Democrat Jimmy Bierman is the first candidate in the race to succeed retiring Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust (D) and he’s raring to go with a host of ideas.
Bierman wants to make downtown McLean more inviting and fun, ensure more trees get planted in the community, build transit-oriented development where possible and encourage creation of a women’s health clinic.
“I want to fight for a Fairfax County that’s open and welcoming to everybody,” he said. “I think that’s how we create a great community and how we create a county where there’s prosperity for all.”
The candidate also desires to build the community’s knowledge-based workforce, invest in infrastructure, create more “green” jobs, increase the amount of affordable housing, promote police transparency, end gun violence, obtain higher pay for teachers and support staff, and reduce class sizes.
Instead of looking at the federal government to make positive changes, Bierman thought it would be better to get involved in community affairs.
“This is the community I care about,” he added. “These are my neighbors, these are the people that I want to help. And I want to have a local government that can be trusted and can help people when they need it.”
A McLean native, Bierman attended Spring Hill and Churchill Road elementary schools, then went to Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., from seventh grade through high school. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Williams College and a law degree from Stanford Law School.
Bierman played football and wrestled during college and is a big fan of the Washington Nationals,
He previously worked on healthcare-reform advocacy at Families USA, clerked in Atlanta for Judge Beverly Martin in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, was a private litigator and until running for office was an attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He now does part-time work at a small law firm.
Bierman formerly served on the Fairfax County Police Civilian Review Panel and chaired it from March 2021 to February 2022.
“I learned a lot about how difficult it is to be a police officer and how difficult it is and can be to be a member of the public who is interacting with a police officer under negative circumstances,” he said. “I think I learned a lot about how much we ask our police officers to do and how we make their jobs extremely complicated.”
Sometimes police aren’t in a position to help people who have been through traumatic events, Bierman said. The key thing is that the public views the process as fair and their concerns have been listened to, he said.
Herndon Town Council member Pradip Dhakal said Bierman is a good candidate who will continue the progress made by Supervisor Foust.
“He has energy, is young, involved and engaged,” Dhakal said. “He deeply cares about the people, residents, local issues. He’s a family man serving other families within the jurisdiction.”
Hollye Doane, former chair of the Police Civilian Review Panel, also supports Bierman’s candidacy.
“Jimmy is one of the most intelligent people I’ve worked with,” she said. “He’s a hard worker and he wants to serve the community. He really has the heart of a server. I’m glad he’s doing this.”
Bierman has “tremendous integrity,” is a good listener and wants to meet people and understand their needs, Doane said. He also did an even-handed job when crafting a four-year review of the Police Civilian Review Panel’s work, she added.
“Jimmy never came at it from one point of view,” she said. “He always looked at the facts and came to conclusion based on that. That’s what a lawyer is supposed to do.”
Former McLean Community Center Governing Board member Suzanne Le Menestrel said Bierman is engaging and personable and brings valuable perspectives on everything from education to environmental sustainability.
“He is a very bright and energetic person and I think he would make an excellent supervisor,” Le Menestrel said. “He’s a very diplomatic person. He’s a Democrat but I believe can work across both sides of the aisle. He listens, he treats people equitably and he has innovative ideas.”
No other candidates have entered the fray yet. If Bierman faces a challenge from within his party, the nominee would be decided in a June primary.
The Nov. 7 ballot will be crowded, as all 10 Board of Supervisors and 12 School Board seats will be up for grabs, as well as each of the 100 House of Delegates seats and 40 state Senate positions.