As you may have noticed from the yard signs, mailers, canvassers, fundraising events, and lamentable declines in the frequency and quality of this newsletter, it’s election season in Alexandria. And while the residents of this city are never not collectively brainstorming ways to improve local governance, this is the point in the triennial electoral cycle when policy proposals really tend to proliferate. These conversations are exciting and inspiring. With so many great ideas thrown out there (and we’re not just talking about Jesse’s plan to raise the height of all indoor light fixtures above head level/designate the espresso martini the official city cocktail/make Noah Lyles’ birthday a paid holiday), it can feel like the sky’s the limit. Yet underlying every debate is that perennial political party pooper, the killjoy of the Commonwealth, the Debbie Downer of Old Dominion democracy: the Dillon Rule.
We’re guessing that most readers have at least heard of this rule and generally understand that it’s a huge pain in our municipal ass. But in case you’re fuzzy on the details, the gist of it is that local governments in Virginia only possess powers that have been explicitly granted by the state–or in plain language, cities and counties can’t do shit unless the General Assembly gives them the thumbs-up in advance.
Why does this rule exist? Great question! Surprisingly, the answer is not “to make us sad.” The actual explanation takes us all the way back to the 19th century and an Iowa Supreme Court judge named John F. Dillon, the F standing for… you know what, never mind. Anyway, in the course of deciding a case in 1868, Judge Dillon literally just made this rule up memorably articulated the principle that local governments are an extension of the state and depend on the state for their authority. Virginia adopted the rule a few decades later, SCOTUS said “us too” in 1907, and the rest is history.
As a result, all states are Dillon Rule states by default unless they decide to pass a statute or state constitutional provision granting localities autonomy (also known as Home Rule). Most states have adopted Home Rule at least to some degree, making Virginia a bit of an outlier. Trust us when we say that of all the things that make our commonwealth special—peanuts, presidential birthplaces, ham—this is not one of the good ones.
The Dillon Rule affects every aspect of local government and by extension our lives. We need permission from Richmond to do pretty much anything here: lower speed limits in school zones, require people to pick up after their dogs, change the date of local elections, even move statues of confederate losers out of busy intersections. It’s hard to understand the point of maintaining this arrangement other than providing job security to the drafters of the city’s annual legislative package. In theory, the justification is that it creates an even playing field across the state by avoiding random patchworks of local rules, which is helpful in some contexts—like providing consistency for businesses that operate in multiple jurisdictions. Yet it’s obvious that, like the description of Drake in a Kendrick Lamar song, on balance it has more negatives than positives.
By hamstringing local authority to solve local problems, the Dillon Rule increases the gap between what voters want and what their government can do, and that makes people feel politically disaffected—if not downright pissed off. It subjugates each individual community’s needs and preferences to whatever nonsense is happening in the statewide political landscape, it wastes the General Assembly’s time because legislators have to consider hundreds of bills every session addressing issues that could have been dealt with at the municipal level, and it exerts a chilling effect on city and county governments in which policy innovation is stifled for the sake of not getting sued. All of this is really frustrating! In fact it’s so bad that maybe we should stop calling it the Dillon Rule and start calling it the Villain Rule [Editor’s note: we’re so sorry please don’t unsubscribe]!!!
There have been various efforts to adopt Home Rule in Virginia over the years, but convincing a state to do that is an uphill battle—most legislatures aren’t keen to give up their own authority. A change to the Virginia constitution was proposed and quickly dropped in the 1970s. More recently, the National League of Cities promoted model legislative language on this issue, which it had the unfortunate luck to release in February 2020 when we were all about to have [checks notes] other shit to deal with. But momentum may be growing. This year a resolution establishing a committee to study “whether the Dillon Rule is a hindrance to the operation of modern local government and whether the Commonwealth might benefit from a shift from the current structure of state and local authority to a home rule structure” was introduced in the House of Delegates. It didn’t pass, but it got continued to next year, so… we’ll see?
Ultimately, as much as this rule super duper sucks, we’re not getting rid of it anytime soon. So what should we do in the meantime? We have to be realistic about what we can accomplish locally while at the same time thinking as creatively as we can about how to make progress. Just because we’re stuck with the Dillon Rule doesn’t mean we should use it as an excuse for inaction or a scapegoat for avoiding tough decisions. And while we should always continue to work with our state delegation to address any problem we’re facing, that doesn’t mean sitting back and throwing our hands up while waiting for the General Assembly to fix it. Taking an overly timid approach does a disservice to the people of Alexandria who rely on local government to make our city better. We still have a lot of agency and we shouldn’t be afraid to use it!
