J.J. Fenceroy

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J.J. Fenceroy

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

United States Air Force Academy, 1993

Graduate

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 2006

Graduate

Joint Military Intelligence College

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1993 - 2013

Personal

Birthplace

Sioux City, IA

Profession

Small business owner

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign X

J.J. Fenceroy ran for election to the Arlington City Council to represent District 1 in Texas. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Fenceroy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

J.J. Fenceroy was born in Sioux City, Iowa. He served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1993 to 2013. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the United States Air Force Academy in 1993, a master's degree in strategic intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College in 2006, and an MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2015. Fenceroy’s career experience includes working as an Air Force officer, small business owner, and community leader.

Elections

2020

See also: City elections in Arlington, Texas (2020)

General election

General election for Arlington City Council District 1

Incumbent Helen Moise defeated J.J. Fenceroy in the general election for Arlington City Council District 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Helen Moise (Nonpartisan)	67.0	14,765
		J.J. Fenceroy (Nonpartisan)	33.0	7,260

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,025
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

J.J. Fenceroy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Fenceroy's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

J.J. Fenceroy is a retired Air Force Officer, Small Businessman and Community Leader. With an undergraduate in Political Science from the United States Air Force Academy, J.J. also has a graduate degree in Strategic Intelligence, and another graduate degree in Business Administration with a specialization in finance.

During his 20-year active duty Air Force career J.J. served as a pilot, a leader, and a diplomat assigned to multiple US embassies overseas. Over the past 16 years he has also built a successful and growing residential real estate business.

In the Arlington community J.J. is a member of the local VFW, the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce where he sits on the Public Policy Advisory Council and the Veterans Business Council; and he is co-founder and President of the Arlington-based START Movement, a non-profit organization advocating for the preservation of property rights.

J.J. has the leadership to effectively represent Arlington District 1, and he is committed to representing all of our residents by listening to their concerns, and putting in the hard work to do what he does best - solving problems. J.J. wants to ensure that your needs and concerns do not go ignored, but remain at the forefront of every decision the Council makes. Because your voice matters too!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Champion Fiscal Responsibility - by fighting for lower taxes and focusing our budget priorities
• Support Our Small Businesses - by promoting a business friendly environment and eliminating red tape
• Serve and Protect Our Residents - by appropriately funding our emergency services, listening to our residents' concerns, and advocating on their behalf

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Over the course of my military career I repeatedly took the oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States; and for me that commitment was not something I left behind when I retired. I still believe strongly in the personal freedoms guaranteed by the US and Texas constitutions and am committed to supporting and defending them whenever and however those rights are fundamentally threatened.

As a small-business owner, I know the many challenges of running and growing a business, and I understand how city policy affects our local businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of our city. They hire locally, serve our residents, and provide a lot of the revenue that keeps our city running. We can do a lot to help our small businesses thrive by simply getting out of their way whenever possible; and letting their ingenuity, creativity, and imagination drive innovation and growth.

Finally, our most fundamental right to shape our future is embodied in our right to vote and to hold elected office. I believe we should do everything we can to promote free, fair and accessible elections by eliminating gerrymandering, facilitating and promoting voter registration and turnout, and reducing barriers that preclude more of our dedicated residents from being able to run for office and serve our communities.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

While state and federal elections get all the money and press coverage, officials elected in municipal elections have a role in a tremendous number of areas that directly affect residents' everyday lives, such as garbage and recycling collection, sales and property tax rates, traffic and parking rules, and a host of other areas.

Because city government plays such a direct and intimate role in the lives of residents, it is crucial to have representatives willing to listen to diverse points of view from all residents, ready to work hard to build consensus on tough issues to get things done, and willing to push back against special interests to do the right thing. It is equally important that the people feel empowered to hold their locally elected officials accountable when those officials fail to uphold those standards.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I remember in 1995 hearing the announcement of the US Air Force rolling out its revised official core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do. For many the initial reaction was somewhat dismissive, thinking of it more as a media branding campaign than anything else. But as time went on and I thought more about those words I began to see them not only as the values of my service, but as a standard for how I wanted to live my life. I thought if I did my best to live up to those values everyday I should never have reason to be disappointed in whatever I do in life.

