The Board of Directors (Board) meeting of the Reston Citizens Association (RCA) was a dinner meeting held at Hidden Creek Country Club (HCCC) on May 27, 2021. President Hays called the meeting to order at 6:45 pm. The primary purpose of this meeting was the election of directors and officers for the coming fiscal year 2021-2022.
Attendees were: Dennis Hays, President; Lynne Mulston, Vice-President; Shawn Endsley, Secretary; Joe Leighton, Treasurer; Connie Hartke; Yavuz Inanli; Gary Maupin; Craig Stevens and Brian Steiner. Also present as guests were Vincent Dory, a candidate for the RCA Board, Tammi Petrine, John Lovaas, Sridhar Ganesan, and John Duffy.
Agenda – President Hays noted there was no formal agenda for this meeting. He noted that Tammi Petrine and John Lovaas were attending as election observers. Director Steiner then reported as Chair for the Election Committee.
Board and Officer Elections – Director Steiner indicated that Vincent Dory was a candidate for the Board. All other directors were standing for reelection. There were no nominations from the floor. Hearing no objections Director Stein asked for the election of Vincent Dory and the other director positions. Vincent Dory and the other incumbent directors were then unanimously elected. Director Steiner noted there were several open positions on the Board.
The results of the Board election were as follows:
Hunters Woods Connie Hartke
Open Position
Town Center/Lake Anne/Tall Oaks Lynne Mulston
Craig Stevens
North Point Shawn Endsley
Brian Steiner
South Lakes Joe Leighton
Open Position
At-Large Dennis Hays
Yavuz Inanli
Gary Maupin
Vincent Dory
Director Steiner then proposed the following officers –
President Lynne Mulston
Vice President Gary Maupin
Treasurer Joe Leighton
Secretary Shawn Endsley
Hearing no objections to the proposed officers the Board unanimously elected the proposed officer slate.
Discussion Items – Having no formal agenda the following items were discussed by the Board
Historical Review – President Hays reviewed the numerous items that occurred during his tenure as president. He noted there were both notable successes such as the maintenance of the golf courses as open space as well as some failures such as the passage of zMod by the Board of Supervisors. He noted that the revision of the Comprehensive Plan was an ongoing effort. President Hays noted from his experience that “coming in late to an event or process was a recipe for failure.” He also noted that involvement with other groups within the County enhanced the prospects for success. President Hays noted that there were many opportunities for involvement on committees within the County.
Candidate Forum – With respect to the primary forum for the Democratic candidates for delegate neither Delegate Plum nor Candidate Barthelson had responded to RCA’s request to participate. With no response from either candidate there will be no primary candidate forum as the Democratic Party primary is on June 8, 2021. With Matthew Lang running as the Republican Party candidate for delegate there will be a contested election for Virginia Legislative District 36 in November. President Hays asked the Board to consider a candidate forum for the general election.
Director Leighton noted that candidates were also running for the Reston Community Center (RCC) and suggested that that RCA sponsor a forum for the RCC candidates. The Board was supportive of this suggestion.
Comprehensive Plan Task Force and Related Updates – President-Elect Mulston provided the Board with a brief update on the Comprehensive Plan and the various working groups including Transportation, Environment, Land Use, Equity and Public Health. President-Elect Mulston indicated that there is tendency to allow Fairfax County staff more input into the Comprehensive Plan revision than the residents. It should also be noted that Fairfax County staff is not fully aware of the issues surrounding Reston’s designation as a Planned Residential Community (PRC). Director Hartke noted that the history of the Comprehensive Plan is as a guideline as opposed to an implementation plan. Director Inanli discussed the issue of urbanized parking and Visitor Petrine indicated that the Transportation Working Group would be dealing with this issue.
Golf Courses Update – Director Hartke along with President-Elect Mulston provided an update on the status of the two golf courses. The owners of both golf courses continue to seek ways for development of the green spaces. There was a brief discussion that a preferred developer candidate could be proposed to challenge Supervisor Alcorn. It is unknown whether Supervisor Alcorn will seek reelection.
Reston National Golf Course (RNGC): In late April, RNGC Developers/Owners Warhorse/Weller gave a preview presentation to selected members of the Rescue Reston Board of Directors on its plans to hold “tent shows” to surrounding clusters on the west side of Soapstone Drive over the coming months. Their ultimate goal is to convince surrounding property owners to agree to development on the property.
Hidden Creek Golf Course (HCCC): President-Elect Mulston noted that most recent proposal by owner/developer Wheelock reflects their continued attempts to influence the residents around HCCC to agree to development. She reiterated Supervisor Alcorn’s statement that he would not allow development unless the residents around the golf courses supported that change. President Hays noted that Supervisor Alcorn’s statement was ambiguous in its definition of who constitutes a resident that he will be counting. Director Hartke affirmed that he counts renters as well as property owners. President-Elect Mulston indicated the Wheelock proposal was deemed unacceptable and was so noted to Wheelock.
Director Hartke noted Rescue Reston believes that the current manager of HCCC (Fore Golf) has been incentivized if development occurs on the property. Both RCA and Rescue Reston will need to remain vigilant as the developers will not stop their attempts to monetize their investments in both golf courses with development.
5G Update – Director Stevens noted that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) remains subject to three (3) lawsuits by Children’s Health Defense regarding 5G. President Hays asked that Director Stevens keep the Board apprised of the status of these lawsuits.
PRC Update – Visitor Petrine noted that Fairfax County staff continues to work to eliminate the PRC. The goal is more density and urbanization of Reston. This will need to be a continued focus going forward.
There were no further updates from the directors or visitors.
Closing – President Hays thanked all of the directors for a wonderful 4 years as president of RCA. President Hays noted the successes achieved far outweighed the failures. President-Elect Mulston thanked President Hays for his dedication and efforts on behalf of the residents of Reston and expressed appreciation for President Hays’ willingness to continue on the Board.
With no further business before the Board the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 pm after the taking of the group picture. Director Brian Steiner and Visitor John Lovaas were absent.