Liberally Social

Cesar is a 26-year-old middle school teacher, Army veteran, immigrant, soccer coach, and community advocate. He wants everyone to sit at his circle-shaped table, and brings his lived experiences as an undocumented immigrant to his campaign.

Fun facts - His cats need child-locks! And he has over 10,000 followers on Tik Tok (this is not a typo!).

His policy corners:

1. ACPS and School Board partnership - issues, budget

2. Affordability 

3. Transparency - everyone should be involved, regardless of whether you care or not

4. Accountability - “Show up and fight for you.” ICE OUT. 

Liberally Social Podcast collaborates with Ryan Belmore of The Alexandria Brief for a special collaboration series of interviews for this Firehouse City Council Primary!

Vote in the Democratic Party volunteer-run firehouse primary on Saturday, February 21st from 8:30am-7pm at Cora Kelly Rec Center + Beatley Central Library OR Online if you register in advance by Friday Feb 20th at 5pm! Visit alexdems.org for more information.

Charles is a West End-resident and progressive from the Bronx who founded Safe Space NOVA for LGBTQ+ youth, who chaired the Alexandria AIDS/HIV Commission, and has an MBA focused on Human Capital.  

Fun fact - Charles’ favorite mode of transportation is Metro! 

Sad fact - his dog passed away a little over a year ago, who was a star of the Scottish Walk Parade.

His policy corners:

• Affordability - deeply affordable housing supply

• Workforce pathways. Trade schools 

• Sustainable infrastructure amidst climate change, including snowcrete removal 

• Transportation & Congestion. “Get out of your car!” 

Liberally Social Podcast collaborates with Ryan Belmore of The Alexandria Brief for a special collaboration series of interviews for this Firehouse City Council Primary!

Vote in the Democratic Party volunteer-run firehouse primary on Saturday, February 21st from 8:30am-7pm at Cora Kelly Rec Center + Beatley Central Library OR Online if you register in advance by Friday Feb 20th at 5pm! Visit alexdems.org for more information.

Tim is a humble Navy Reservist, attorney, and pharmacist keen to serve his community (he’s already president of the Del Ray Citizens Association and chair of the Alx Economic Opportunities Commission) and full of hope for a systems change approach to Alexandria’s future. 

Fun facts - his dogs are named after hawaiian islands (Maui and Kona), and his substack is named “deep dive” like wholesome a Navy pun. 

His policy corners:

1. Fiscal responsibility through growth

2. Affordability - housing, childcare, environmental action, transit

3. Connectedness - he wants to be the “glue”

4. Equity through engagement

Liberally Social Podcast collaborates with Ryan Belmore of The Alexandria Brief for a special collaboration series of interviews for this Firehouse City Council Primary!

Vote in the Democratic Party volunteer-run firehouse primary on Saturday, February 21st from 8:30am-7pm at Cora Kelly Rec Center + Beatley Central Library OR Online if you register in advance by Friday Feb 20th at 5pm! Visit alexdems.org for more information.

Sandy Marks is an ACPS mom and democratic communications professional who can finally voice her progressive policy positions now that she has stepped down from her back-to-back terms as Alexandria Democratic Committee Chair! (We really missed the opportunity for a Little Mermaid joke here). 

A sweet factoid - her 13 year old son was the one who first encouraged Sandy to run for this seat! Her cat? Not so sweet.

Her policy corners:

1. Public Education

2. Housing Affordability - both market rate and affordable

3. Equity through Access - and climate justice

4. Defend Democracy - for immigrant neighbors and lgbtq kids 

Liberally Social Podcast collaborates with Ryan Belmore of The Alexandria Brief for a special collaboration series of interviews for this Firehouse City Council Primary!

Vote in the Democratic Party volunteer-run firehouse primary on Saturday, February 21st from 8:30am-7pm at Cora Kelly Rec Center + Beatley Central Library OR Online if you register in advance by Friday Feb 20th at 5pm! Visit alexdems.org for more information.

