More Forums Reston Association-sponsored candidate forums will take place on Wednesday, March 12, at 7 p.m. at the RA Main Office, 1930 Isaac Newton Square and Wednesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road. The election ballots were mailed to members and apartment owners on Friday, March 7. Election ballots must be returned by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 4. The winners will be announced at the Annual Members’ Meeting on Tues., April 15. Richard Chew Barbara Zicari

A couple of months have gone by since the issue of Reston’s governance has been discussed in public debates, after Reston Citizens Association failed to convince state legislators to include a referendum bill into their 2008 program. However, the Alliance of Reston Clusters and Homeowners (ARCH) brought the issue back on the table at its Reston Association (RA) candidate forum on Monday, March 3.
"What is your view of how Reston should be governed? What role should Reston Association play" in Reston’s governance, asked forum moderator Robert Goudie.
Richard Chew, a candidate for the At-large seat being vacated by Bill Keefe, said Reston Citizens Association had exercised "great leadership" in raising the issue in Reston. There are many political and legislative hurdles to clear before any changes in the current governance structure could take place. Chew said RA should continue to monitor the Reston town issue and continue its quasi-governmental exercise. "Absent of town, RA is and should continue to be a key player," in determining Reston’s governance future, said Chew.
Barbara Zicari, Chew’s opponent for the At-large seat, said she would support further discussion of Reston’s governance. However, she said, "There is a lot to understand and a lot of red tape ahead of us."
John Bowman, a challenger for the Hunters Woods/Dogwood seat on the RA board, said if one draws a circle around Reston one gets "governance à la carte," with separate rules for RA, Reston Town Center, Shadowood and overlay of Small District 5, a special tax district served by Reston Community Center, in most of Reston. "We need to consolidate what we have in Reston," said Bowman. The RA, he said, should play a role of easing the transition from the established governance setup to whatever the consolidated setup includes. The RA should lead the discussions with a vision to making the transition happen in a positive way.

THE HUNTERS WOODS/Dogwood incumbent, Cheryl Beamer, said that historically Reston was intended to be a town. She narrowed the governance subject to one specific issue, the redevelopment of Reston. She said redevelopment would be completed by the time any new governance structure came to Reston, in the next 10 years, but offered that RA could play a greater role in land use decisions. "RA needs the equivalent of a P&Z (Planning and Zoning) Department with professional staff," said Beamer.
Jane Bradshaw, a Reston Citizens Association member, asked the candidates whether they thought RA should take part in a task force to study the governance issue. The task force, proposed by the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations, calls for relevant actors – civic groups, county government and state government representatives – to form a study group that would take a close look at all of the issues raised through the governance subject.
"It is important to all of the stakeholders to be involved in the discussions," said Chew. "Clearly RA should be involved in this discussion," he said. Chew suggested such a task force, with everyone at the table, with a neutral arbiter and with a civil discussion, is an appropriate way of moving forward on the issue.
Beamer declined to answer the question, saying she was unqualified to do so because she did not know anything about the task force. However, she said, "It doesn’t hurt to take a look at how we govern ourselves."
"Why wouldn’t we want to be engaged in that discussion," said Bowman.
Zicari had left the forum for previously scheduled reasons prior to Bradshaw’s question.


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