Fortunately, we have some options. One is to argue that a power we want to exercise is implicit within another, explicitly granted authority. Another is to use unconventional mechanisms to achieve an objective when the most obvious solution isn’t allowed. For example, we can’t set stricter citywide energy efficiency standards for buildings like localities in Home Rule states have done, but we can use incentive programs and special use permits to encourage compliance with green building policies. We can’t override state restrictions on reproductive rights, but we can use our zoning power to reduce unnecessary land use barriers to operating abortion clinics. No, these measures don’t take us 100% of where we want to go. But they get us partway, and that’s a hell of a lot better than standing still. For now and as long as this rule exists, this is the way we have to think and govern in order to help move our city forward–at least until we can tell John F. Dillon to Go F. Himself.
Things You May Have Missed Because You Have a Life
The Office of the Arts has announced the artist, Nekisha Durrett, who will create next year’s Waterfront Park installation (post-meteorite). Her previous works are incredibly cool and we can’t wait to see what she comes up with for Alexandria.
Matt and Tony’s in Del Ray made it onto Yelp’s nationwide list of top 100 brunch spots, guaranteeing our continued inability to get a reservation there for at least another two years.
No jokey, we’re very excited for Low-Key Gnocchi. We hope the service isn’t pokey and they offer karaoke.
Alexandria Living published an exit interview of sorts with the mayor entitled “Justin Wilson: Full Speed Ahead to the Finish Line,” a phrase that’s applicable to Justin because unlike some newsletter co-authors he actually runs on a regular basis [Editor’s note: Come on, not cool].
Local Discourse Power Rankings
Young People (Last week: NR). This year’s Chamber ALX 40 Under 40 list is out, and can we just say how fucking cool the youths of this city are? Seriously incredible stuff going on here. We believe the children are our fuuuuuuture, assuming you consider thirtysomethings to be children. Actually, the fact that this list is open to anyone under 40 makes it so much more legit than Forbes 30 Under 30. It can be really hard to assess someone’s accomplishments when they’re in their twenties, which possibly explains Forbes’ selection of Elizabeth Holmes, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Martin Shkreli in previous years. Meanwhile, the ALX 40 Under 40 is all killer no filler [Editor’s note: Well, this year at least… *Becky side-eyes Jesse, 2017 honoree*]. Congrats to everyone who was recognized this year, keep doing what you’re doing, and enjoy having knees that work while you still can!
Legal Eagles (Last week: NR). There have been a number of significant litigation developments since our last issue and the residents of Alexandria are struggling to keep up. To recap: the lawsuit against the 301 N Fairfax development got dismissed, but not the challenge to Zoning for Housing which will continue making its way through the courts as long as the Coalition for a Livable* Alexandria (*offer not valid if you’ve ever transported a child by bicycle) and other plaintiffs can show that they’ve suffered particularized harms that give them standing to sue. Meanwhile, the Arlington missing middle case hasn’t been decided yet, nobody has sued anybody else over the arena (R.I.P.), and the Supreme Court ruled the Seminary Road bike lane unconstitutional. If you know which two statements in that last sentence are true, congratulations you’re now a circuit court judge. Here’s your robe, try not to spill anything on it.
Unnecessarily Aggressive Natural Phenomena (Last week: 3). Guys. What is going on with the earth? Is she okay? First we had pollen and hail, then for about a week it was hotter than two hamsters farting in a wool sock. And now you’re telling us that solar electrons have been bombarding the atmosphere, causing an extremely rare display of the aurora borealis? And we didn’t even get to see it because of clouds??? Fuck it, we give up. [*Becky and Jesse go into their houses and stay inside forever*]
You Idiots Are Doing This Road Wrong (Last week: NR). It was the best of times, it was the worst of times on the streets of Alexandria this week. The city announced that it’s going to put smart traffic lights on Duke and Van Dorn to make traffic flow better, a move that even the most committed comment-section curmudgeons admitted sounds pretty darn… smart. Yet as T&ES giveth, so also T&ES taketh away, as the King/Callahan/Russell intersection descended into heretofore unseen levels of mayhem thanks to a fun new surprise traffic pattern. When the drivers of this city–you know, the ones who do stuff like this, and this, and also this–are putting up vigilante signage to prevent additional chaos, you know something has gone profoundly ass-backwards.