Even after I retired from the Air Force I've continued on a path of public service, and those words continue to ring in the back of my head to hold me accountable. Now as I run for elected office, accountable to the people I would represent, I feel those words apply as much as ever. I can think of no better principles for an elected official to hold him/herself to than Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Extensive leadership experience, a great breadth and depth of real-world service, empathy, perseverance, problem solving, planning, and the ability to get things done.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was perhaps 10 the first time I remember getting paid for a job. Several other kids and I were recruited by a local farmer to pull rocks out of his small field of alfalfa and throw them into a scoop on the back of his tractor. After several passes I was convinced he must have actually been growing rocks rather than alfalfa.

During the summers, from age 14 to 16, I jumped on school buses at the crack of dawn with other kids my age to walk miles of corn rows pulling tassels out of the top of the corn stalks. This was the first time I ever received a check as payment.

But at age 16 I got my first "real" job working as a cook at Hardees fast food restaurant. During summers I'd work long shifts to take advantage of overtime, but during the school year I would usually rush to work after an already long day of morning jazz band practice, a full day of classes, and then afternoon track or soccer practice. Once at the restaurant I'd flip burgers and cook fries for a few hours before closing down the store for the night, getting some sleep, and starting the process all over again the next day.

I eventually left the burger gig when I found I could make 35 cents more/hour working as a bagger and cashier at the local grocery store! I continued at the grocery store until I graduated from high school and headed off to college.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I constantly have songs stuck in my head, and actually started blogging about them on Tumblr under a series I call Earworm of the Day (EOTD). Most recently I had the song "Rain" by a Dallas group called Jack O'Pierce stuck in my head. This song was introduced to me by a buddy I played guitar and sang with at open mic nights and other local venues back when we were stationed together in Spokane, WA.

A few years ago I was at a New Years Eve event in Dallas where Jack O'Neil and Cary Pierce, the duo that make up Jack O'Pierce, were playing. After playing several of their songs for years it was a thrill to finally meet these two genuinely nice guys in person. Their style is pretty much folky acoustic tunes with driving rhythms and great harmonies.

I recently caught up with my old Air Force buddy for the first time in over 10 years, and after some dinner we slung on a couple of guitars and started hammering out some songs from our old set list, including "Rain", which was one of our go-to songs back when we played together. Since that night I've had that tune stuck in my head quite a bit.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Experience in politics is certainly beneficial in understanding how to get elected, but is not necessarily a good predictor of how an individual will perform in office. As for performance in office, having worked in government or in a large, complex organization can be helpful by shrinking the learning curve required to get up to speed, but even then there is no assurance an individual will serve well. To be successful in this position the most useful characteristics are being dedicated to the idea you are working in service to others, the ability to learn and process a substantial and diverse amount of information quickly, and the judgment to use that information effectively in support of your constituents' needs.

As for my credentials, I have worked with the Department of Defense, Department of State, foreign military services, foreign governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), city governments, tribal leaders, and a number of large military organizations. I understand how large organizations function (and how they don't function), and I understand how to leverage the various components to achieve targeted goals.

I am very clear-eyed about the fact I am running to serve the residents of Arlington; and my ability to learn and process information and use good judgment has been tested and proven repeatedly, such as during aircraft emergencies at 39,000 feet above the Pacific, while serving as Director of Air Operations for the tsunami and nuclear disaster relief efforts in Japan in 2011, in the running of my business for the past 16 years, and in establishing and and effectively running our non-profit advocacy organization.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

• Leadership

• Understanding
• Listening skills
• Persistence
• Problem solving

• Getting things done!

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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