Kirk McPike

Democrat Kirk McPike is running for Alexandria City Council to bring residents, community leaders, and elected officials together to build an even brighter future for our city.

Kirk and his husband, Cantor Jason Kaufman, live in the Seminary Hill neighborhood of Alexandria’s West End with their adorable beagle, Punky.

Kirk came to Alexandria more than 10 years ago to run Adam Ebbin’s campaign for the Virginia State Senate. In Alexandria, Kirk found more than a beautiful, historic city where people shared his progressive values — he found a home. Shortly after arriving, he knew that Alexandria was where he wanted to live for decades to come.

He is the former chair of the Alexandria Economic Opportunities Commission, which works with the city to support services for lower income Alexandrians. In 2017, Kirk was appointed to Alexandria’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee. On BFAAC, Kirk has worked with representatives of communities from across Alexandria, with business leaders and policy experts, and with city staff to advise the City Council on budgetary issues.

Kirk is a member of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, which he first joined in 2011. As an active Alexandria Democrat, Kirk has volunteered on local campaigns and knocked doors across Northern Virginia for candidates including Ralph Northam and Hillary Clinton. He is a graduate of the Sorensen Institute Political Leaders Program at the University of Virginia.

Kirk is the Chief of Staff to Congressman Mark Takano, the Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and a leading progressive voice in the Congress. As chief of staff, Kirk advises the Congressman on issues ranging from LGBTQ rights to foreign affairs. He has worked with stakeholders from across the nation to advance progressive legislation. Kirk also spent several years running campaigns for progressive Democratic candidates in Virginia, Texas and California.

Kirk is running for City Council to bring the skills and knowledge he has acquired over his career to help our city recover from the economic impact of the pandemic and thrive in the future.

As a member of Council, Kirk will make Alexandria an even better place to live, work and raise a family. He will fight for our local schools, to ensure that they have the funding they need to succeed and to make school construction a priority in land use decisions. He will work to help local businesses as they recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to bring new businesses to Alexandria.

Alexandria is dealing with long-term challenges that Kirk will address with problem solving skills honed in his work in the city and on Capitol Hill — challenges that include housing affordability, overwhelmed stormwater systems, and maintaining our natural environment and open spaces. Kirk understands that if we want to keep our city a great and beautiful place to live we have to make tough decisions that balance competing and important priorities.

Kirk believes that transparency and openness are essential to building trust, and that without trust, government can’t work. As a member of the City Council, Kirk will work to improve communications between the city and residents, to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard on the issues that matter to them.