Meet Canek

Canek Aguirre was first elected to the Alexandria City Council in November 2018 and re-elected to a second term in 2021. He is the first Latino to ever serve on the Alexandria City Council. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Canek is a community advocate and progressive leader focused on improving the lives of all Alexandrians. As the son of Mexican immigrants, Canek knows first-hand the importance of hard work, education, and ensuring everyone has a fair shot at the American Dream.

During his time in public office, Canek has focused on increasing housing opportunities, investing in our public schools and transportation infrastructure, eliminating health inequities, and making government more accessible and accountable. Canek successfully led the City’s 2020 Census Complete Count Committee to achieve a 100% count of all Alexandria households - the only locality in the region to do so - and secured millions of dollars in federal funding for the next decade.

Canek is a past Chair of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and is an alternate on both the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Board of Directors. He also serves on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), the Leadership Council for the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP), and is a member of the Alexandria Library Board and the Alexandria Commission on Aging. In 2016, Canek was appointed to the Virginia Board of Social Work, re-appointed for a second term in 2020, and unanimously elected Chair in 2022 and 2023.

A member of numerous boards and commissions in the region prior to his election, Canek has made it a priority to give back to his adopted community. He is a past Chair of the City of Alexandria’s Economic Opportunities Commission, past President of the Tenants and Workers United (TWU) Board of Directors, and past Vice Chair of the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia (HSANV) Board of Directors.

Canek has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential people for the Hispanic community in the Washington, D.C., metro area by El Tiempo Latino and as one of Alexandria’s 40 under 40 honorees.

Canek lives in the West End and is an active member of the Alexandria Democratic Committee. He is a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.