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February 25, 2026 18 mins
Sierra is one of two challengers to longtime incumbent Councilman Peter Noble in District 2.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Joel Malcolm for WJNO dot com my election spotlight

(00:03):
on the city of Green Acres. There are two races
there for the city council. You have District two and
you also have District three, and these are four year terms.
And we are speaking with one of three candidates challenger
to the incumbent in this race, Olga El Sierra. That's
how it's going to be on your ballot on March tenth. Olga,

(00:26):
thank you for joining me.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning, Yo, thank you very much for having me
in your program today.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
All to share with us some of your background. How
long have you been in Green Acres?

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Well, Joe, what I can tell you, I'm being a
resident for Green Acres for twenty two years. Green Acres
has been my home and I moved here to Green
Acres with my family. We all live together, and we
just moved to Green Acres because I came from a
vacation many years back. When I came to Green Acres,

(00:57):
I saw Greenacres a beautiful, all green, nice. So I
get in love with Green Acres when I get back
to my home, when it means home is New Jersey
because I grew up in New Jersey and I asked
to my mother and my grandmother at that time, would
you like to move to Florida? I said, I found

(01:18):
a nice place. It's called Green Acrees. It's green and
I love it. Would you like to make a move
with me? We all have like a family together. We
decided and we finally say yes. We all moved, you know,
to Green Acres and since then and this has been
my home.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
So let's talk about a little more about you. What
kind of you know? Talk about your work experience?

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Okay, sure. Currently I'm working for the school District of
Punish County and working as a facilitato. It's a communication language,
so my job is to assist families that they don't
speak the language, you know, English, so I helped them
to translate to understand the school district and to make

(02:05):
a communication like a bridge between the families and the
teachers and the principles and everybody who you know who
speak the language. And I have my education and a
masters degree in uminal justice. And I also served in
different boards in Green Acres. I served in the bore

(02:26):
of the Sonning and Planning and I also was a
member full of the Pumbish County HIV consul, so I
have a you know, all my life has been working
towards the community, and my jobs always related to the
community service. So that's the reason I consider myself like

(02:47):
a community leader. So when I see the position that
was open, you know, to be a to run to
be a consul for district too. I took the you know,
the steps to do it because I feel like I have,
you know, the knowledge I've been here, you know, serving
for the city. I go to the council meetings every month,

(03:09):
so I know how green Acre is running. So I
decide to run to be part of of my district too.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Okay, let me ask you are these districts when it
when it comes to voting. Uh, does somebody have to
live within district too to vote for the race and
district two? Or is it city wide?

Speaker 2 (03:29):
No, it's a city wide because it's in municipal you
know election. So anybody who if my appears in the ballot,
they can vote for any person that they want.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
All right, Some just so you know, some cities just
do it like district wide, so you'd have to because
their districts, you have to live in this area to
vote for this race, unless it's mayoral So if they
all do it differently, so it's hard to keep track
of everybody and how they do it. Let's talk about what.

(04:01):
So you haven't run before, this's your first time ever
running for office.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yes, there is my first time running for office.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
So if you had to name two key concerns with
Green Acres issues, things that you really want to see
done differently or things maybe being better in Green Acres,
a place you've lived for more than two decades, what
would those be.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Okay for me? My major concern is public safety or
neighborhood safety. I would like to see that our Green
Acres streets be safe. They have improved better to have
better communication with the charity department. And my other point

(04:49):
that we'd like to see is community engagement. They have
more communications participation with the residents and the city, so
like that if they have an issue of the I
have a question, the doors will be open for the residence,
so you know it'd be more engagement. And the community
also participate in the city council meetings that we have

(05:12):
every month two times, the first and the term months
of you know, the first and the third Monday of
each month at six games. So I would like to
see more community engagement, more participation. People can come, they
can listen and also participate in the meetings when they
ask them any question from the public, if they have

(05:32):
any concern or they feel happy for how the consols
are running the city. But I would like to see
more population coming in to these meetings because that's the
only way we can make a change.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
So are you saying, are there currently two meetings a
month now and you just like to see more people
show up? Or is there one meeting and you'd like
to see two? No?

Speaker 2 (05:53):
No, no, There is currently two meetings each month, the
first Monday and the third Monday of each month. As
it's in the city Hall located Malelelka. I would like
to see more participation in the people to out the
residents to come. You know, it's just six o'clock, it's
just two times in the months, just to listen, you know,

(06:14):
if they have any questions or they have any opinions
when they ask to the public, any questions, any opinions,
so they can come up to the podium and talk
to the councilman. Because we need more participation of the
residents to come to this meeting.

