Saluting Two of RCA’s Guiding Lights

Last week, I announced that I will not be
running again for the RCA Board.  I’m
not the only one stepping down this year, however.  Two other RCA stalwarts, Terry Maynard and
Dick Rogers, are also retiring at the end of this term.  This week, I’d like to pay tribute to Terry
and Dick.  They have both served Reston
well in their time with RCA, and I’m glad to count them as trusted colleagues
and as friends.  I will greatly miss
working with them both.

Dick and Terry have a lot in common.  They have served with RCA for quite a while (Terry
joined the Board in late 2009, Dick in early 2010).  Both are retired CIA analysts, and they
brought that analytical skill to their work with RCA.  Both are most interested in planning and
transportation.  But although they’re
similar in background, they have different approaches and have contributed to
RCA in different ways.

If you’ve followed the planning for Reston’s future –
whether it’s the Silver Line, the Master Plan revisions, or the RCC rec center
proposal – you’ve probably heard Terry Maynard’s name.  He has been quoted more often than anyone
else on the RCA Board, and with good reason. 
Over the years, Terry has become one of Reston’s preeminent experts on
development issues. 

Terry’s analytical reports, full of charts and footnotes,
are legendary.  If you think I’m verbose,
you should take a look at one of Terry’s reports, which can run 100 pages or
more.  But they are lengthy for a
reason.  Most people don’t have the
expertise or the inclination to dive into spreadsheets full of numbers and
figures and dig out the real story, but Terry does.  Whether he’s examining the accuracy
of Toll Road revenue forecasts, quantifying the impact of development on Reston’s
traffic and recreational facilities, or raising unanswered
questions about the rec center, you can count on Terry to provide a
rigorous, reasonable analysis.

In addition to his reports, Terry has taken on a leadership
role on planning issues.  He has been the
co-chair of RCA’s Reston 2020
Committee, serving as a community watchdog on key development-related matters.  He also served with distinction as RCA’s
primary representative on the Reston Master Plan Task Force, standing up for
Reston’s citizens to protect our founding principles and quality of life.  While the final Master Plan recommendations
weren’t quite as Terry wanted, his staunch advocacy and thoughtful analysis
made the final plan better for Restonians.

Terry can be outspoken, but his passion has its roots in an
abiding love for the community and a desire to see it thrive for decades to
come.  Terry believes strongly in
responsible and well-planned development and in transparent and responsive
government, and he’s not shy about speaking
out when he believes our leaders are falling short in those areas. 

And when Terry speaks, you know he’s got the facts and figures
to back it up.  His impassioned critiques
are informed by his dispassionate analysis. 
He understands that once you’ve done the homework and know that you’re
right, you shouldn’t be afraid to speak out. 
Terry has never been afraid to speak his mind.

Terry’s integrity, analytical capability, dedication, and
abiding support for Reston’s citizens have been a tremendous boon to RCA and to
Reston.  We’re all much better off for
his efforts.

While Terry is a widely-known figure in Reston, you may not
know Dick Rogers.  That’s due to a
difference in styles: Dick is quiet where Terry is outspoken, and Dick often
works behind the scenes while Terry has been more visible.  But Dick has also been a tremendous advocate
for the community’s interests, and he has been a tremendous help to RCA in his
time on the Board.

Dick first became involved in RCA through Reston 2020.  He was already an active member of the
community, serving for more than a decade on his cluster board and having been
an Associate Member of the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee.  Dick has lived in Reston for a long time
(almost 40 years), and he wanted to represent the community as Reston’s future
was being discussed.  When a spot on the RCA
Board opened up, he applied, and he’s been a blessing to us ever since.

Dick is well-liked by everyone, and with good reason: he is
very thoughtful and a true gentleman.  He
applied these qualities, as well as his analytical background, to carve out a
niche as RCA’s transportation expert.  He
attended as many transportation-related meetings as he could, and reported back
with thorough notes and observations. 
His dogged persistence and gentlemanly demeanor helped him find out information
that no one else had.

Perhaps Dick’s finest work is the paper “Wiehle
Metro Station Access: Congestion Ahead,” of which he was the principal researcher
and author.  Early last year, Dick began
wondering if Reston was ready for the coming of the Silver Line and the
transportation challenges it would bring. 
He wasn’t sure, so he started doing the legwork: doing research,
interviewing key players, and developing findings.

Dick concluded that not enough has been done to allow Silver
Line users to access the Wiehle station. 
His report described the problems in detail, and better yet, suggested
solutions.  His report focused public
attention on a key challenge to the successful implementation of the Silver
Line, and sparked discussion on how to address it.

It’s unfortunate that Dick and Terry will no longer be on
the RCA Board.  Happily, though, neither
one is leaving RCA entirely.  Terry will
continue as Reston 2020 co-chair, pushing for responsible and balanced planning
solutions.  Dick will also remain active
on 2020, and he will serve as RCA’s representative on the Hunter Mill
Transportation Advisory Committee.  I’m
delighted that RCA and Reston will still benefit from their expertise.