Alyia Gaskins | |
---|---|
Mayor-elect of Alexandria, Virginia | |
Assumed office January 2, 2025 | |
Preceded by | Justin Wilson |
Personal details | |
Political party | Democratic |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | |
Alyia Gaskins is an American public health professional, urban planner, and politician serving as an Alexandria City Council member and the mayor-elect of Alexandria, Virginia. She will assume office as Alexandria's first Black female mayor in January 2025, having previously focused on health equity, infrastructure, and housing issues throughout her career.
Gaskins was raised by a single mother who experienced health issues, including diabetes, sarcoidosis, and asthma, which led to frequent hospitalizations and financial strain on the family. [1] [2] Growing up in a household where her mother prioritized health insurance over other essentials, Gaskins encountered challenges such as a mold- and rodent-infested home, which influenced her early aspirations toward healthcare. [2] In sixth grade, Gaskins received a scholarship that enabled her to attend an all-girls private school, which her mother's income could not have otherwise afforded. [2]
Gaskins pursued higher education at Vanderbilt University, earning a degree in medicine, health, and society. [1] She subsequently obtained a M.P.H. from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and a Master's in Urban Planning from the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies. [1] Gaskins also completed a professional certificate in municipal finance from the University of Chicago. [1]
Gaskins began her career working on hunger policy at D.C. Hunger Solutions and later joined the National League of Cities as part of the health team. [1] While there, she started a learning collaborative on health disparities, working with over 20 cities. [1] Gaskins also managed the Let's Move! Cities, Towns and Counties program, an initiative promoting healthy eating and active living, where she coordinated with federal agencies and local governments to implement health-related policies across over 500 cities. [1]
Gaskins held leadership positions in various Alexandria and Virginia boards, including the Virginia Transportation Commission and Virginia Fair Housing Board. [1] In 2019, she founded CitiesRX, a consulting firm specializing in cross-sector partnerships with cities to foster healthy, sustainable environments. [2] She later worked as a senior program officer at the Melville Charitable Trust, focusing on philanthropy to address issues related to housing and community health. [2]
Gaskins entered local politics in 2021, successfully campaigning for a seat on the Alexandria City Council, where she was elected to serve a three-year term beginning in 2022. [1] Her platform emphasized public health, infrastructure, affordable housing, and economic support for small businesses. [1] As a council member, she was involved in initiatives to address Alexandria's infrastructure challenges, including investments in stormwater management to alleviate flooding issues in Old Town Alexandria. [3]
During the 2024 Alexandria, Virginia mayoral election Gaskins won the Democratic primary, a position she ran for unopposed in the November general election. [2] [3] She is scheduled to be sworn in as Alexandria's first Black female mayor on January 2, 2025. [3]
Gaskins resides in Alexandria's West End with her husband, Greg, and their two children. [1] [3] As a mother to a two-year-old and a four-year-old, she has spoken about the importance of balancing her family responsibilities with her career. [3] Her family also includes a beagle, Riley, who has frequently accompanied her to public events. [1] [3]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Alyia Gaskins | 11,303 | 59.55% | |
Democratic | Amy Jackson | 5,657 | 29.80% | |
Democratic | Steven Peterson | 3,662 | 10.65% | |
Total votes | 18,981 | 100.00% |
Lawrence Douglas Wilder is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 66th governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. He was the first African American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since the Reconstruction era, and the first African American ever elected as governor. He is currently a professor at the namesake Wilder School at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Minneapolis City Council is the legislative branch of the city of Minneapolis in Minnesota, United States. Comprising 13 members, the council holds the authority to create and modify laws, policies, and ordinances that govern the city. Each member represents one of the 13 wards in Minneapolis, elected for a four-year term. The current council structure has been in place since the 1950s.
Karen Ruth Bass is an American politician, social worker and former physician assistant who has served as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2022 and in the California State Assembly from 2004 to 2010, serving as speaker during her final Assembly term.
Catherine Elizabeth Pugh is an American former politician who served as the 51st mayor of Baltimore, Maryland's largest city, from 2016 to 2019. She resigned from office amid a scandal that eventually led to criminal charges, three years in prison, and three years probation in 2020.