We are not shocked at all to hear former School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera is focused on education in her big run for Delegate in HD5! But pearl-clutches beware: there is a tiiiiiny bit of bra talk in this episode! You can handle it.

This ep's opener is dedicated to the 10 people on planet earth who might find it more accessible than it is unhinged—thank you for validating our commitment to some pretty niche interests!

Councilman Kirk McPike, first inductee to the LibSoc Third Timer's Club (is there a jacket for this?), is running for Delegate—and by runnin', we mean HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS 'cause we're gettin' through A LOT in this 30mins! And by hats, we mean your ceremonial Punxsutawney top hats, 'cause it feels like Groundhog's Day up in here!

LUCKY EP #13 MIGHT BE OUR LAST!

Here's your chance to hear from Steven Peterson, former real estate developer and father of SEVEN—and that's before all the furry babies! It's a family affair, as Martha (wife) and Chase (step-son) get in on the action a little, and Sandy tries not to bungle Anh's EQFAAPC—you know, the rapid-fire questions! [If you want One. More. Episode. to complete the ballot, let Amy Jackson know how much you love the pod!]

ARE YOU READY TO GET MAYORAL?! OF COURSE YOU ARE! Alyia Gaskins is up first! We've had two mayoral eps in the can since April, but we've been holdin' 'em back, hoping to complete the trifecta for you! But it's gettin' late in the cycle, so we're giving the people what they want—just in time to get smart before Election Day! Listen up, and tell all your friends!

Y'all, in this episode Jimmy Lewis and the LibSoc team pop a can of ice cold, bubbly facts having to do with code we identify by number, salacious gossip about aluminum can production, and other nerdy, super hot, but totally SFW topics. You won't want to miss this one!

In this episode, we are pretty sure Canek opens a beer with a club of some kind, it turns out he's running against Joe Biden, City Council loses count of our birthday cupcakes, and it's inexplicably time to start the Census all over again—OR ARE WE HAVING AN ANXIETY DREAM?! Are any of us getting enough sleep? Only one way to find out: listen to the most chill episode ever!

Prayin' man Kevin Harris forgives our dog poop opening, but has no room for pets (who don't even pay rent) himself, gets the BFF question right, tells us about a great youth training program, aaaand gives us an excuse to put a Simpson's monorail gif in the show notes! We barely even talked basketball—this must be serious! Listen!

Listen in as we chat with Metro engineer, SB member, and double Alexandrian, Abdel Elnoubi and (from afar) his—are you ready?—BUNNY! The important thing for you to know about this episode is that Diane may have some feelings about Abdel's choice of pizza joint—WHO CAN KNOW?!

This episode has it all: detailed pizza descriptors, middle school "lingo" that'll make your kid pretend they don't know you on the street, JewBu philosophy, and a lottttt of nerd talk. Give Charlotte-branded Charlotte Scherer a listen now!

Anti-arena candidate Jonathan Huskey's comin' in HOTTT! Listen as this changiest change agent gives a Diane-approved pizza answer, demonstrates empathy for opponent Jesse O'Connell's hair, shows great flexibility toward root vegetables, and shows off his Labor chops!

Fan of the show, Kirk McPike, validates our existence, solidifies his sci-fi chops with a Dune deep cut, and is the first one to make clear to us that our bathroom question is...weird. FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAM!

Climate! Equity! Budget! Change! Smartypants guest Jesse O'Connell joins us with his smartypants Zoom background and gives smartypants answers we like on erudite topics such as pizza and vacation reads!

(FYI: this is where The Bathroom Question starts to go off the rails, folks. Listen as Jesse tells us "it's a great question" out of pity and concern.)

Welcome to the first full episode of Liberally Social! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hear us flex our rusty interviewing joints and Sarah Bagley patiently answer such hard-hitting questions as, "Who's your best friend?" PRESS PLAY, FELLOW NERDS!

