2017 Reston Association Board Election: Meet Roberto Anguizola

Roberto Anguizola/RAVoting in the 2017 Reston Association Board of Directors election will run through April 3. We will be posting profiles on each of the candidates. Featured here is Roberto Anguizola, who is facing five other candidates in the race for an At-Large seat. His opponents are Eric Carr (profile), Mike Collins (profile), Charles Dorfeuille (profile), Ven Iyer (profile) and HeidiAnne Werner (profile). The six squared off in a candidate forum last week.

The profiles are in a Q-and-A format. Each candidate had an opportunity to answer the same questions in their own words.

How long have you lived in Reston? What brought you here?

I have lived in Reston since 2008. I moved here from Chicago, Illinois, with my family to take a career position as a government consumer protection attorney. I was in private practice before moving here and this was a wonderful opportunity to serve and do meaningful work.

What inspired you to run for the board?

My children inspired me to run for the board. As the father of three children (2, 10, and 12 years old), I have a keen interest in maintaining and improving Reston’s recreational facilities and natural resources in an environmentally conscious manner. I want RA to continue offering a high quality of life now and for future generations.

What are three of the biggest concerns you have for Reston?

  1. Aging Infrastructure. Most of our recreational facilities and amenities were built in the early ’70s. If we don’t invest in them and modernize them, our community will stagnate.
  2. Ongoing Development of Reston. The world doesn’t stand still and we are in the middle of re-development that is going to shape Reston’s future for decades. We need to do our best to shape that change is a way that will be positive for the community and seize on the many opportunities that it will bring. As a community, we need to lay the groundwork so that we are prepared to welcome thousands of new Restonians in the coming decade.
  3. Forward Looking Financial Stewardship. We need to balance necessary investment in Reston’s aging facilities and amenities with strong financial stewardship. Maintaining and improving a vibrant community is not free and nobody likes higher assessments. For this reason, we need to have tight budget discipline but also be open to partnerships with nonprofit groups and businesses that want to invest in our community through community use agreements, proffers and donations.

What do you hope to accomplish by being on the board?

I love Reston and all of the amenities, programs and services RA offers. My goal as a board member would be to maintain and improve the high quality of life Reston offers for its community members in a fiscally responsible manner. The upcoming Board should focus on: (1) strategic investments in maintaining and improving Reston’s aging infrastructure; (2) positive and proactive engagement in ongoing re-development so that it can be steered in a direction that will inure to the benefit of the community; (3) long-term and forward-looking financial stewardship. In promoting these strategic objectives, the Board should encourage, incentivize and support RA’s wonderful professional staff without resorting to micro-management.

How will your personal or professional experience help you in your role with RA?

My professional and volunteer experiences have prepared me to serve as an RA board member. I have worked closely with RA as the President of Reston Soccer Association, a nonprofit sports organization. In addition, I volunteer as a coach for my son’s soccer team. In the past, I also served as a Cub Scout leader at HWES.

I have been a trial attorney since 1999 both in private practice (8 years) and in government (9 years). Over the course of my legal career, I have handled a variety of business and corporate governance matters. I am a graduate of Northwestern University (BA ’95 and JD ’99). I also recently completed the Partnership for Public Service’s Excellence in Government Fellows program which is an intense year-long leadership development program for civil servants.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED CANDIDATE PROFILES:

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