The Alexandria City Council is composed of a Mayor and six Council members who are elected at-large for three-year terms. Any in-term vacancy is filled by a special election unless the vacancy occurs within six months of the end of the term, at which time a judicial appointment is made. The Mayor, who is chosen on a separate ballot, presides over meetings of the Council and serves as the ceremonial head of government. The Mayor does not have the power to veto Council action. Council members traditionally choose the person receiving the most votes in the election to serve as Vice Mayor. In the absence or disability of the Mayor, the Vice Mayor performs the mayoral duties.
Alexandria City Council Bios(Updated March 25, 2008)
Mayor William D. Euille, is the Founder/President and Chief Executive Officer of Wm. D. Euille & Associates, Inc., formed on April 9, 1987. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the firm, chartered in Washington, DC with offices in Alexandria, Virginia. The firm has more than 30 employees and annual sales in excess of $15 million.
Mayor Euille began his business career as an accountant with an Alexandria construction company in 1972, and within eight years, he advanced to Vice President/Controller, ultimately having responsibility for all contracting, financial and administrative functions.
A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Mayor Euille graduated from T.C. Williams High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Connecticut in l972.
The Mayor is active in community affairs in Alexandria and Washington, DC. His dedicated involvement includes the William D. Euille Foundation, which he founded in 1994; the Alexandria Boys and Girls Club; the American Heart Association; 1998-2000 Chairman of the Alexandria United Way Campaign; INOVA Hospital Health System Board; Hopkins House Association; 2001 Chairman of the NOVA Urban League Board of Directors; and the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria. He is a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Alexandria.
He is also active in business and construction industry organizations such as the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce; the US Chamber of Commerce; National Association of Minority Contractors; Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc; and the NOVA Building Industry Association.
Mayor Euille has received many major awards and honors, such as the 1994 Entrepreneur of the Year from the Virginia NAACP (The Mayor was the inaugural winner of this award); Who’s Who in the East; Who’s Who in America; 1995 Community Service Award from the Hopkins House Association; Outstanding Young Men of America Award; 1996 Blue Chip Award from the US Chamber of Commerce; the 1996 Entrepreneur of the Year from the Washington Post and Ernst & Young, LLP; the 1996 Small Business Person of the Year from the US Small Business Administration; and community service awards from the Alexandria NAACP (1996), Northern Virginia Urban League, Inc. (1997), Alexandria Chamber of Commerce (1997), and the Alexandria Sportsman Club (1998); Philanthropist of the Year 2000 from the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce; SBA’s Graduate of the Year Award in 2000; Education Association of Alexandria’s “Whole Village Award” (2001); and the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce Business Leader of the Year (2001).
Additionally, Mayor Euille is a major donor to many service and non-profit organizations which serve youth; provide funding for educational and recreational initiatives; and which help promote self-sufficiency for those less fortunate. Through the William D. Euille Foundation, he contributes more than $50,000 for various causes; additionally, the firm Wm. D. Euille & Associates contributes more than $20,000 to the community.
Mayor Euille was elected to a three-year term on the Alexandria City Council in May, 1994. He was re-elected in May, 1997 (Vice Mayor) and in May, 2000. He was elected the City’s first African-American Mayor in May, 2003 and was re-elected Mayor in May, 2006. He serves on the Alexandria Economic Opportunities Commission; the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA); the Alexandria Pension Study Committee; and the Local Emergency Planning Commission. He is Chairman of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and Vice-President of the Virginia Transit Authority. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Partnership; the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership; and the Chesapeake Crescent.
Additionally, he serves as the Co-Chair of City Council Task Forces on Affordable Housing and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project. He is Chairman of the Alexandria Youth Policy Commission and serves on the Governor’s Council on Virginia’s Future.
Vice Mayor Redella S. "Del" Pepper was first elected to the City Council in 1985. She served as Vice Mayor from 1996 to 1997, and from 2003 to 2006. Pepper co-chairs the Beauregard Street Corridor Task Force, the Alexandria-Arlington Task Force on the Waste-To-Energy Plant and the Welfare Reform Committee (Alexandria Works!). She is active with the Commission on Aging, Commission on Information Technology, Facilities Naming Committee, and the Council of Governments Air Quality Committee and Board of Directors. She was recently elected Corporate President of the COG. She is a member of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, where she also chairs the Regional Resources Committee.
