Voters Stay the Course, Choose Familiar Faces

Voters made their voice heard in the crowded campaign field for Democrats appearing on the November ballot for City Council.

Tim Lovain claimed the most votes in the Democratic Primary for Alexandria City Council.

"I love my neighborhood and now I really love my neighborhood," he said. He took 14.3 percent of the vote at George Mason School and 14.4 percent at Blessed Sacrament, both in his neighborhood.

He will be joined by Justin Wilson, Del Pepper, Allison Silberberg, Paul Smedberg and John Chapman on the party’s slate in the November election.

Lovain, who served on council from 2006 to 2009, claimed 9.07 percent of the vote in the unofficial results. Wilson, also a former councilman, took 8.74 percent. He was followed by Silberberg (8.70 percent), Pepper (8.53 percent), Smedberg (8.34 percent) and Chapman (7.82 percent).

Mayor Bill Euille spoke to the Democratic Unity Party at Cafe Pizzaiolo in Cameron Station, saying: "We have to bring everyone together to show our unity. ... This ticket represents the best that we can put together."

Pepper agreed, saying: "This is a team we can all support."

Chapman called Euille his "buddy and mentor," adding that the campaign trail made a wonderful experience "getting to know so many more Alexandrians and getting to know my hometown better."

Chapman had a rocky end in the last days leading up to the primary when his treasurer, who exited his campaign team on Saturday, orchestrated an attack mailing on a fellow Democratic Council candidate.

He told Patch on Tuesday night: "For me, it was never about attacking people, never about talking about people's failures, it was about the issues that matter to Alexandrians, things like improving our education system, maintaining affordable housing and making sure we have a high standard of living."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story inaccurately quoted John Chapman.