Alexandria Elects First Black Mayor; Euille Holds Early Lead on Platform of Limited Taxes, Growth

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Byline: Patrick Badgley, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Democrat William Euille had a decisive lead last night as Alexandria seemed poised to elect its first black mayor in the city's 253-year history.

With 27 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Euille had 10,427 votes (52 percent) to 8,232 (41 percent) for Republican William Cleveland. Both men are members of the City Council.

"I'm excited. There's a lot of enthusiasm about what this election means to the city," said Mr. Euille, a native of Alexandria. "This is an historical moment for us."

The majority-Democrat, former slave-trading port city has 130,000 residents and 83,896 registered voters.

The …