Reston Citizen

In a largely partisan vote, Republicans blocked legislation which would require subcommittee votes to be recorded so that citizens know what their representatives are voting for and against. In a letter sent to constituents, Ken Plum (D-Reston) wrote (reduced here for readability):

The General Assembly continues to cloak in secrecy some of its most basic decisions, those concerning the life or death of proposed laws. A bill to change this was defeated on a largely partisan vote during the very first hour the legislature was in session.

Two years ago, the GOP majority in the House of Delegates used its new power to change the legislative rules under which the House operated. Bills that went to subcommittee for evaluation could be killed there - with no recorded vote.

Constituents could find out not only what happened to a bill, but who made it happen. The old system provided openness and accountability.

Nearly 800 bills have been defeated anonymously. And there’s no telling what sort of bills your elected representative may have voted for in secret, in exchange for another delegates vote. Democracy and openness in government go hand in hand and thus should be a bipartisan issue, so why the need for secrecy?

The ultra-conservative Virginia Club for Growth, Virginia FREE, League of Women Voters, AARP, Virginia Education Association, and more supported this bill. But it was still struck down with only one Republican voting for the new rules.

Ken Plum, seen on the left participates in a rally for Stu Gibson, the school board member behind the boundary changes.

In an increasingly bitter debate on school boundary changes Virginia delegate Ken Plum (D-Reston) has contrasted the racist tones of concerned parents with the school integration debates ’70s. He also tells of South Lakes good side. While maybe exaggerated he still has a valid point:

One of the more memorable moments in recent Virginia history was recorded in a front-page New York Times photograph and story of Governor Lynwood Holton walking his daughter Tayloe into a predominately Black high school in Richmond in 1970 to enroll her for classes. His wife was at the same time enrolling their other daughter Anne and their son Woody in schools in which they were the only white children in their classes. Woody grew up to become a prominent author and historian, and his sister Anne is now First Lady of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Governor Holton took a bold leadership step to show folks that their fears about the integration of public schools were not well founded. He explained later that he felt integration of the schools was the morally right thing to do. After decades of lawsuits, our public schools are for the most part integrated. The worst fears of the consequences of integration were never realized. […]

The recent process the School Board has undertaken in our region to adjust boundaries has brought some of the feelings about our local schools into the open and exposed some biases that we may be surprised to learn continue to exist in our communities. In the process, South Lakes High School has gotten a bum rap.

Two [of our children] are school teachers, one is a lawyer, and one is an environmental inspector for local government. When we read what others are saying about Scout Lakes High School, we know they are seriously misinformed. Numerous studies have shown that the strength of a school is in its leadership, and South Lakes High School is filled with educational leaders. Principal Bruce Butler has been recognized by his peers with the Fairfax County First-Year Principal of the Year Award and has recently been named in the community as Citizen of the Year.

In other high school redistricting news, on January 14th at 7pm South Lakes will offer parents from other schools a  preview on South Lakes IB and AP offerings. The meeting will be held in the lecture hall, if you need more information contact the school.

Fairfax County Executive Anthony Griffin has dismissed the idea of incorporating Reston. The ResTOWN project has been making gains in getting various legal hurdles met. To the dismay of town supporters, Fairfax County recently rejected sending a proposal to the Virginia Assembly to lift the ban on town incorporation in “urban” counties.

The DC Examiner reports Anthony Griffin said:

“Why should the unincorporated sections of other districts, many of which predate Reston by scores of years, not be able to become towns?” Griffin asked in the memo, rhetorically. “If Reston, then why not incorporate McLean, Centreville, Burke, Springfield, Annandale, Mount Vernon, Franconia and Merrifield, to name a few.

A vocal group of citizens felt proposals for such projects as a town center project at the Wiehle Avenue Park & Ride lot, and a density increase of 3000 people ignored the will of Restonians. Supporters of incorporation argue that if Reston where a town they’d have more power in such legislation. Opponents of the idea cite higher taxes, no increased governmental power, and a duplication of services.

