Will Barrios' run for Baltimore County Council is built on community
Will Barrios is not a political person. Working in marketing and design his entire life, Barrios’ lone background resembling a sense of politics is his work on the board of the Dundalk Renaissance Corporation.But Barrios believes that can be a benefit for him in the race for Baltimore County Council.Barrios considers himself a problem solver. He feels that is what the new District 9 needs.
“I think I come with this as a fresh perspective and as someone who genuinely wants to see my community improve,” Barrios said.
The county’s shifted district map has Dundalk paired with Rosedale and the North Point Peninsula in District 9, after being lumped alongside Edgemere, Essex, Rosedale and Sparrows Point. Barrios believes that the smaller district gives a real opportunity to improve Dundalk since there can be a focus more on the places and people that truly need attention.
Barrios’ family has lived in the area for generations. He has spent the last 40 years watching other parts of Baltimore County improve, while places like Dundalk have been ignored and left behind, he said.
Barrios feels Dundalk can be better than it has ever been.
“Dundalk has always kind of been the punch line, and I feel like we should be the priority,” Barrios said.
Community
In Spanish, barrio means community. Barrios holds that meaning to the utmost importance.
At Baltimore County’s district town hall in March, Barrios noticed that a lot of the community voices that spoke regarding their needs expressed a lack of resources for their respective organizations.
Barrios said too many people feel ignored. The same issues get brought up, but nothing happens.
“Eventually I realized if we want better for a community, we can’t keep waiting for someone else to fix it,” Barrios said. “We have to step up and be part of the change ourselves.”
When Barrios first bought a house in 2019, the Dundalk Renaissance Corporation helped him out immensely with a $10,000 home loan. He joined the board because of that, working on homeownership programs and community investment efforts.
Another investment Barrios has made within the community is through the Baltimore County Police Department’s Community Partnership Academy.
The academy, which started April 1, is designed to provide an opportunity for people to learn about police operations and the role policing plays, and foster transparency, understanding and meaningful dialogue between law enforcement and the communities.
The goal of the academy is for Barrios to become informed and prepared enough to help strengthen trust and encourage collaboration between the community and the police.
For the past three years, Barrios has worked for Chick-fil-A’s Little Blue Menu, from concept to completion. He has raised almost $100,000 through fundraisers in the restaurant. Barrios, who has consistently done face-to-face customer marketing, said the real reward has been the positive impact on the College Park community.
“I just want to bring everything that I’ve done down there up here to my hometown,” Barrios said.
Barrios brings something no other candidate will: FRIKT.
FRIKT, short for friction, is a free app built on the belief that the most repeated frictions deserve a real solution. That is why Barrios has been in contact with FRIKT founder Karolis Budreckas to deliver a means for district residents to share feedback, report issues and stay connected in real time.
FRIKT gets the most common and important issues to the top of the app. Then, a solution can be planned.
“Social media gives us opinions. This gives us priorities,” Barrios said.
The local version of FRIKT is now available on iOS, with Android currently pending approval. To access it, visit frikt.com, download the app, and then select the “Local” tab at the top and enter the code “DEAGLE” to join the Baltimore County District 9 FRIKT.
Campaign Priorities
Barrios said his campaign is about being a voice for people who feel unheard, unseen or overlooked: the neighbor who stopped speaking up, the family that feels ignored or the small business owner trying to stay afloat.
His goal is to be the most accessible, responsive and accountable representative the district has ever had.
“Local government should be a working body for the people,” Barrios said. “That means transparency, responsiveness and action. It means listening to residents, following up and actually getting things done.”
There are seven main issues that Barrios will address:
Protecting the community
Stopping illegal dumping
Protecting the environment
Ensuring safe neighborhoods
Supporting jobs and small businesses
Fixing investment and infrastructure
Ensuring accountability
Protecting the community involves illegal dumping, the environment and safe neighborhoods.
As the district sits on the line between Baltimore County and Baltimore City, neighborhoods have, in the past, dealt with the consequences when responsibility is unclear. Because of that, issues like illegal dumping have crossed into the community, where vacant lots, alleys and roadsides have been used as dumping grounds.
That issue has played a role in the environmental challenges the district has faced. One of the biggest has been the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Barrios said he wants clean air, clean water and healthy surroundings.
Barrios believes that many residents feel a decline in neighborhood safety. His efforts through the Baltimore County Police Department’s Community Partnership Academy can help him address that.
Barrios wants to reduce unnecessary barriers for small businesses, supporting local entrepreneurs and startups. He feels port-related and industrial jobs should be protected.
Investment and infrastructure go hand-in-hand with accountability. Well-maintained infrastructure has not been the case for the district, Barrios believes, citing a disconnect between residents and local government that has created slow responses to problems.
“Eventually I realized if we want better for a community, we can’t keep waiting for someone else to fix it,” Barrios said. “We have to step up and be part of the change ourselves.”
On Barrios’s campaign website, barriosforbaltimorecounty.com, every priority that Barrios listed includes real, actionable proposals and draft legislation he would work to pass if he were to become District 9’s councilman.
Preparation is important before day one, Barrios said.
If Barrios were elected, he would hold monthly meetings with representatives from each part of the district, he said. His goal is not to fix one person’s problems, but rather to fix as many people’s problems as possible.
For Barrios, one quote from Tupac Shakur serves as a reference for his campaign.
“Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live and let’s change the way we treat each other.”
