BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Jay Fisette ’78 joins Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame member Scott Schulte in rare company as the duo were the inaugural Bucknell University men’s water polo athletes to claim All-Conference honors.
The duo – which garnered First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference accolades in 1977 – are among the founding fathers of Bison water polo. Fisette and Schulte, who joined Rick Renner in notching All-Eastern Championship First Team honors in 1977 for powering their alma mater to a defeat of the University of Pittsburgh for the league title, wrote their names into the league and institution record books for the CWPA and Bucknell, respectively.
A 1978 graduate of Bucknell with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Fisette moved to Arlington where he began work as an auditor for the General Accounting Office. He then attended the University of Pittsburgh where he received his Master of Arts degree in Public and International Affairs in 1983. From 1988-1989, he worked as a staff consultant for the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. From 1990 to 1998, Fisette served as the director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic of Northern Virginia, a non-profit community health center that specialized in HIV/AIDS care.
In 1993, Fisette ran for a seat on Arlington County’s Board after Democratic board member William T. Newman Jr. resigned to become a circuit court judge. In March of that year he defeated three other candidates in the Democratic primary. The following month Fisette lost to Benjamin Winslow, an independent candidate endorsed by Republicans, in the special election by 206 votes. Four years later in 1997 Fisette decided to run again after County Board chair Ellen M. Bozman chose not run for reelection. He ran as a “social progressive and fiscal conservative” who would “hold down taxes, attract new jobs and protect the suburb’s diverse neighborhoods.” He ultimately won the election that November, becoming the first openly gay elected official in Virginia. His win was applauded by national LGBT activists and he became one of a dozen gay and lesbian candidates who won elections throughout the country that November.
In 2001, Fisette became chair of the County Board, his first of five terms in the rotating position. Under his leadership that year, the county’s emergency response was praised following the September 11 attacks on The Pentagon. He won reelection that November, easily defeating Republican candidate Michael W. Clancy. In August 2003, Fisette announced he would challenge Representative Jim Moran for Virginia’s 8th congressional district seat, saying he had experience in education, homeland security, and housing issues, but withdrew from the race less than two weeks later. He ran unopposed for the County Board in 2005, and in 2009, easily defeated Green Party candidate John G. Reeder. Four years later, he defeated another Green Party candidate, Audrey R. Clement, in the 2013 election. When Moran announced his retirement from Congress in 2014, Fisette was one of the names mentioned as a possible replacement. He declined to run though, citing “the contrast between the dysfunctional climate on Capitol Hill and the can-do atmosphere in Arlington” as the main reason. Fisette declined to run for reelection in 2017 citing the desire for a career change. He is the second-longest-serving board member in the county’s history.
During his tenure, Fisette cited environmental sustainability and a balanced budget as two of his main priorities. Environmental issues which he advocated for included addressing climate change, phasing-out plastic bags and encouraging people to no longer buy single use plastic water bottles. He also played a large role in establishing the Capital Bikeshare program and was heavily involved in the adoption of all master plans – including land use plans for Rosslyn and Crystal City. He was named 2013’s “Best Elected Official” by Arlington Magazine.
Named “Public Official of the Year” by the Virginia Transit Association, he helped lead efforts in developing the region’s long range transportation plan. As President of the Virginia Municipal League, he created the Go Green Virginia program that engaged localities across Virginia in activities to reduce their carbon emissions.
Further, he led the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), COG’s Climate, Energy and Environment Committee, and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. In these and other regional and state bodies focused on transportation, housing, emergency preparedness and economic development, he designed plans, projects and policies to move the region forward. He has received state and local awards for his leadership in affordable housing.
An inductee as a Fellow into the National Academy of Public Administration, he currently serves as Managing Principal at DMV Strategic Advisors. A public policy group in Washington, D.C., DMV has a mission is to assist the private sector, non-profits, and local governments to advance projects and policies aligned with the overarching goals of the region.
