Liberally Social

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! Tim's website is here Throw him a donation here (via A...

Y'all! It's our last episode in District B—and, man, it's entertaining! (At least weeee were entertained!) In this ep, School Board candidate Tammy Ignacio surprises us with answers that have us laughin' out loud and wishin' we'd had a few less sips before we started! She covers her decades in ACPS and what she gets from overzealous private Facebook groups that hate bike lanes—and we discover that...

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! Bridge...

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 schoo...

"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, get...

“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...

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 acknowledg...

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 a...

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 educat...

Who's got a one-letter name, is fully fluent in Outlander, and is running for School Board in District A? It's D Ohlandt, one of the 4 Democrats running to fill 3 seats on Alexandria's School Board! Join us as we cover eeeeverything from equity in categories of difference to RV camping—and see if D is for Darngoodcandidate! DOhlandtForAlexandriaSchools.com Donate to D Are you sure you're in Distri...

OH FRAK! Now that you're an expert on the Mayoral and City Council races, all of your friends are texting you about who to vote for for School Board! Don't worry—we've got you! In this Very Special Episode, your favorite Social Butterflies learn from special guests Jay Falk and Ewan Thompson, former student representatives to the Alexandria School Board. We'll explain the wacko ballot, which distr...

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...

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 tac...

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! Detai...

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! Rev...

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! Kamala visited Fibre Space! Tonight...

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! Kirk's Parks &...

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, Aly...

A Chihuahua named Michael Jackson is candidate Bill Campbell's +1 to our brunchtime shenanigans and equity-positive policy conversation! Listen in to find out which *other* candidate Bill definitely wants you to vote for, too—and hear the first? only? cuss word to make it into your earbuds! (Don't worry, y'all, it's a family program!) Check the show notes for more details from the episode! The Que...

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! Lafaytte...

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! De...

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! Tonight we're drinking: Lost Boy Cider's Sweet C...

In this episode, we get serious about domestic violence, consider eating cicadas to save the world, and Patrick challenges local journalist and debate moderator Michael Lee Pope to a duel! Will we even be able to hear Patrick through all the amazing plants in his office? Only one way to find out! Check the show notes for more details! - Tonight we're drinking: The Ridin' with Biden, from Neighborh...

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! Sound of Music -  ACPS Superintendent + his sweet bowtie -  Rege-Jean isn't in Season 2! -  Tiger King + The 100 -  The...

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!  Tonight we're drinking: The Ridin' with Biden from Neighborhood Provisions -  Myron Mixon's BBQ on Lee Street -&nbsp...