Vice Mayor Pepper serves on the Boards of the YMCA, the T.C. Williams PTSA, the Alexandria Arts Forum, Bienvenidos, and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program. She is a former first vice president of the local NAACP and former board member of the City's Community Services Board. Other affiliations include the Urban League, the League of Women Voters, and the Sierra Club. She is a recipient of the Jaycees Appreciation Award, the Council of Senior Citizens Organization's Outstanding Women of Alexandria Award, and the Commission for Women's Living Legend Award. Pepper is a Grinnell College graduate. A resident of the City's west end, she and her husband, Dr. F.J. Pepper, have one son.
Ludwig P. Gaines is serving his second term on City Council. First elected in 2003, and re-elected in 2006, Mr. Gaines is a former member of the City’s Planning Commission and has been a leader in promoting smart growth policies linking land use and transportation, sound urban design and open spaces, historic and environmental preservation, and pedestrian safety. Mr. Gaines is an advocate of policies to protect Alexandria’s neighborhoods and enviable quality of life and for efficient and responsive government.
A champion of human rights, equality and fairness, Mr. Gaines has been a strong voice for expanding affordable and workforce housing opportunities, job training, support for small business, and first-class public schools. He is committed to safe neighborhoods and has led child and senior citizen safety, gang prevention, and emergency preparedness initiatives. He is an enthusiastic advocate of the arts.
Mr. Gaines is an attorney and educator and former judicial law clerk. He received a Juris Doctor from the Howard University School of Law, where he has been a member of the adjunct faculty. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hobart & William Smith Colleges, where he served as Visiting Fellow for Ethics and Social Justice. He has taught over a thousand hours in the City’s public school, mentored at-risk youth and received numerous awards for his public service.
Regionally, Mr. Gaines is chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Policy and Development Committee, and a former member of COG’s Transportation Planning Board. Mr. Gaines is also a member of the National League of Cities Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee.
Councilman Gaines serves Alexandrians on the Economic Opportunities Commission, Citizen Corps Council (past co-chair), Local Emergency Planning Commission, Community Gang Prevention Task Force, Affordable Housing Initiatives Work Group, Mayor’s Pandemic Flu Task Force, and Norfolk Southern Community Work Group. He currently serves on the boards of the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association, Child and Family Network Center, Virginia CARES, and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
He formerly served on the Alexandria Circuit Court Jury Commission, the Transit Company (DASH Bus), United Way (vice chair), the Carlyle Design Review Board, Landlord-Tenant Board (chair), Martin Luther King Memorial Committee, Taxi Reform Task Force, Recreation Needs Task Force, and the Board of the INOVA Alexandria Hospital Foundation. And, he was also appointed by Governor Tim Kaine to the Governor’s Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Mr. Gaines, his wife Crystal and son Bryce reside in Alexandria’s Quaker Hill community.
Rob Krupicka, first elected to Council in May of 2003, Rob has focused on policies and actions to make Alexandria a great place to live, work, and raise a family. His priorities include an emphasis on quality public schools and increased access to preschool, making sure Alexandria is a leader in environmental and climate change solutions, creating and maintaining safe, walk-able, appealing neighborhoods for a mix of income levels, promoting long-term, creative solutions to local and regional transportation challenges and ensuring that Alexandria is a city of opportunity for everybody, with a strong economic base and an efficient, accountable and approachable government.
Rob is presently a Vice President for Corporate Development for Revolution Health Group LLC (www.RevolutionHealth.com ). Having worked for both start-up companies and established media companies, he has over 10 years of experience in online media, marketing and business development. Rob worked at America Online where he oversaw AOL’s financial services-related business strategy and partnership activities. Earlier, Rob created one of the first online banking web sites. He has worked with a number of non-profit and national companies to help them develop their technology-related business and product strategies.
His community affiliations include: The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP), the Citizen Corps Council, the City Council/School Board Sub-Committee, the Aviation Policy Commission (COG) - of which he is Chair, the Commission on Information Technology, Local Emergency Planning Committee, Youth Policy Commission, the City Council/Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) workgroup, The INOVA Alexandria Hospital Task Force, the Gang Task Force, Governor Kaine’s Start Strong Pre-K Council, and the Virginia Municipal League’s Transportation Committee. Rob also plays an active role on the boards of the Campagna Center, and the Child and Family Network Centers.
Rob is a former vice chairman of the Alexandria Community Services Board. A resident of the Del Ray community, he twice served as its citizens' association president. He and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters, a dog and two cats.
Timothy B. Lovain was elected to City Council in 2006. He is Vice President and General Counsel of Denny Miller Associates, a government relations consulting firm, where he has been employed for 22 years. Most of his work is on behalf of transportation clients, including the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Ports of Tacoma and Everett, WA, and two regional transit authorities in the Phoenix, AZ region---Valley Metro and Valley Metro Rail.
