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ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Frank Fannon, a self-described fourth-generation Alexandrian, Living Legend of Alexandria, and former city council member who ran as an independent in this spring's special election, has joined the board of directors of the Coalition for a Livable Alexandria, the organization announced Wednesday.
The appointment is a natural fit. Fannon ran his April campaign in part on opposition to Alexandria's 2023 Zoning for Housing initiative, which allowed construction of up to four housing units on properties previously restricted to single-family homes — the same policy the CLA has spent more than two years challenging in court.
The CLA says on its website that it is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization founded in 2023 by residents who said the city needed an independent voice focused on quality of life, government transparency, and ensuring residents had equal standing in policy decisions. The group filed suit against the city in January 2024. The coalition was dismissed from the case in August 2024 after a judge ruled it lacked standing, though individual plaintiffs were allowed to proceed. A circuit court judge ruled in the city's favor in November 2025, and the plaintiffs filed an appeal with the Virginia Court of Appeals in December. Briefs and responses have been filed; a hearing date is pending. The coalition has been fundraising throughout to cover legal costs it has said total more than $252,000.
The Alexandria lawsuit is one of several statewide legal challenges to local upzoning policies. The Virginia Supreme Court recently agreed to review a Court of Appeals decision in Arlington's Missing Middle Housing litigation, a potential victory for Arlington homeowners who had prevailed at trial in 2024 before seeing that ruling reversed on appeal. Similar lawsuits in Charlottesville and Roanoke are also pending or in settlement talks.
Fannon joins a board that has expanded in recent months. Eve Anderson, president of the Taylor Run Citizens Association and a director of the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations, and Owen Curtis, a retired transportation planning consultant who helped establish the DASH Bus System and chaired the city's Transportation Planning Board, were also recently added. The board is chaired by Roy Byrd and includes directors John Fehrenbach and David Rainey, one of the individual plaintiffs in the ZFH lawsuit.
Fannon finished second in the April 21 special election with 13,702 votes, or 29.41 percent, behind Democratic nominee Sandy Marks, who won the seat with 53.37 percent. Independent Alison Virginia O'Connell received 15.02 percent. He ran on a platform opposing unmanaged growth, preserving single-family neighborhoods, opposing tax increases, supporting a ward-based voting system, and separating local politics from national debates — and raised the most money of the three candidates.
Fannon had served on the council as a Republican from 2009 to 2012 but did not win reelection. He is the third member of the Fannon family to serve on the council; his family's connection to Alexandria city government spans three generations.
Beyond politics, Fannon has remained active in civic life. He currently serves as president of the Alexandria Aces, the city's collegiate summer baseball team, and is an active member of the Rotary Club of Alexandria, the Alexandria Library Board, and the United Way Board of the National Capital Region. For nearly two decades he has organized Alexandrians Have Heart, an annual food and clothing drive benefiting ALIVE! Food Bank, Christ House, and Carpenter's Shelter.
Following his April loss, Fannon told supporters: "those who didn't [vote for me], we are still all Alexandrians and want the best for our city." His new role with the CLA suggests he intends to remain a presence in city affairs outside elected office.
