Reston Association Candidate Profile: Timothy J. Dowling

Reston VA

01 March, 2021

12:01 PM

Description

RESTON, VA — Each spring, the Reston Association conducts elections to fill the vacant seats on its nine-member board. Reston residents will have the entire month of March to vote on the candidates they wish to represent them. This year, four candidates are vying for the two at-large seats on the board. Patch asked each of the candidates to fill out a questionnaire so that they could share the reasons why they believe Reston residents should choose them as their board member. Name: Timothy J. Dowling Position Sought: At-Large Director (3-year term) Occupation: Attorney (retired) Campaign Website: tim4reston.com What are the critical difference between you and the other candidates seeking this post? There are two critical differences. First, I am the only candidate that has extensive land use experience based exclusively on defending local communities in court challenges brought by developers. For ten years, I served as Chief Counsel of Community Rights Counsel, a public interest law firm that represented municipalities in challenges to land use laws and other community protections. I have never represented a developer. I worked closely with groups like the National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, and the American Planning Association. In addition to successfully defending local communities in court, I co-authored books and articles on the plague of urban sprawl. I also have extensive environmental experience, having served as a Judicial Officer at U.S. EPA, and as a policy advisor at the Justice Department's Environment Division. I filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of a large coalition of cities in the most important climate change case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. I am proud to live in a community that emphasizes environmental stewardship as a core value. I believe my expertise and experience will be added value as Reston seeks to protect its natural resources. Second, I am the only candidate with deep expertise in implementing standards of ethics. For nearly ten years, I was a supervisor in the FBI office charged with ensuring that FBI Agents meet the highest standards of integrity. Everyone talks about the importance of accountability, and rightly so, but I actually held people accountable to the highest standards at the world's premiere law enforcement agency. To maintain the trust of those we serve, every RA Board member, employee, and volunteer must avoid not only actual conflicts, but even the appearance of impropriety. If elected, I pledge to do everything possible to promote this high standard as an RA Board Member, including the adoption of an RA Code of Conduct and Integrity that prohibits improper financial conflicts. What issues define your campaign platform? Two issues are central to my platform. First, the biggest threat to Reston today is harmful, dysfunctional growth. Where we have leverage, we should negotiate hard to conform new development to our core values, and to get developers to pay their fair share. Our best tool on this front is our collective voice – 60,000+ people who can pressure and persuade the county and developers. The Board should lead this effort. But our PRIMARY goal should be to fight tooth and nail to protect every square inch of remaining open space in Reston, and to defeat proposals like the harmful provisions in zMOD -- the so-called county zoning "update" – or any redevelopment that threatens to increase our density, or undermine our core values. The very things we all love about Reston have made us a target for developers. This is a debate over the soul of Reston, and we have to win it. It is vital to preserve our existing open space, especially the entirety of our two golf courses. Building houses on those golf courses would harm not just the adjacent property owners, but every Restonian. Dysfunctional growth increases traffic on our clogged roads and imposes additional burdens on our crowded schools. It also undermines our core value of environmental stewardship, our commitment to aesthetic harmony, and our sense of community. I support "Smart Growth" where appropriate, but thoughtlessly sacrificing our golf courses and other open space on the altar of increased revenue would be decidedly unsmart. Second, the Board should increase members' trust and confidence by requiring recusal if someone has an improper financial conflict. I believe RA members would overwhelmingly support this requirement. No one should misuse their RA position for private gain, either their own private gain or anyone else's. Many RA members would be surprised to learn that Board members, if they so choose, could engage in self-dealing on the Board without consequence, so long as they disclose the conflict. Disclosure is a good first step, but it is not enough. We need a flat ban on improper financial conflicts, with serious consequences for intentional violations. What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? To cite just one of many examples, while working as a policy advisor in the Justice Department's Environment Division, I was given one of the Department's highest awards – The John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement – for spearheading the Department's opposition to legislative proposals that would have made it much easier for developers to sue local officials in federal court. The lead developer-lobbyist for the bill called it a "hammer to the head" of local officials, specifically designed to coerce local officials into making unwarranted concessions during land-use negotiations. The proposal severely threatened federal interests in wetland protections and other federal programs. Our successful opposition required strong advocacy and close coordination with a large coalition of national groups that represent local officials. These skills and experiences will serve me well as a Board member as we seek to protect Reston's natural areas. Similar successes throughout my career have given me the expertise and experience necessary to serve as a leader of Reston Association. My professional experience also has given me a tough skin, which is essential to serving on the RA Board. If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success? The following are the minimum requirements for a successful term: preservation of the entirety of Hidden Creek and Reston National Golf Courses as open space; defeating the harmful provisions in the county's zoning update (zMOD), or if they pass, mitigating their impact on Reston; timely renovation of our pools, pathways, tennis courts and other aging infrastructure; significant progress toward converting the RA fleet to electric vehicles and promoting other measures to address the existential threat of climate change; establishing a written Code of Ethics that prohibits improper financial conflicts; ensuring that RA's information technology FULLY protects sensitive data; and improving communications with RA members, for example by having more listening sessions and continuing to improve our social media outreach. Anything less than this over a three-year term would constitute a failure. What is your vision for the Reston community? My vision for Reston is the same as Bob Simon's. At Reston's core is the preservation and appreciation of natural areas. We must remain leaders in environmental stewardship, as reflected in our designation in 2018 as part of the global network of "Biophilic Cities." Reston also must continue to provide a variety of recreational opportunities that meet the needs of its residents. The arts and cultural facilities, too, are vital to Reston's spirit. Like Bob Simon, we must work hard to ensure that residents are able to remain in Reston throughout their lives, with a range of housing to meet those changing needs. And as the first integrated community in Jim Crow Virginia in the 1960s, we must continue to emphasize racial and economic diversity. Land use planning should be rooted in the importance and dignity of the individual, which takes precedence over large-scale concepts. Tying all this together is a pervasive aesthetic harmony that integrates structural and natural beauty. The best advice shared with me was: My wife, Ricarda, has told me more than once: "Don't listen to the noise. Focus on what's important." What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions? My family and I moved to Reston in 1982, and our family has grown along with Reston. Our first home was a townhouse across the street from Hunters Woods Village Center. As our family grew, we moved to a new home in the Tall Oaks area. In 1992 we returned to Hunters Woods on Paddock Lane, where we have lived ever since. We were first drawn to Reston by its commitment to preserving its natural resources. As we learned more about Reston's emphasis on environmental stewardship, racial and economic diversity, the arts, and recreational amenities, we knew we had found our home. After nearly forty years, my family and I understand that Reston's ideals are not mere words, but our daily experience.My recent volunteer work included teaching a weekly class at Reston Library to help immigrants prepare for their citizenship exam. Each of their life stories is inspiring, as is their devotion to our community and our country. My students taught me anew the vitality of Reston's founding principle of diversity.I graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1982, where I was an editor of the Georgetown Law Review. I received my B.A. in 1979 from the University of Notre Dame. Both schools taught me the value of public service.