Mr. Lovain has also served as Legislative Director for Rep. Helen Meyner (D-NJ), Legislative Assistant for Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA) and Legislative Director for New Directions, a citizens lobby on global issues. He also served for three years as a Coast Guard officer. He was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania on October 5, 1948, and was raised in small towns in the Midwest, especially Cloquet, Minnesota. Mr. Lovain earned a B.A. with honors in political science from the University of Chicago, an M.A. in politics from Princeton University, and a J.D. with honors from the University of Washington.
Mr. Lovain is the immediate past chair of Alexandria’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, on which he served for seven years. He also currently serves as a Deputy Chair of the Alexandria United Way Campaign and as a member of the Alexandria United Way Regional Council. He has served as a member of the Alexandria Volunteer Bureau Board of Directors, as Board President of Zero Population Growth USA, and as a volunteer for many Alexandria non-profit organizations. He also has a long history of involvement in Democratic political campaigns, including serving as Campaign Manager or Chair for Mayor Bill Euille’s campaigns in 1997, 2000 and 2003. He currently lives with his wife, Beth, and their three daughters, Isabella, Kathleen and Ava, in the North Ridge neighborhood of Alexandria.
Paul C. Smedberg was first elected to the City Council in 2003 and was re-elected in 2006. As a returning Council member he remains committed to working with his fellow council members to improve the quality of life for all Alexandrians, maintain the proud historic legacy of the city and fully insure that Alexandria remains a well-planned community with an efficient and responsive local government.
As a community activist Paul has long supported the work of Alexandria’s non-profit, human service agencies. Prior to his election to Council he served as the board president of the Community Partners for Children and for nine years was a medical service volunteer at the Whitman-Walker Clinic. He currently is active on the volunteer boards of the Alexandria Chapter of the American Red Cross and Senior Services of Alexandria, Inc.
As a board member of the Northeast Citizens Association and president of the Old Town Gateway Homeowners' Association he gained an understanding and respect for community problem solving. He actively served as the Mayor’s representative to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, as a commissioner for the Alexandria Economic Opportunity Commission and a member of the Alexandria Commission on Aging.
As a Member of Council Paul represents the City on the Council of Governments' Public Safety Policy Committee - Vice Chair, Economic Opportunities Commission, Northern Virginia Regional Commission – Communications Committee Chair, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Pension Study Committee, Sister Cities Committee, and the Eisenhower Partnership. He serves as co-chair of the Mirant Monitoring Group, is a member of the INOVA Alexandria Hospital Task Force and Alexandria’s Marketing Fund Committee. An active supporter of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts he has strongly supported an integrated “arts plan” for the City.
A former director of governmental affairs at the National Health Council and former director of the American Parkinson Disease Association, Paul is currently director of policy and public affairs at the American Society of Nephrology. Born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut he received degrees in History and Economics from Allegheny College and is a 2001 graduate of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at University of Virginia. A resident of Alexandria for more than 17 years, he currently resides in Old Town with his partner Michael Molesky.
Justin M. Wilson was elected to City Council in a special election and was sworn into office on July 20, 2007. Active in both civic and community roles, Wilson is an experienced leader in issues ranging from transportation and information technology to non-profit organizations and youth policy.
Wilson is the past chair of the Alexandria Transit Company Board of Directors, which operates Alexandria’s DASH bus service, and served on the Budget & Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee. Wilson served two terms as president of the Del Ray Citizens Association and was appointed by former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner to the Commonwealth’s Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice, and is current Gov.Tim Kaine’s appointee to the Virginia Board of Juvenile Justice serving as that board’s secretary.
He is a past Commissioner on the Alexandria Commission on Information Technology, and a graduate of the Alexandria Citizens Police Academy. Wilson is active in Alexandria’s non-profit community as treasurer and a member of the board of directors of Computer C.O.R.E., which provides computer training to low-income adults in Northern Virginia.
As a member of City Council, Wilson now serves on the Board of Directors of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership and the Eisenhower Partnership. He is a member of the Youth Policy Commission, the Alexandria Library Board, and he has returned to service on the Commission on Information Technology. Regionally, Justin serves as Alexandria’s representative to the Human Services Policy Committee, the Ad Hoc Task Force on Regional Water Supply Issues, and as the alternate representation to the Transportation Planning Board for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Wilson also is a member of Alexandria NAACP, the Mount Vernon Group of Sierra Club, and the Northern Virginia Urban League. Wilson holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Information Systems from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is a Fellow of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia. Employed by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) as a Principal Systems Engineer, he lives in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria with his wife, Alex, a life-long Alexandrian, and their son, Eli and daughter, Lena, both life-long Alexandrians as well.
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