Challenger to candidate Rob Savidge (D) for seat being vacated by retiring incumbent Ian Pfeiffer (D)

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Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Alexus Viegas has been a resident of Annapolis since January 2011. She has been married for nine years to her active-duty Navy husband and has a five-year-old daughter. She has worked as a paralegal for nine years and recently earned a master’s degree in public administration and policy from American University.

 

Viegas describes herself as a professional volunteer, serving as vice president of community development for the Jaycees, as an executive board member for D30 Democratic Club, and as an appointed commissioner and current legislative chair for the Anne Arundel County Commission for Women. She says that in her community work she has learned to be a strong and effective leader and to advocate, build coalitions, and create strong partnerships to accomplish greater objectives to the betterment of the community.

 

Her young family has put roots down in Annapolis. “I love the city but know that we can do better to make it a city that works for everyone,” Viegas said. “People in Annapolis have different realities and needs. We have to make sure we focus on ensuring that the city continues to be a desirable place to visit and a safe place to live through a supportive City Council that works to create affordable housing options, promotes environmentally conscious policies, and prioritizes an improved quality of life for all Annapolitans.” She believes that achieving this will require a multifaceted approach that includes polices and programs that connect people to jobs and affordable child care, make recreation accessible, and incentivize developers to build more affordable housing units, among other needs.  

 

Viegas believes that the environment is a critical issue for the city and that the City Council needs to develop a plan for funding our environmental priorities. She feels strongly that more public outreach must be done to engage citizens and get them invested in the very real challenges of flooding and sea level rise caused by climate change. She says that educating and engaging the public on such issues as public safety, impact on home values, and cost of insurance will help make the idea of climate change real for residents. She believes that transparency in the permitting process and strong partnerships with our environmental organizations will help us effectively reach this goal. But she makes it a point to explain that the issues in the city are not mutually exclusive, and we shouldn’t treat them as such. She believes that only when we work to approach our issues holistically will we be able to achieve our vision for an Annapolis that works for everyone. She is running for alderman because she is ready to lead the city into a new era and has a vision for a city that is open, responsive, and transparent.