Alexandria’s Hottest Club Is… Sister Cities
Summer’s fast approaching, and with it, the desire to abandon all your responsibilities and flee the country take a nice, hard-earned vacation. We’re guessing that most readers have probably planned out your travels already (you all seem like responsible, organized types), but maybe you’re still waiting for inspiration to strike. If you’re not having any luck scrolling TikTok for ideas or spinning a globe at random, have you considered choosing a destination on the basis of municipal diplomatic ties? That’s right folks, it’s time to grab your passport and pack your most sensible walking shoes because we’re taking a tour of Alexandria’s sister cities!
But first, let’s make sure everybody’s on the same page about what that phrase means. “Sister cities” are not towns that share the same ancestor (although in a sense we’re all descended from the original City Daddy–Uruk, the capital of ancient Mesopotamia) or some sort of metropolitan sister-wife situation (local government polycules aren’t a thing… yet). What they are is a partnership formed between two urban areas in different parts of the world to promote cultural and commercial ties, foster understanding and cooperation, and facilitate exchanges between their residents. This is sometimes called “town twinning,” which is a delightful gender-neutral variation. Or if you’re feeling more intense about the relationship, in Russian they say “города-побратимы” or “sworn brother cities” (as usual, the Slavs didn’t need to go that hard).
Alexandria has had sister cities since the 1990s. To manage these relationships, volunteer-staffed city committees coordinate local events and activities; these openings are often the hottest ticket on the monthly roster of Boards and Commissions Vacancies, which is really saying something in this town. We’re currently sistering four cities [Editor’s note: yes, we’re using that as a verb now], three of which have active committees. Let’s meet them, shall we?
Caen, France
Known For: Camembert cheese, William the Conqueror, two abbeys that William the Conqueror built to prove to the Pope that he was sorry for marrying his cousin
ALX Common Bonds: It’s a port city on a river; it’s the gateway to the beaches of Normandy, where some Alexandrians who served during World War II invaded on D-Day; les Virginiens aiment la France (see also: Thomas Jefferson)
Dundee, Scotland
Known For: Jute, marmalade, the video game company that made “Grand Theft Auto,” the episode of Succession where Kendall raps
ALX Common Bonds: It’s also a port city on a river (technically a firth); it’s worked to evolve into a modern city—including by attracting tech companies—while maintaining its historic character; it’s been called “the coolest little city in Britain,” while we’ve been called the coolest little city in the world (by ourselves); both have old boats
Helsingborg, Sweden
Known For: A 12th-century castle, the former headquarters of IKEA, being the first people to mix espresso and tonic
ALX Common Bonds: It’s YET ANOTHER port city; they can see Denmark across the Øresund Strait just as we are forced to gaze across the Potomac upon the hostile shores of Maryland; they have the Dunker Museum, we have a Dunkin’ Donuts
Gyumri, Armenia
Known For: Millennia of recorded history, fine handicrafts, unfortunately quite a large number of earthquakes
ALX Common Bonds: It used to be named Aleksandropol; as the “laughter and humor capital of Armenia,” it clearly shares our fine comedic sensibilities; it’s not (!!!) a port city, but please don’t tell anyone this or they might take it off the list
It’s important to note that there’s one thing we don’t have in common with our sister cities, and it’s that none of them have to deal with the goddamn Dillon Rule.
Of course, our sister cities have other sister cities as well. Caen is also partnered up with Nashville (Known For: bachelorette parties), Helsingborg shares a link with Dubrovnik (Known For: Game of Thrones filming locations), and Dundee is muni-siblings with Dubai (Known For: obscene wealth, tall building). We guess these are technically, like… our step-sisters? Sisters-in-law? Either way, we’re totally not jealous and harbor no insecurities about the cultural exchanges happening as part of those relationships.