A Special Election! In January! In School Board District A!

In this ep, we learn a) what makes Gina Baum tick, b) how to get booted from the GWMS Facebook group, and c) that she's willing to go the extra mile for good takeout! This boards and commissions vet has a ton to tell you about her campaign—so join us!

A Special Election! In January! In School Board District A!

We're talking to Tim Beaty, aka "Mr. Tim from School," about his experience subbing in ACPS, sharing some big love for Quinta Brunson and another special teacher, and getting schooled on collective bargaining for teachers by a real live Teamster—partially in Spanish!

If you’re shoppin’ for a candidate who has superior Betta fish-naming skillz, then getta load of what Bridget Shea Westfall, candidate for School Board in District B, is sellin’! We cover binge-worthy TV, what the heck is up with OpenACPS, and the weirdness of running for office as a federal employee—with our bubbles in fancy crystal because we’re klassy. Well, at least Bridget is! Join us!

Are you lookin' for a megaboost of positive energy to get your day goin'? THEN PRESS PLAY! Retiring Principal PreeAnn Johnson, School Board candidate in District B, has it in spades. And is it just us, or does her description of her childhood self sound suspiciously like Blind Melon Bumblebee Girl? Pop those AirPods in and hear PreeAnn's vision for the whole child, practical solutions to our schools' challenges, and why all this talk of Critical Race Theory is making her head implode! Your faithful hosts couldn't hold back their...uproarious...reaction! 

"That was the most succinct answer we've ever had and we don't know what to do now." Dr. Ashley Simpson Baird, candidate for School Board in District B, shocks and amazes us with her ability to articulate a full, clear thought—with an ending—in English AND Spanish! Teach us the secret to organizing our brains like this, Doc! You'll want to eavesdrop on this convo about deep, critical thinking, getting back to the basics of teaching our kids, and...Michelle Pfeiffer? Yes! Michelle Pfeiffer! By the end, maybe you'll be roaming Beverley Hills, lookin' for an ASB yard sign!

“Guess what? CHICKEN BUTT!” Come for the civic education, stay for the dad jokes and iphone app recs! Former School Board member and current School Board candidate Kelly Carmichael Booz, of District B is back, baby! Only this time with fewer babies and more big kids! Listen with us to Kelly’s thoughts on school safety, online advocacy, and die-hard support of teachers and the labor movement! This episode’s got it all!

You know the little Ruby Tucker Readers are friends of the pod—now their fearless leader makes her LibSoc debut! Are the kids really alright? How 'bout the teachers? In between laugh/snorts, the team tackles some serious issues with Jacinta Greene, incumbent candidate for School Board in District A—including going to the mat for ACPS teachers, keeping electeds accessible to parents, and acknowledging the fact that we're goooorrrgeous!

In Alexandria, our electeds READ BOOKS! Listen in as incumbent school Board member Michelle Rief (District A) shares her reading list, her own academic journey, and a great local take-out spot! We also go deep on ACPS's work toward academic achievement and meeting our kids' and families' basic needs—like keeping everyone fed and connected to the Internet during the shutdown. Y'all, this has been an intense couple of years—learn why Michelle is back for more! 

While we're over here with our noses to our phones, sippin' pumpkin spiced whatevers, former City Councilman Willie Bailey miiiight be personally hand-stitching winter coats for 7,000 kids whiiile running for School Board in District A—you'll just have to listen to find out! There's no small talk with this firefightin' philanthropist—join us for real talk on race and equity, early childhood education, and where to find the best egg rolls on Planet Earth! 

Listen up all quick-like as we speeeeeeed through our LAST INTERVIEW OF THE SEASON with mayoral candidate Allison Silberberg! She's only got 30 minutes and we've got final ballot decisions to make! Join us for quickie convos on tree canopy, climate (of course!), whether or not co-location of housing on school grounds is really even A Thing, missing Atlantis Restaurant, and what the heck Republican yard sign placements mean! Check the show notes for details!