Currently the Reston Community Center provides recreation services, the Reston Association provides park creation and maintenance, and also enforces zoning codes. The Reston Association is forbidden to transfer it’s land, so unless a private institution was granted the town charter, a the so called “Town of Reston” would not control park maintenance and zoning.

Local blog BeyondDC even highlights more issues with such a proposal:

Mr. Griffin is absolutely correct. NIMBY-based [Not In My Back Yard] local government is bad for the region. It exacerbates sprawl, congestion, the affordable housing problem… It makes just about all the regional problems we’ve got that much worse. Good on you, Fairfax County, for doing the right thing and making a stand likely to be unpopular with the voters.

Map provided by the Reston Citizens Association illustrating the wide support for the “Town of Reston,” by mapping the location of petition signers.

The Reston Citizens Association (who where behind the ResTown petition) is working to make sure legislation in the Virginia Assembly gets approved that grants permission for Reston to become a town. Currently a town can not incorporate if it lies within a county under the urban-executive form of government.

One of the important steps toward Reston becoming a town is having organizations like the Reston Community Center, Reston Association, and the Reston Town Center Association sign on. If any one of these organizations refused to join it would severely limit the “Town of Reston” from providing services. If they did provide the services they’d have to double charge constituents for services that were already offered, which would certainly be unpopular.

The association is asking people to send letters to local newspapers, state representatives, and people in various community organizations. On December 3rd RCC and RA will be meeting to determine if they would potentially dissolve themselves to become part of a future town.

If you’d like to publish an opinion on Reston as a town then contact us.

Republican leadership throughout America, from the obstructionist general assembly in Richmond, to the stubbornness of President Bush has created a polarized climate. Cahterine Hudgins, a Democrat on the other hand has presented a well managed form of leadership. She listens to the community’s concerns and has Reston’s best interests in mind.

After Bob Dix, the former supervisor for the Hunter Mill district, lost in an election to Hudgins, she reigned in development as promised, and has continued to control it. She has also stuck by the master plan of Reston, which is still endorsed by Restons founder, Robert Simon.

Marie Huhtala on the other hand proposes a halt to Reston’s planned residential growth, which would create a worker/resident imbalance and as seen in Tysons Corner creates horrible traffic. Huhtala has also shown some rough spots, claiming that South Lakes was overcrowded (it is actually 800 students short of capacity), and claimed this due to “unbridled development.”

Huhtala also totes her experience with the State Department, but as shown by the recent Blackwater Controversy, the Department is anything but diplomatic. Meanwhile Hudgins was a community servant long before she ran for political office. Hudgins has also represented the homeless, the working poor, and those with disabilities by various initiatives on the County Board.

A politician that bows to the demands of every moment and citizen creates an unstable government. But a politician must also listen to the needs of their constituents, and Caterhine Hudgins has done a good job of both.

Stay with The Reston Citizen, as we will update you on the results of the Virginia and Reston/Hunter Mill elections.

The Vienna Connection has given Hunter Mill supervisor Catherine Hudgins an endorsement in the current three pronged race which covers Reston, parts of Herndon, and Vienna. They write:

This race shouldn’t require much deliberation, but it does. Incumbent Catherine Hudgins has served the district encompassing Reston, Vienna and parts of Herndon for two-terms with unequalled energy and passion for those most vulnerable in this wealthy county: the homeless, the working poor and people with disabilities. At the Board of Supervisors, Hudgins is the voice for health and human services, whether leading the county’s work on affordable housing or speaking out for improved and better funded mental health services.

But the usually anti-growth newspaper did have some critiques for some of her policies:

But Hudgins has no one to blame but herself for the competitiveness in this three-way race. […] Independent candidates Marie Huhtala and “Spike” Williams are running because Hudgins has come across as aloof or arrogant during some public meetings where constituents felt they weren’t being listened to — or respected. These meetings — whether the south Reston park-and-ride public-private development proposal or the Lake Anne revitalization efforts — attracted concerned constituents, some of whom, afterward, became angry constituents.

