Reston Citizen

Spike Williams is running against Cathy Hudgins to represent Reston and the Hunter Mill district on the board of supervisors.

While officially he is an independent Spike Williams has, or is scheduled to attend several Republican events. But in local elections, party affiliation doesn’t matter so much as what the views are.

Mr. Williams supports Reston residents having the choice to make Reston a town. He says “I embrace democracy and any time government starts trying to erect obstacles to it I get worried.” Supervisor Hudgins has been criticized for blocking the town initiative. Like the other candidates running he says he supports giving Restonites a choice in the town matter.

Spike Williams also believes TOD, or transit oriented development isn’t a blank check for density increases. Before any high density projects are approved, he wants to see that other transit options, and community infrastructure isn’t overwhelmed. He also brought up a point which I hadn’t thought of, which was a concern of the Wiehle Avenue station becoming a dumping point for commuters of all points west. He says he’ll try to get the Silver Line built in one phase to prevent this.

You can visit Spike Williams website to learn more about him and his views. This article is part of our continuing coverage of the 2007 election.

Local elections are coming into full swing with less than two months before election day. But what are the issues and who are the candidates? In a new series we will be discussing the various issues of Reston politics. Here we list those who are running.

Hunter Mill Supervisor

Cathy Hudgins (incumbent, Democrat)

Spike Williams (Indepent)

Marie T. Huhtala (Independent)

Geraldine Butkus (Independent)

Fairfax County Chairman

Gerry Connolly (incumbent, Democrat)

Gary Baise (GOP)

Glenda Gail Parker (Independent Green)

Hunter Mill School Board

Stuart D. Gibson  (incumbent, Democrat endorsed)

Christine A. Arakelian (Independent)

Virginia Senate

Janet D. Howell (incumbent, Democrat)

Virginia House of Delegates

Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum (incumbent, Democrat)

I use to support Reston becoming a town to further define it’s since of place. But then other pros and cons crossed my mind.

Many of the large companies headquarters in Reston currently do not contribute to any road maintenance, because they are not taxed. As a town Reston could tax them. We could also get rid of the autocratic Reston Association, although that would prove difficult as the founding charter for the organization prohibits them from selling or donating their land. Lastly it would create a since of place and make sure Reston residents didn’t get cheated by things such as the Small District 5 boundary issue.

But on the other hand I wonder how much a town council and mayor would continue Reston’s goals. For instance Reston was supposed to have a mix of housing prices, which it does, but would a council of an affluent town such as Reston block future affordable housing? Would they continue to keep Reston growing, and not bow to the wishes of every NIMBY? What would taxes/services be like?

Of course if Robert Simon were mayor then perhaps some aspects of Reston that have never been fully realized would be implemented.

Friday

Wolftrap Filene Center at 7:30pm: Travis Tritt performs with two new albums. Tickets $40 or $22. [more]

Saturday

Lake Fairfax at 12-6pm: 7th Annual Northern Virginia Family and Civic Picnic, with 43 local government officials. Presented by the All Dulles Area Muslim Society. Tickets are $2/person. [more]

Reston Town Center Pavilion at 7:30-10pm: Dance the Night Away The Mustangs (60s soul, Motown, swing, disco).

Sunday

Reston Town Center Pavilion and W&OD Trail at 6am: Bike riders can select from three routes of approximately 30, 63 and 100 miles. Presented by Reston Bike Club. [more]

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