has provided me valuable focus and insight on ways to reduce violence in our community, strive for diversity, equity and inclusion, and save lives.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The most recent Council faced an unprecedented challenge and I truly appreciate their service to the community during this pandemic. Where I think their performance can be improved is in better data collection and outreach efforts to ensure that programs and funding are equitably designed and distributed. We do not have reliable data about our business owners in Alexandria in this regard and we can be overly reliant on technology tools for resident feedback and participation (which are valuable) without doing some of the deeper work on engagement, outreach, and coalition building. The City should strive to make residents feel that they understand why a course was chosen even if it was not their preferred outcome.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Our local officials responded admirably in many ways to this unprecedented challenge. Flexible approaches to zoning and food and beverage laws allowed businesses to adapt and continue to bring in revenue. Prompt distribution of funding for a broad range of needs was also useful to renters, employees needing childcare assistance, and businesses. However, where we could do better in the pandemic and moving forward is ensuring there is equity in our supportive services, meaning we don’t rely on those who have existing voices in representation through chambers and advocacy groups or through existing networks to state what their needs are. We need to understand better through outreach and data collection, who our local business owners and property owners are and determine if we delivered the same level of care and support to small, women owned and minority businesses as we did for larger, more established businesses.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My campaign is based on a desire to build safer, more affordable, inclusive and energy efficient communities. Working in the affordable housing space these last six years and building social services programs for those residents, I am keenly aware of the overlapping need for housing that is safe and sanitary, allows seniors to age in place and those with disabilities to fully participate in our community, and is designed and developed in such a way that allows access to public transportation options, healthy food options, jobs, and educational resources. This campaign is driven by a desire to emphasize the ways in which lowering emissions and increasing our use of renewable energy is directly tied to resident health and reducing our impact on the environment. How building a robust, frequent, and low-cost transportation network can improve everyone’s ability to participate in the economy and that providing affordable housing will allow our teachers, firefighters, and hospitality workers to live closer to their jobs and enhance and contribute to our local economy and society. Finally, though local government may be constrained by the Dillon rule in passing additional legislation related to gun violence prevention, we have many tools at our disposal to encourage safe storage and education related to gun ownership, to expand our counseling and health services to prevent suicide by gun and reduce domestic assault.

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

I have demonstrated an ability to pursue difficult goals, handle complex and challenging jobs and take on new roles in my personal and professional life. I delayed going to law school until I knew it was the right choice and I passed the Maryland bar after graduation and the Virginia bar while working full time as a law clerk. I had a successful legal career that included trying cases before judges and juries, taking depositions everywhere from Washington, DC to Kuwait, and helping settle million-dollar lawsuits. In taking on a new role with housing non-profit in 2015, I demonstrated my ability to learn a new field, create strong bonds with local organizations and management staff and build trust amongst residents. While doing that job, I was able to juggle my personal commitments to the Alexandria Democrats, Moms Demand Action and the grassroots postcards to voters program I helped develop. When I lost most of the use of my left hand in 2012 and 2013 and I couldn’t play softball any longer, I took up running and finished the Marine Corps Marathon. I don’t shy from challenges and I’m often looking for new ones.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

When I made the major decision to leave the active practice of law, another non-profit director advised me to not be afraid of failure. That I would fail, that not every program would work, but that if I operated from a place of fear, I would never take risks, be bold, be creative and I would miss out on opportunities to create real change and have a positive impact.

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

I never want to stop learning, expanding my understanding on complex topics and using as much available information as possible to make considered decisions. My knowledge about so many of the issues I am passionate about has benefited from asking questions of and listening to so many experts, citizen advocates and policy makers. I will strive to continue learning, to listen, to read and to make every effort to consider the impacts of decisions the Council will make our citizens.