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Candidate Response for Allison Cryor
Candidate: Allison W. Cryor
Office: Alexandria City Council
Party: Republican
Campaign Address: P.O. Box 2514, Alexandria, VA 22301
Home Address: 310 West Myrtle Street, Alexandria, VA 22301
Telephone: (703) 837-9370; Fax: (703) 519-3904
Email: cryor@mindspring.com
1. Allison W. Cryor: Biography
Allison W. Cryor is President of Kington Management Corporation (KMC), an
investment and management services company based in Old Town Alexandria,
Virginia. At KMC, she manages several wireless companies, partnering with
U.S. Cellular, the nation's eighth-largest wireless telecommunications
provider, to purchase and manage several U.S. markets. Prior to joining KMC
in 1999, Ms. Cryor served as Vice President with a Washington, D.C. think
tank. From 1993 until 1998, Ms. Cryor served as Managing Director of the
athletics capital campaign at the University of Virginia where she managed
a fundraising campaign that raised over $100 million for athletics
facilities and scholarships.
From 1989 until 1993, Ms. Cryor served on President George H.W. Bush's
White House staff as Deputy Associate Director of Presidential Personnel.
She was responsible for selecting, on behalf of the President, cabinet
secretaries and their staffs, specifically in the Departments of Commerce,
Transportation and the regulatory agencies. She served the President for
his entire four-year term. Her experience also includes a marketing
position with American Express as well as several years in public relations
with the travel industry's largest trade association.
Since 1999, Ms. Cryor has led The Kington Foundation and devotes
significant time to local and national philanthropy. The Foundation
recently underwrote an exhibition by the Virginia Historical Society
entitled, "Alexandria, 1749-1999" which examined the city's origins from
Indian trading post to post-industrial city. The Foundation has also
supported many local and national organizations including the Alexandria
Black History Resource Center, the Campagna Center, Hopkins House, the
Historic Alexandria Foundation, the National Trust for Historic
Preservation, Scenic Virginia and the Piedmont Environmental Council.
Ms. Cryor received her B.A. in English from the University of Virginia and
her MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. She is
active in her community having volunteered with the Alexandria Police
Department, Habitat for Humanity and several local schools. She has served
on numerous boards including the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart,
the University of Virginia's Darden School Alumni Board, and the Finance
and Stewardship Council at St. Rita's Church. She has participated in the
Rosemont Civic Association and the Upper Potomac West Work Group through
St. Rita's Church. She resides in the Rosemont section of Alexandria,
Virginia.
2. Allison Cryor: Campaign Description
Allison Cryor brings to the Council race her experience as a successful
Alexandria businesswoman and involved citizen. The next Council faces
challenges including controlling growth, responsible budgeting, and
improving an under performing school system.
Allison Cryor's strengths as an effective leader, active listener and
consensus builder are of value to our city. She is committed to protecting
established neighborhoods from the threat of highway construction. She
supports limiting the tax burden and is dedicated to meeting our children's
educational needs at all levels.
Allison Cryor recognizes and values the significance of Alexandria's past
as well as its need to plan for its future.
3. Vision of Alexandrians for Sensible Growth
In the year 2025, Alexandria will be an outstanding community that enjoys a
high quality of life with diverse residential neighborhoods and
economically thriving commercial areas that provide employment
opportunities and make substantial contributions to the financial health of
the city. Alexandria's government will be a model of openness to both its
citizens and to innovative ideas for solving long-term challenges.
Alexandria's leaders will proactively work with colleagues in neighboring
jurisdictions to set the agenda and solve regional problems.
In 2025, Alexandria will continue to offer a quality of life for people of
diverse means and lifestyles unmatched in the metropolitan DC region.
Alexandria's quality of life will be enhanced by preservation of the City's
historical legacy, an integrated, multi-modal transportation network,
sufficient open space and parkland, and provision of high quality public
services (including public safety, public education and services for
persons with needs).
Allison Cryor's response:
The City of Alexandria has sadly lacked a vision for its future for too
many years. There have been agendas, there have been goals and there have
been budget plans, but there has not been a comprehensive vision. Today,
Alexandria seeks leaders who are able to articulate their view of
Alexandria's future while providing a clear, planned direction of how to
achieve those goals.
