ARLINGTON, VA — While most of the attention this political season has been on the presidential race, Arlington residents will also be casting ballots on Nov. 5 for candidates running in the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives (8th District), county board and school board races.
Juan Carlos Fierro, a financial advisor with 26 years of experience, is on the Nov. 5 ballot in the race to fill the vacant seat on the Arlington County Board. He’s running against Audrey Clement, Madison F. Granger and Julius D. “JD” Spain Sr.
As part of its coverage of the 2024 election, Patch has asked each of the candidates in the Arlington County Board race to fill out a questionnaire to describe why they think they’re the best person to fill the job they’re running for.
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Your Name
Juan Carlos Fierro
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Position sought:
Board Member at the Arlington County Board
Have you been endorsed by a recognized political party? If so, which one?
The Republican Party
Age (as of Election Day)
57
Campaign Website
votefierro.com
Names, ages and any pertinent details you wish to share about your family.
Inmaculada wife for 19 years. Carolina (18), Isabel Teresa (17), Rebecca (15)
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you’re a candidate in.
None
Education
BA in Government and Politics
Occupation – Please include years of experience.
Financial Advisor – 26 years of experience
Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Political Office
None
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Why are you seeking elective office?
Residents of Arlington deserve to have a County Board which has diversity of opinion so that decisions are thoroughly discussed. Given the monochrome nature of our County Board (all are Democrats), this diversity of thought is not present. Has the lone Hispanic in the race I can bring different perspectives to the Board that will better address the needs of minorities in Arlington.
The single most pressing issue facing voters is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
The single most pressing issue facing voters is the de-facto elimination of single family zoning through the implementation of the EHO/Missing Middle program, and this is what I intend to do about it.
Enacting densification policies like EHO/missing middle without adequate impact analysis not only increases the value of the land, thereby undercutting affordable housing for everyone especially for Hispanics and other minorities, but also has negative impacts of Arlington’s livability by reducing the tree canopy, increase traffic congestion, plus putting pressure on existing physical and transportation infrastructure.
The implementation of the EHO/Missing middle initiative also exposed flaws in the existing public engagement process in Arlington where the County Board and staff do not adequately listen to its residents. I proposed to revamp the public engagement process so that decisions are based more on grass-roots sentiments instead of those that may be proposed by staff
What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
As the lone Hispanic candidate, with a background in financial planning, I will bring another perspective to the Board. For years, consideration of staff drafted policies by the Board was done with little analysis of the how development policies impact minority communities, as exemplified by the EHO/Missing Middle debacle. Just as I provide financial guidance to my clients, I can enrich the discussion on proposed development policies by encouraging discussion on the impact of these policies on minorities and other communities in Arlington. Such discussions on the impact of development policies will lead to better policy formulation and
implementation.
If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?
The existing Board is presently too closely tied to the Democratic Party with little diversity of thought. This lack of diversity of thought has exposed weaknesses in public engagement processes and inadequate review and discussion of whether to raise or not raise tax rates. This has also led to an acceptance of tax increases without thorough discussion and analysis.
Examples of inadequate analysis is not tying in the November accounting “close out” process which concerns what to do with budget surpluses more than $20 million, with the regular budget process which begins in February. Too often in past years these funds were appropriated to special programs when they could have been used as a down payment for the following years budget. If the funds had been designated as a down payment, steep property tax increases could have been avoided.
The County Board could save taxpayers monies if they could direct the County Manager in their Budget Guidance letter to induce a culture of budget frugality towards keeping costs under control. This is presently lacking, resulting in a budget that tends to underestimate revenues and overestimate expenditures resulting in $20 million plus surpluses that are then appropriated in the “close out” process.
Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.
My main concerns is how existing development policies are undermining affordable housing for all and the lack of adequate discussion concerning tax rates. I am also concerned about the recent spike in crime, the need for more public safety, and mental health services. One of the Board’s greatest challenges is providing proper funding resources to address crime, public safety, and the provision of mental health services in our community. The fiscal reality is that a good part of the County’s financial resources is transferred over to the Arlington Public Schools and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WAMATA) where there is little accountability to the County Board. The amounts of monies transferred to these two entities is so large that it is almost impossible to fund other much needed services. The agreements with the Arlington Public Schools and WAMATA need to be reviewed to ensure that funding is appropriate to what Arlington needs without jeopardizing resources that are needed to fight crime, improve public safety, and provided for mental health services as we enter a post COVID environment.
While the County Board has an obligation to adequately fund APS, one needs to recognize that APS has above average financial resources as compared to other School Districts in the state of Virginia. Arlington is currently blessed with a very high expenditure rate per student – $27,426 (FY 2024 Washington Boards of Education (WABE) Guide, p.6., more than twice the average for the state of Virginia — $12,638 Per Pupil Spending by State (worldpopulationreview.com).
What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I’m known to be a good listener and have a “can do” attitude to get things done.
The best advice ever shared with me was:
I live by the motto that “you are who you are.” This has helped me understand the importance of transparency in my interactions with others and to speak up when you need to be heard.
What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I am a doer. Just as I am a good listener to my client’s needs, I will be a good listener to then concerns of Arlingtonians.
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