2017 Reston Association Board Election: Meet Charles Dorfeuille

Voting 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 Charles Dorfeuille, who is facing five other candidates in the race for an At-Large seat. His opponents are Roberto Anguizola (profile), Eric Carr (profile), Mike Collins (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 the area for around 15 years, nine of which being in Reston Proper. Even when I didn’t live in Reston I would always find myself here, be it because of the Town Center or Lake Anne. My family moved here from Herndon because of the strong sense of community we saw here.

What inspired you to run for the board?

Through my involvement in the Community Engagement Advisory committee I had seen many inefficiencies in RA policy that I have not seen the board properly work on. I see many ways to improve RA, and also want to see a Reston where more of us are taking full advantage of what RA has to offer!

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

For the short term, I think that redevelopment and rezoning are my biggest concerns. If this is not properly faced, it will have negative effects to our community for decades to come.

For the longer term, though, I see the rapid assessment increases as a very serious issue we must at least try to take on in a serious way.

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

I hope to accomplish three things in my three-year term. The first is to increase the role of cluster presidents by better involving them on issues that concern them. Increasing the role of community leaders will provide much needed public input channel for communities potentially impacted by RA projects, like the Lake Newport soccer fields.

The second goal would be to revive our fight to maintain Reston’s open spaces. With the green space of Reston National still at risk, we need to make clear to all that we as a community value our open space above all else.

Lastly, I would like to see the board work on our unfair assessment system. We now have a system where the new luxury apartments are paying half what normal apartment residents pay in assessment dues. I also believe we should add a new cap that will make the assessment increases both marginal and predictable.

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

I have grown up in this community, and as a result have taken advantage of youth-oriented programs. I know how to make these programs better through trial and error. I was also an original member of the Parks & Recreation Advisory committee and the Community Engagement Advisory committee. Through these postings, I have been able to learn the processes of RA and how things are done. This experience will allow me to hit the ground running if elected to the At-Large seat this April.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED CANDIDATE PROFILES:

• David Bobzien (Apartment Owners’ representative)
• Arlene Krieger (North Point District seat)
• John Mooney (North Point District seat)
• Victoria White (Hunters Woods/Dogwood District seat)
• Syazana Durrani (Hunters Woods/Dogwood District seat)
• Roberto Anguizola (At-Large seat)
• Eric Carr (At-Large seat)
• Mike Collins (At-Large seat)