Ana Bailão is a Canadian politician who represented Davenport on Toronto City Council from 2010 until 2022. She was the deputy mayor of Toronto representing Toronto and East York from 2017 to 2022. Bailão placed second in the 2023 Toronto mayoral by-election, losing to former NDP MP Olivia Chow.
London Nicole Breed is an American politician who is the 45th and current mayor of San Francisco, serving since 2018. She was supervisor for District 5 and was president of the Board of Supervisors from 2015 to 2018.
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is a government department of the City of Chicago. The purpose of the CDPH is to create a thriving and healthy community within the city of Chicago, Illinois by providing guidance, services and strategies. This includes promoting values of diversity, excellence, informed decision making, and teamwork within all residents and smaller communities within the city.
Levar Marcus Stoney is an American politician who has served as the 80th mayor of Richmond, Virginia, since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014 through 2016, being the youngest member of Governor Terry McAuliffe's administration.
Allison Silberberg is an American writer and politician. A Democrat, she served as the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia from January 4, 2016 to January 2, 2019.
Caroline B. Simmons is an American politician serving as the mayor of Stamford, Connecticut. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as State Representative for Connecticut's 144th District, where she was the youngest female legislator in Connecticut state office. She is married to former Republican State Senator Art Linares. Simmons won the 2021 Stamford mayoral election, becoming the city's first female mayor.
Viola Alexander Lyles is an American politician serving as the 59th mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Lyles was a member of the Charlotte City Council before taking office as mayor.
Britnee N. Timberlake is an American Democratic Party elected official, community advocate, nonprofit executive, and humanitarian. She has represented the 34th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate since January 2024, when she became New Jersey's youngest state senator. Before she took office in the senate, Timberlake had represented the 34th District in the New Jersey General Assembly from January 29, 2018, when she was sworn in to replace Sheila Oliver, who took office as Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. Timberlake had served as Freeholder President of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, where she was at the time the state's only African-American woman to serve as a freeholder board leader.
Lori Elaine Lightfoot is an American politician and attorney who was the 56th mayor of Chicago from 2019 until 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot worked in private legal practice as a partner at Mayer Brown and held various government positions in Chicago. She served as president of the Chicago Police Board and chair of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force. In 2019, Lightfoot defeated Toni Preckwinkle in a runoff election for Chicago mayor. She ran again in 2023 but failed to qualify for the runoff, becoming the city's first incumbent mayor to not be reelected since Jane Byrne in 1983.
Tamatha-Kaye Erin Paul is a New Zealand activist and politician who is a Member of Parliament for Wellington Central. In 2018 she was the first Māori woman to be elected President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association. Running as an independent Paul was elected to the Wellington City Council in 2019. She joined the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand ahead of the 2022 local elections.
The 2022 mayoral election in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, was originally scheduled to be held on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, but was postponed until November 8, 2022, by the passage of a state law in June 2021 that permanently moved Raleigh municipal elections to even years. The law also changed the requirement that winners attain a majority of the vote in a runoff if necessary, instead allowing election by a simple plurality. Incumbent mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin sought election to a second term in office. She was challenged by Terrance Ruth and DaQuanta Copeland.
The mayor of Alexandria is elected in November every three years.
Rex Richardson is an American politician who has served as the mayor of Long Beach, California since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Richardson previously served as a member of the Long Beach City Council, representing the 9th District from 2014 until 2022.
Lacey Beaty is an American politician, combat veteran, and the current mayor of Beaverton, Oregon. She took office in 2021 as the first female and youngest mayor in Beaverton history, after serving six years as city councilor. Before entering politics, Beaty served five years of active duty in the 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army as a radiology specialist and combat medic during the Iraq War. She has also worked in public health, overseeing school-based health centers. Beaty has identified the homelessness crisis and the welfare of veterans as priority issues for her administration.
Lauren Kuby is an American politician and sustainability scientist serving as a senator-elect for Arizona's 8th legislative district. She was previously a member and vice mayor of the Tempe City Council. At Arizona State University, she held roles focused on community outreach and sustainable development and has conducted research on the intersection of social and ecological issues.