The newspaper praises her experience in government, including time spent before she was a Fairfax County Supervisor. There are no polls on who might win, but if numbers make any difference, Hudgins has raised $54,000, Maria Huhtala $13,000, Spike Williams $5000, and Geraldine Butkus, who is not in active campaign mode, has raised $30.

The Reston Citizens association has announced a collection of 3600 signatures on a petition for the incorporation of Reston. With two months of collection, many say the signature drive was a success.

The petition asks for a voting referendum that would allow Reston to become a town. But before a referendum can be added, a Virginia law towns from incorporating in “urban counties” must first be changed, or have an exemption granted. Reston Association also is prohibited from selling or gifting it’s land to anyone else, so for “The Town of Reston” to acquire Reston’s many paths, parks, and other areas would be another hurtle.

Many who want Reston to be made into a town, believe that Fairfax County has allowed to much development, that certain services like trash pickup and snow plowing aren’t good enough, and generally believe Reston being a town will promote a great sense of place. Oponets feel it would further increase taxes.

Gary Baise was the first EPA Chief of Staff. He has worked on many cases concerning the environment. And now he (a Republican) is running for Fairfax County chairman in a heavily Democratic jurisdiction. Most of his views are anti-liberal, from his stance that the County needs an “Ironclad immigration lock-down,” to his views that “Education spending should be second or third priority.”

But the one issue he “agrees” with Democrats on is the environment. This may come as a shock, but in reality he’s toting the party line. The GOP views the EPA’s goal as “Restoring the balance between the environment and America.” By that they mean allowing oil drilling from the Everglades to Alaskan wildlife preserves, allowing companies to use dangerous pesticides, and a myriad of other offenses.
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Marie Huhtala doesn’t consider herself a no growth politician, but was motivated to join the race for supervisor of the Hunter Mill district because she felt Fairfax County mishandled the now canned Wiehle Avenue development.

She believes that at 60,000 people Reston is built out despite the fact that Robert E. Simon envisioned Reston having 80,000 citizens. The Reston section of the Dulles Technology Corridor is composed of more parking lots than buildings, but Marie Huhtala considers that “dense.” While she may not want to be labeled as an anti-growth candidate, she appears to not want any new growth in Reston.

I emailed her a question about her views Transit Oriented Development, and she went on to use an entire paragraph to explain to me what TOD was. Of course since I asked her views and not for a definition I felt that she answered back in a condescending manner. We already have enough politicians that would rather beat around the bush on questions.

She also appears to not know about the current state of Southlakes. She says “School over-crowding is a direct result of too much density.” But Southlakes Highscool will have over 800 open seats when renovations are completed in 2008.

Why is Marie Huhtala running? It appears her main goal is to bow to the needs of anti-growth residents and prevent Reston from reaching it’s goal of diverse housing options, high density housing to maximize open space, and and it’s continued growth. If the people of Reston choose to elect a no growth supervisor, that’s fine, I just want to see a candidate with solid views.

Cathy Hudgins faces three opponents this election. Two of whom appear to be slow growth advocates, or at least pander to those voters.

Spike Williams advocates limiting density outside of areas walking distance from metro stations. Marie Huhtala believes Reston is “built out” and thus wants to see any future density adding road or other infrastructure improvements. And lastly we have Geraldine Butkus who is a rail advocate and calls herself a conservative. Assuming this conservative label also applies to future construction we can assume all the opponets are slow growth.

But looking at the numbers Cathy Hudgins has nothing to worry about. She has brought in two times more than all the candidates combined in the money race. Butkus has raised no money, or at least has reported raising no money. Huhtala has brought in more than $10,000, and Williams has raise more than $2500. Hudgins has raised nearly $30,000.

Hudgins has more than 75 donors. Huhtala has 43 donors (two who’ve contributed about 20%), and Williams has only two listed donors.