Alexandria is blessed by its history, by its established neighborhoods, by
its proximity to the nation's capital, by its river, by its wealth of
diversity among its residents, by its committed business community. It is
challenged, however, by the results of much of this success: overbuilding,
minimal transportation planning (including underutilization of public
transit resources) and a city budget growing faster than its residents'
incomes.
Since its founding Alexandria has been buffeted by the local and national
economy. For more than 200 years, Alexandria has changed as the economic
times changed around it, making decisions that seemed right in the
short-term, but sometimes short-sighted. And yet, it has survived because
of the strength of the community. Whether it was the preservationists of
Old Town who saved so many historic buildings; or the proponents of
economic development who attracted the trade associations from D.C. and New
York to Alexandria; or the early supporters of mass transportation who
pushed to bring Metrorail to many areas of our city, Alexandria has
survived and flourished. Now, it is time again for leaders to emerge to
guide Alexandria into the 21st century as it faces new challenges:
development that can alter the character of our neighborhoods; land use
decisions that can damage our quality of life; a continued growth in
automobile and truck traffic; and a school system that is not serving all
of our students at all levels. The next City Council has serious work in
the next three years that will affect Alexandria for many years to come.
The voters have a formidable responsibility in May 2003 to select the right
candidates. The City's government should be representative of its people,
answerable to its people and responsible to its people.
I agree with the vision of the Alexandrians for Sensible Growth. If the
right individuals are selected for City Council to represent all of the
people of Alexandria then in 2025 Alexandria should be as the ASG
organization envisions it. It should be a safe place to live with good
schools, vibrant and protected neighborhoods, a strong local economy, an
efficient public transportation system, its history preserved, sufficient
open space and parkland and diverse neighborhoods.
ASG Goal #1: To develop a comprehensive vision and plan for Alexandria's
future-the Alexandria 2025 Plan.
4. A new Plan for Alexandria's future is an excellent idea and it will
take the efforts of local government, the residents, the business
community, the philanthropic community and the cooperation of surrounding
communities to design and implement a successful one. The current Master
Plan is out of date and needs to be reviewed by all affected parties.
A new Plan must to percolate from the residents. Numerous small meetings
all over the City should be convened to determine the City's needs for the
next 20 years, to hear the issues and challenges currently faced and
anticipated in our city, our metropolitan area and our nation. The process
will also help us find the best solutions. It will be a time-consuming,
thought-provoking, difficult project, but one with encouraging
possibilities for all of us.
5. Part of this process will be to study and analyze the major strengths
and deficiencies of the current Master Plan. It will include the review of
current laws for their appropriateness and usefulness in the future. The
purpose of a Master Plan is to set guidelines for the Council and the
City's staff. It should not be revised and altered as often as is done
currently. A Master Plan loses is usefulness and validity each time it is
modified, or worse yet, ignored.
6. A planning process would also help to find solutions of how to make it
possible for residents of various financial means to live in our City
affordably--a critical issue for many Alexandrians. Since affordable
housing is often defined as costing less than 30 percent of a household's
income, much of our residents are struggling with unaffordable housing and
excessive housing costs-both mortgages and rental payments. Just because
real estate assessments continue to grow at double digit rates, homeowners,
and indirectly renters, should not have to pay more each month to live in
their current housing. Real estate tax rates should decline to limit this
burden on our residents. Our community should make it possible for our
teachers, police officers and nurses to live in the communities they serve.
7. The planning process would also study how to preserve and improve the
quality of life in our existing neighborhoods. An obvious strength of
Alexandria is its neighborhoods. The continuing threat of highway
construction cutting through these neighborhoods is not acceptable and
should not be tolerated. Strict enforcement of current zoning, limiting the
availability of parking for commercial entities and enhancing pedestrian
safety, particularly near our schools and parks, are necessary. Increasing
traffic, growing density in development, the security of our families and
the uneven quality of our schools are the biggest challenges to our
neighborhoods' quality of life. We need to devote our energies and our
city's resources to all of these issues to ensure the quality of life we
expect in Alexandria.