Speaker 1 (06:27):
Well, let me ask you as a as a council member,
should you be elected, what is there that you could
do to encourage that. I mean, in other words, is
that something that you think would be under your control
encourage people to come more.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
I always encourage my residence when I see them, even
in the stores or in the doctor's office, I always
remember them. Don't find out because I hear people, you know,
sometimes complaining, Oh city needs to do this. So I say,
do you ever heard that we have city meetings? It's
two times in the month. It's at six o'clock and

(07:08):
people say, no, I never know about that. I said, well,
we have two meetings two the first and the termondas
of each month six pm. I want to see you
there so you can be aware of what's happening in
the city. And when you have these type of complaints,
you can come up to the podium, just say your name,
you address, and you complain, or if you have to

(07:29):
say something beautiful about the city or the good job
that they consume women and men are doing. You can
also spread yourself. So that's how I do you know,
I would like to see them, you know more coming
up because currently if you go to the meetings. It's
just three people with always three people, two senior citizens

(07:49):
and myself. That's it. And then I hear people in
the streets complaining that that we have a lot of traffic,
that the streets lives are you know of that the
city is ready? Okay, so these are the issues that
we need to come up when we have these meetings
and they ask to the public any any questions, any concerns,

(08:12):
that's when you use your opportunity to speak about it.
So that's the reason I encourage all my residents to
please please please make a time. It's just two times
on the month, you know, the first and the third
Mondays of each month.

Speaker 1 (08:26):
At six years, are these meetings available online? Like can
somebody if there's too busy to get there, maybe they
have their kids, and you know, is this something that
there is an ability now for them to be able
to stream the meeting or maybe even ask a question
through a chat and if not, is that something that

(08:48):
you could try to you know, might want to try
to implement if you were elected.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Okay, yes, to answer your question, these meetings are being recorded,
so the people can you know, play it and listen
and if they have any questions or comments. They can
wear it down because they have a message that is
a communication between the city and the resume.

Speaker 1 (09:11):
So they can watch it once it's recorded. They can't
watch it live right now.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
They can watch it live too, there is the accessible
to watch it live.

Speaker 1 (09:20):
Too, but they wouldn't be able to ask questions in
the in real time. They have to wait and then
reach out basically.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
Correct, that's what they should be doing.

Speaker 1 (09:30):
Yet, do you go to every meeting?

Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yes, sir, I'm trying to be there every Monday in
the first and the third Monday of each month.

Speaker 1 (09:40):
Now, you mentioned something earlier leading into this that you
it sounded to me like you were saying that the
current city council does not make itself available when you
talk about an open door policy, we're not talking about
the meetings now, but reaching out to council members and

(10:00):
actually getting results or at least responses. Is that an
issue right now?

Speaker 2 (10:07):
For my twenty two years, they are living here in
this city. I'm not talking about you know, anybody, but
I never seen my consul member around on my neighborhood.
I never seek him available for anybody. Okay, So that's
the reason I say, if I get elected. My office.
My door of my office will be open for anybody.

(10:31):
My email will be open, my phone will be open.
Either have any complaint or any good stuff to say
about you know, the city. They can shoot me an email,
they can come me, or they can come in. But
the person that is sitting right now in our district,
I never see him, you know, reaching out to the residence,

(10:53):
or I never see his face. In twenty two years,
the only thing I see him is when I go
to the meetings.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
Okay, you mentioned that you work for the Palm Beach
County School District, and I know there are several cities
within Palm Beach County that have now implemented under state
law they can do this. This is a recent state
law where they put speed zone cameras in the school
zones so that you don't have to have a cop

(11:25):
on duty to catch you speeding. You can be sent
if you're speeding during the school zone time or some
of them, even if you're going over the regular speed
outside of the school zone time, if it's in a
school zone area. Is that going on currently at some
schools in Green Acres And what do you think about
that program?

Speaker 2 (11:47):
I think this growing is very, very important, and just
in our city, they are going to implement two cameras
that it would be in and it's a middle school
there and there's going to be another one in I
think it's close to more further to Haverhill Maneloka, that's

(12:11):
where they are planning to put the cameras on. Because
it's true, that's the issue that we have in the city.
We have a lot of speaking, you know, through our neighborhoods.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
And the Green Acres is. As far as for law enforcement,
it's the Sheriff's office, correct. I know years ago there
was a Green Acres Police department, but I'm not sure
I want to say they were replaced by PbSO at
some point or no, yes, it is.

