Editing Reston, Virginia (section)

==Government==
Reston is an unincorporated area in [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]], and its schools, roads, and law enforcement services are provided by Fairfax County.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reston.org/Reston_Resident_FAQ/images/PDF/FAQ_General.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930190813/http://www.reston.org/Reston_Resident_FAQ/images/PDF/FAQ_General.pdf|archive-date=September 30, 2007|publisher=Reston Association|access-date=October 12, 2007|title=General Information: A Quick Reference}}</ref>

Parks, recreation facilities, and common grounds, as well as the extensive trail system, are overseen by the Reston Association under the provisions of the Reston Deed, the community's basic governing document.  A standard assessment is levied on each apartment or lot (for townhouses and houses).  The Deed also allows for reduced assessments for those who "qualify for real estate tax reduction by Fairfax County Ordinance; (ii) their units are subsidized by the federal or state government; or (iii) their units are designed and used primarily for elderly congregate care or assisted living facilities and occupied by low or moderate income residents."<ref>{{cite web|title=The First Amendment to the Deed of Amendment to the Deeds of Dedication of Reston|url=https://www.reston.org/Portals/3/Inside%20RA/Reston%20Association%20Governance/Governing%20Documents/RADeed.pdf|website=Reston Association|access-date=8 September 2017|location=Section V.7. Basis for Assessments|page=23|archive-date=June 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616181853/https://www.reston.org/Portals/3/Inside%20RA/Reston%20Association%20Governance/Governing%20Documents/RADeed.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Reston's individual clusters or neighborhoods have their own neighborhood associations which also levy assessments to cover grounds upkeep, snow removal, trash pick-up, and other maintenance. Each cluster has its own elected board of directors who report to the residents of that cluster.

The majority of Reston lies within [[Virginia's 11th congressional district]] and is currently represented in Congress by Representative [[Gerry Connolly]] (D).<ref>[http://connolly.house.gov/11th-district/ Virginia's 8th District | Congressman Gerry Connolly: 11th District] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022194916/http://connolly.house.gov/11th-district |date=October 22, 2015 }} Retrieved October 9, 2015.</ref> It is represented by [[Karen Keys-Gamarra]] (D) in the [[Virginia House of Delegates]], and by [[Jennifer Boysko]] (D) in the [[Virginia State Senate|State Senate]].

While Reston has, from its inception, been an unincorporated area, several efforts have been made to achieve town status, primarily to gain more control over zoning and development decisions, which now are the purview of Fairfax County elected officials and staff. Robert Simon initially explored the option of incorporation as a town but was blocked by Fairfax County. Simon asserted to an interviewer that Fairfax officials informed him they would deny Reston access to Fairfax's water and sewer lines if he sought incorporation for his new community. In 1980, a group of Reston residents were successful in pushing for a referendum to incorporate Reston as a town, but the referendum failed in 1980 by a 2–1 margin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mars.gmu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1920/1867/1/534_02_01a.pdf|title=THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE INCORPORATION OF RESTON AS A TOWN|date=September 1, 1978|publisher=Reston Community Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414143242/http://mars.gmu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1920/1867/1/534_02_01a.pdf|archive-date=April 14, 2008|access-date=October 12, 2007}}</ref>  A similar initiative in 2005, which was publicly supported by Robert Simon, also failed.