8. Much of Alexandria's quality of life is tied to its history,
particularly in the area of Old Town. The Board of Architectural Review
(BAR) has traditionally held the role of protector of these historic
elements. In recent years, the expertise needed by members of the BAR has
increased sharply as the pace of renovation of properties has risen. The
composition of the BAR needs to be re-visited including the number of
members, their expertise, their term of service, their commitment to
Alexandria history and their willingness to devote significant time to this
endeavor.
ASG Goal #2: Transportation: To support policies and programs that
increase usage of metro, bus, bicycle and pedestrian transportation modes
and decrease auto traffic and its impact on residential neighborhoods and
schools.
9. The Transportation Management Program needs to be re-evaluated. Upon
the completion of this analysis, I would be able to better decide the needs
and viability of a citizen Transportation Planning Board.
10. Alexandria's traffic situation is at a crisis, which must be addressed
now. Traffic on Route 1, even without the development of Potomac Yards, is
already at a standstill at non-rush hour times. Traffic driving through
the area around the Alexandria Train Station is growing both at morning and
evening rush hours, backing up for blocks with traffic from outside
Alexandria. All of this congestion is occurring even before the opening of
the Patent and Trademark Office. Traffic in the West End rivals traffic in
any major city. The mistakes of past Councils have created a grave
situation, which is only to become worse. The character of our
neighborhoods is threatened with this continuing increase in auto traffic
in all areas of Alexandria.
Necessary action includes better handling of commercial and residential
development in Alexandria. New development must accommodate the new
traffic it will create. Otherwise, it can't happen. We need to work with
the Patent & Trademark Office and other Carlyle businesses to offer shuttle
services and, if possible, to provide employees with incentives to use
public transportation.
We need to revisit the decision not to have a Metrorail stop at Potomac
Yards, if possible. It was a serious mistake to allow so much development
without the addition of a Metrorail stop in that section of Alexandria. At
the very least, the design of the new housing development at Potomac Yards
should include bus access for shuttling residents to Metro.
We would not be in this crisis had City Council insisted on its own traffic
studies to determine the impact of increased development of different
sections of the City. Council was distracted by the promise of additional
tax revenue from these new residents and commercial entities and ignored
the high cost, both tangible and intangible, that this new growth would
cause. We must now address these issues.
11. Is the answer new highways? No. Building highways through
established neighborhoods is never the answer. We are a community of
neighborhoods. To destroy what's best of Alexandria for the convenience of
non-Alexandrians traveling through our City is a big mistake. We must look
to improving our current roads and limiting development until we can find
new solutions including the increased use of public transportation and
improved infrastructure planning.
ASG Goal #3: Open Space: To preserve, increase and upgrade open space in
Alexandria.
12. The preservation and growth of open space in Alexandria should be a
priority of the next City Council. Community awareness of the current open
space in Alexandria and its declining state is step one. A review of what
is considered "open space" is also necessary. The City's current
definition is too broad. There are still sections of our City with open
space; it's not too late to save these areas to prevent our City from
becoming a town of cement and asphalt. By focusing its attention and the
attention of City staff to this issue, the next Council can prevent this
conclusion.
In addition, an effort to encourage the donation of easements all over the
City of Alexandria should be publicized. The City needs to simplify the
process for residents, businesses and, in particular, developers to
contribute funds for open space; to donate actual open space; and to place
easements on open space. My experience in fundraising and grant writing
would be beneficial to the City in seeking outside funds to help us meet
this need.
ASG Goal #4: Small Area Plans: In conjunction with the Alexandria 2025
Plan, continue the existing small area planning projects and initiate small
area planning processes for Eisenhower West, the Old Town waterfront and
other neighborhoods.
13. The Small Area planning projects are a helpful way to plan on a
smaller, more manageable scale. It allows for increased citizen
involvement and closer evaluation of the situation and the options
available. These SAPs are the natural starting point for the Alexandria
2025 Plan.
In particular, discussions surrounding the Potomac River waterfront have
provided a forum for citizens, local business and government leaders to
agree on guidelines to protect the redevelopment of the waterfront. It
needs to become a larger discussion. Any guidelines for riverfront
redevelopment need to include: the public's access, maintenance of the
beauty and cleanliness of the River and the River as part of our City's
heritage and beauty. We are so fortunate to have a nice stretch of the
Potomac River at the edge of our City. We need to recognize its importance
to our livelihood and cherish its natural beauty.