Speaker 2 (12:40):
Before we used to have our own police, it was
called the Green Acres Police. Now at this moment, they
make a change, like more than ten years back, they
make a change and now they joined the charity department.
So our police is the charity department as everybody else.

Speaker 1 (12:55):
How do you feel that the Sheriff's office does with
law enforcement and Green Acres?

Speaker 2 (13:05):
My opinion is that I prefer when we have our
own police. You know, in the city. The acres because
it was more safety, it was more watch out in
the neighborhoods. Now suddenly that when they join it with
the charity department, it's less patrol. Okay, So you ever
see the charity cars around the neighborhoods. So I would

(13:30):
like to see, you know, if we can make it
a like agreetment with the charity department. I understand they
are busy, they don't have a lot of policemans out there,
but at least just make a round in the neighborhoods
because our neighborhoods is feeling, you know, like a loan.

(13:51):
And when you don't have no patrol in the neighborhoods,
the bad people they have more opportunity to do bad things.
So I would like to see if they can have
more patrol around the neighborhoods at least once, you know,
so like that they see all there is a presence
of the police. Okay, back up, So that's what I
would like to see more.

Speaker 1 (14:11):
Well, they should have. The Sheriff's office has covers law
enforcement and many municipalities. Now I want to say the
number is thirteen or somewhere around there. In addition to
the unincorporated areas of the county, and I believe they
have a substation in each of those. So don't they
have like a district office there in Green Acres?

Speaker 2 (14:34):
Yes, we do. We have a Cherry's substation, I guess.

Speaker 1 (14:40):
So.

Speaker 2 (14:40):
Yeah, they's called a sub station, Yes we do. We have.
It is located there in Tent Avenue next to the
fire department. Yes, we do have one. So we like
to see more patrol because you ever see the cherries,
you know, patrol in the neighborhood, Okay, and that's something
we used to have our Greenacres police. You know, they

(15:03):
patrol more and you see the car more often in
the neighborhoods. Now in the sudden it's just a little bit,
you know, you ever see a cherrysh patrolling the neighborhoods.
But I would like to see more patrolling. The reason
that I say that is because we have a lot
of younger people and older people. They like to be
speeding on the neighborhoods and I would like to know

(15:25):
if that can be easy off with the help of
the Cherish department, because we have a lot of I
don't know, if you see, Green Acres have a lot
of residents. They are older. And also we have a
lot of younger people peach children and I you know.
And also we have animals, you know, like dogs. And

(15:45):
I see people that they just run the strict like
this was a race track. Hello, We're living in the neighborhood.
It's twenty five miles for hour or less. Just if
you want to raise go to a race track. And
these people they don't care. They run on the docks
or they if they see the children playing, they just

(16:06):
run between the kids. So I would like to see
if we have more patrol with the charliff. So when
they see the cherry patrol and they say, oh wait
a minute, I have to start. That's what I would
like to see more.

Speaker 1 (16:18):
All right, And I have a final question for you.
There are three candidates in this race. There's an incumbent,
two challengers of what you are one in a nutshell.
What makes all the Sierra the best choice?

Speaker 2 (16:33):
I can say I don't get the spirit of mister
Noble because he's been there for a long, long long time.
Or I can say that I am resident them on
Green Acres, like I say, for twenty two years, and
for me, the community is very important I believe the
advocating for my community and making their voices heard truly matters.

(16:58):
I have, you know, attending meetings, and I know how
green Acres is, and I would like to see if
you know, these family have opportunities the same things as
the small businesses, that they have a person to be
hearing them and speaking for them. So I think that

(17:18):
would make me a good candidate, you know, for being
here as a District two standidates. So I would like
to see if my residence or Green Acres you know,
come to me in this March ten to support me,
because together as a community, we can keep Green Acres safe, strong,

(17:39):
and moving forward over a bright future.

Speaker 1 (17:43):
All right, well, I appreciate you joining me and speaking
with the residents voters in the City of Green Acres again.
Council District two candidate August Sierra for Green Acres right
here on wj and O dot com. Thanks again, no,
thank you very much

Speaker 2 (18:01):
All for the opportunity and have a wonderful day.
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