Right now we have a very tasteful number of sister cities, we’re not slutty about it like San Francisco (18) or Chicago (Jesus Christ, 28). But we could reasonably take on a few more in our opinion. In particular, we could stand to branch out geographically—there are 5 maybe 6 (depending on how you define the Caucasus) continents that are totally unrepresented among our urban brethren! Alexandria has links to so many places across the world beyond Europe. Let’s establish some relationships that honor our incredible immigrant and refugee communities from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. While we’re at it, let’s use this tool to identify cities within the U.S. that are experiencing the same trends and challenges we are, and set up formal partnerships with them as well. The great thing about sister city programs is that they allow us to celebrate our similarities while learning from our differences, and the more we broaden our horizons, the more we’ll learn–and the more potential summer vacation destinations we’ll gain.
The Alexandria Times Quote of the Week
“The Mysterious Case of the Bot That Likes Outside Interference in Elections descended on Serverville this week, as someone or some entity attempted to skew the Alexandria Times’ weekly poll toward a desired outcome. … Who and why are mysteries worthy of Sherlock Holmes, and while we are investigating in search of the culprit(s), we could use that fictitious sleuth’s help on this case.”
Look, we’re not ones to offer unsolicited advice but we’re just not sure that hiring a 19th century detective who doesn’t know what computers are is going to get you the results you’re looking for here.
We Get Letters
First, one of our friends at the ALX Democratic Social Club writes to share an important PSA:
Hi ALXtra! The hottest club in town is... the Liberally Social Podcast zoom room! A team of women in Alexandria are interviewing democratic candidates for the June Primary and IT IS GREAT. (I’m biased because I'm one of the co-hosts, but I’m also objectively correct that this podcast slaps.) The resulting recordings are a perfect mix of fun–What’s the best pizza in ALX?–and serious–What should our city do about flooding and extreme heat?–and are around 30 mins each so that you can listen while walking your dog or waiting for the light to change at the Callahan and King intersection. Check it out! Available to download wherever you get podcasts.
Next, reader Darragh J. writes in this week with some unfortunate academic news:
Hi Becky and Jesse — I’m writing because ACHS just announced it is officially killing off the Latin program. They will no longer offer advanced Latin class (Latin VI and AP Latin), and all intro Latin courses (Latin I, II, III and IV) will be online from now on. Which — WTF? Latin?? Online??? Ew. No one wants to do that. Which in and of itself will ensure that fewer kids sign up for more Latin, which … ensures the cycle completes itself fast.
COVID was tough on the program. It was hard to learn during the online year, and kids got behind. But the ones who stuck with it, like our son, now love it and are getting so much out of it. I have nerdy exciting anecdotes galore — the vocab prowess: watching our son figure out “pulchritide” from its Latin root; his honors bio teacher talking all year about how Latin students do better in the sciences because the vocabulary is so familiar; the puzzles they do in class help with problem-solving and decoding elsewhere; it’s the whole challenging, rigorous package.
And the fact that ACHS has a Latin program has been a testament to the school system’s dedication to truly educating *all* of our city’s kids. Except now … apparently, we don’t. It makes me sad, not only for my kids, but for all of us in general to see the school system gut this program.
Darragh, thanks so much for writing in about this. As lovers of obscure Latin-derived words ourselves, this is really disappointing to hear. We hope that there are some Latinophiles among our subscribers who can help speak up for continuing this important program. Readers, please let us know if you’d like to be connected with Darragh to work together on supporting Latin instruction at ACHS!
One Awesome Thing in ALX
Sometimes a thing happens in Alexandria that’s so great we have to talk about it even though the story has already thoroughly made the rounds. Last week, a nonprofit scheduled to host a prom dress drive for ACHS students suddenly canceled, and within days community members rallied to donate hundreds of dresses. This is a fantastic, heartwarming end to the story that guarantees those high school students will look like a million bucks and almost certainly more stylish than we looked at our own proms in the year [FILE NOT FOUND].
We love this not just because the teens deserve to be supported on one of the biggest nights of their young lives but also because it’s just one more example of Alexandrians stepping up to help each other. We can’t guarantee that your date won’t be a jerk or your friend won’t puke on your shoes, but if we can make sure that you have oddly rigid satin a truly garish number of sequins a tasteful ensemble that helps you feel confident and beautiful, then we’re damn well going to do it.
You can follow Becky @beckyhammer.bsky.social and Jesse @oconnell.bsky.social on Bluesky, or you can e-mail us anytime at alxtranewsletter@gmail.com.
I’m now looking forward to re-watching Succession season 2, episode 8. I was in Dundee last week, if only for an afternoon.