14. Eisenhower West represents another challenge. It is very important
for all affected parties including landowners, developers, city officials,
and, very importantly, local residents to work together to determine what
is best for Alexandria and the Washington DC metropolitan area now and in
the future. We are not a community of cars and trucks. We are a
community of families, homeowners, renters, businessmen and women and we
need to be sure that the plans reflect that community and its needs into
the future.
ASG Goal #5: Public Participation: To encourage meaningful public
participation in the vision and planning process and implementation of City
policies.
15. The Connector battle was a prime example of the City Council and the
City staff making recommendations and decisions while consulting a small
group of affected parties. A task force was formed that did not represent
the groups affected by a potential decision. Once the problem was
identified, the Council refused to correct it when it could. Instead, it
allowed the situation to become destructive.
Yes, it can be cumbersome and time consuming to listen to the views of many
residents. Yes, it can be challenging and frustrating to try to reach
consensus among various groups. But it is the responsibility of the
elected officials to seek this kind of citizen involvement. It is the role
of the elected officials to ensure that all views are heard, not just the
loud voices, but also the small ones, too. Communication and compromise,
rather than silence and obstinence, have to characterize the next Council
The Connector battle also demonstrated that communications between the
Council and its constituents must improve. Currently, information is not
disseminated in an efficient manner, resulting in hearsay and inaccuracies.
The City's website needs improvement in its navigation and ease of use.
It should be very simple for a resident to find pertinent information on
the City's site. In addition, a liaison between the city and citizens
groups needs to be formalized. This liaison would not usurp the
responsibility of City Council Members to maintain close contact with these
same groups.
16. The task force option, however, is still a smart one, if used
effectively. Affected parties should not be left out of the planning and
review process. The members of a task force need to be chosen carefully
and the scope of their review need to be clearly outlined.
Alexandria residents should demand that meaningful public participation in
the vision and planning process is a requirement.
ASG Goal #6: Legislative Remedies: To empower Alexandria's communities to
exercise greater control over land-use issues, such as requiring financial,
environmental and neighborhood impact statements that accurately assess the
costs and benefits of development projects, requiring developers to pay for
certain infrastructure costs and reviewing current provisions in State law
available to local governments for controlling government.
17. Alexandria's communities should exert greater control over land use
issues through their elected representatives. They should be better
informed so that they may voice their concerns promptly and with a clear
sense of the issues. The City of Alexandria needs to work more closely
with its neighboring jurisdictions and the Commonwealth of Virginia to take
a broader view and approach to growth in the greater Washington area.
Alexandria cannot operate in a vacuum nor will it be granted the authority
to make decision unilaterally that will affect its neighbors. Therefore,
it is essential that Alexandria be a model of planning and citizen
participation.
Conclusion:
It takes courage and determination to lead a city with limited resources.
It takes even more toughness to take a strong stand with development
interests when they charm our officials and city staff with the promise of
higher tax revenues from future residents and businesses. The irony of it
is that developers are attracted to Alexandria because of our quality of
life, our lovely neighborhoods, our committed, involved citizens, our
proximity to the nation's capital, our diversity and our history. But it
is these same developers, who left unchecked will ruin what is best about
our City. Our City needs effective leaders in the next Council to meet
these challenges successfully.
I bring to this Council race my experience as a successful Alexandria
businesswoman and involved citizen. As we well know, the next Council
faces challenges including controlling growth, responsible budgeting, and
improving an under performing school system. My strengths as an effective
leader, active listener and consensus builder are of value to our city. I
am committed to protecting established neighborhoods from the threat of
highway construction. I support limiting the tax burden and I am dedicated
to meeting our children's educational needs at all levels. I recognize and
value the significance of Alexandria's past as well as its need to plan for
its future.
I would be honored to receive the endorsement of Alexandrians for Sensible
Growth and to be elected by the voters of this community to serve on
Alexandria's City Council.
Respectfully Submitted,
Allison W. Cryor
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