* Fact check updates will be asterisked!

We've gone MAYORAL! We're on the hunt for Mayor Justin Wilson's gooey center—and we found it! Y'all this is a long one, but STUFFED with good intel, like Justin's lightweight drink preferences, his work on racial/economic/environmental justice through policy (like free DASH starting in September!), a lot of absolute, giddy excitement about solid waste, why we've gotta be "courageous" enough to tackle affordable housing, and everything you want to know about comin' out of The Covidtimes! Join us—and a mouse interloper—you'll be smarter for it, we promise!

And Amy Jackson completes the set! In our 13th of 13 City Council candidate episodes, we drink margaritas and address burning questions like—What's your favorite chapter of the ALX Environmental Action Plan? Who doesn't know the Dallas theme song (there is singing)?...and are moms allowed to read for pleasure? Listen to this last episode and consider your Council candidate research COMPLETE! Details in show notes!

In this episode, the gang peer pressures candidate Mark Shiffer into pretending to love Scarlett Johansson, further proving that torture yields unreliable intel! The Louisiana native schools us on "real" hurricanes (the drink, not the storm)—and we try to talk about development and affordable housing, but can't leave him alone about Taco Bell Cantina. Listen in! More details in the show notes!

In this episode, techie candidate for City Council Meronne Teklu tries to prove to Anh that she is not, in fact, AI. Listen in to find out if she succeeds, why she should never be on Jeopardy, where to get the best Ethiopian food in town, and what posters Rashmi would never let pre-teen Sandy and Marta hang on their bedroom walls! Check the show notes for more!

Speak Geek with our guest, Kirk McPike! Did you relish Wesley Crusher in his ensign uniform? Ever watched a 16 hour School Board meeting online? Do you BELIEVE like Ted Lasso? Are you appropriately excited for Accessory Dwelling Units? Do you buy Sandy's theory that the hat shop in Del Ray is a CIA drop site? Then this episode is for you! Join us! Check the show notes for more!

In this Earth Day recording with Alyia Gaskins, we accidentally stumble onto a theme: motttthhheeerrrs. Mother Earth, Alyia's hero mom, mother-ing—just in time for Mother's Day week! We answer questions about how we Alexandrians can take care of each other, what can we do to reduce carbon emissions in our city, and whether or not it's reasonable to forgo flossing when you have an infant. Plus, Alyia graciously endures/participates in a several minute-long side conversation about Wooboi Chicken. We'd edit it out, but you get it. Check show notes for all of the details!

We try hard—and fail—to be cool and not to go all fangirl on incumbent City Council candidate Canek Aguirre. In our defense, YOU spend an hour with him talking pragmatically about affordable housing, our true taco deficit, and the work of social and racial justice—all from under his covid-grown lion's mane—and see if YOU can resist! Check the show notes for details from tonight's episode!

History buff Bill Rossello (and his Siamese cat, Mookie) joins us for drinks to discuss electric vehicles, past political contributions, affection for The Al Pacino, and Talenti sea salt caramel gelato! We give him a run for his money on where to build schools and get some intel on this Seminary Road/Bring Integrity Back private Facebook group. Oh—and we share our first big fact check! Join us! Details in the show notes—

In this late-night interview, we make incumbent John Chapman answer inappropriate questions in front of his mom, gently shame him for his public pandemic "farming" fail, get serious about how to both live up to our values on affordable housing and develop wisely, and talk best friendsies with a 6 year old named Max. Check the show notes for details!

Guess who's comin' to brunch! We talk tacos, *a lot* of pop culture—and plenty of serious policy—over mimosas with traffic and parking nerd James Lewis! His food recs will have you hollerin' "BINGO!" Check the show notes for details mentioned in this episode!

Rashmi's neck is sore from nodding in agreement, as first-time candidate Kevin Harris charms us first—and then takes us to church on moral budgeting, building power in minority communities, and obviously basketball! Check show notes for details from the episode!