Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County is endorsing Democrat Matt de Ferranti in Arlington County’s November 3, 2026 general election for Arlington County Board. We appreciate the responses to our questionnaire that we received from all three candidates. Matt's responses are thoughtful, well-informed, and he is not afraid to support sustainable mobility even when it takes work and even in the face of opposition.  We greatly appreciate his dogged pushing on staff to make real progress on Carlin Springs Road and his strong support of new and updated trails.

We require candidates to fill out our questionnaire to be considered for an endorsement. Following their submissions, our Board of Directors examines the candidates’ questionnaire answers, public statements, and actions, and makes an endorsement decision that they believe will advance Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County’s policy goals. Read on for details.

Why Matt de Ferranti?
We appreciate that Matt did a good job answering both parts of our first question - not just how do you get around Arlington, but "what needs to change in Arlington to make you more likely to stake sustainable transportation modes".  Matt speaks of ghost buses affecting his transit trips, of improved MetroRail reliability, about protected bike lanes, and also the need for more transit frequency.

In his second answer, about the new draft transportation plan, it is evident that he is well familiar with the draft (as any candidate should be!), and will largely stick to setting policy direction and allowing our professional staff to carry it out, but not be afraid to push for improvements in places where staff seem loath to do what is needed to improve safety.

Finally, his answer to our trails & trees question is the strongest of the bunch, reflecting an understanding of the complexities of the topic and how building new infrastructure that allows people to get around without cars, get more exercise, and connect with nature can be a huge net positive for sustainability, even when it may have some tree or stormwater impacts.

Where David Sisson Fell Short
We had high hopes for David Sisson given his strong credentials on housing and land use, his experiences living car-free, and his prior work at WMATA.

His first answer starts off strong, noting all of the various ways he gets around Arlington and noting he was a top 2% ride of Metro in 2025 and mentions how there's not a lot more needed to convince him to take sustainable modes, he already does almost exclusively, but noting the need for more transit frequency on Langston Boulevard.

Unfortunately the next two answers start to shows some issues - his transportation plan answer speaks to supporting "the prioritization of walkability and multimodal transportation options" but never reference the actual draft plan in anyway, leading us to think he may be entirely unfamiliar with the 2 year process and draft plan that is expected to be adopted within the next two months.  That said, given the expected financial constraints of the next few years of County government, his willingness to speak to the sort of transportation project he would axe, if needed, is a breathe of fresh air, and we agree with his thinking there 100% that when something must be delayed or deferred, it is the Metro 2nd entrances that should be first in line.

His final answer is very frustrating.  He supports maintaining and upgrade the existing trail network, but places tree canopy goals firmly on top of trail expansion.  It would be great to ask him a follow-up question - if it is too high a price to cut down any trees for trail expansion, should we also remove our existing trails to make space for tree planting?  Or were the existing trails worth the price but new ones can't possibly be?

The Trouble with Clement
First off - Clement lives car-free.  Great to see.

On the transportation plan, it's great that she's familiar with it and supports it, but the remainder of her answer is a diatribe against e-bikes and e-scooters.  These devices are making it possible for huge new swaths of the population to get around sustainably.  They are a new technology that will require monitoring, and potentially new norms and new regulations, but none of that balance comes through in Audrey's answer - she seems hell-bent on banning them from Arlington trails. She also falsely claims that Arlington's Vision Zero program doesn't track crashes on trails (they do), and cites "Google AI" with a link to an article that does not state her quote in any way, shape, or form.

Her final answer on trails and trees, reiterates her opposition to the much-needed W&OD Dual Trails project because the Four Mile Run Trail parallels the W&OD for some (but not all) of its length, completely ignoring the many issues with the Four Mile Run Trail that cause users to actively avoid it, including water crossings, steep grades, and various missing pieces of trail.

Her characterization of the desires of many of her fellow Arlington resident's wishes as "the bike lobby" for speaking up on something they want to see in their hometown is rude and dismissive.

In Conclusion
In this County Board Election, we believe the best action you can take is to rank Matt de Ferranti #1 for County Board. Matt talks the talk, walks the walk, and knows his stuff. He is passionate, engaged, thoughtful and knowledgeable on the issues. You may also wish to rank David Sisson #2.

Most importantly, make a plan to vote! You can vote early, in-person, or at your normal voting precinct on November 3rd between 6am and 7pm.