RCC Head Warns Ex-Candidate to Stay Away

A former candidate for the Reston Community Center Board of Governors and the Reston Association Board of Directors has been warned by RCC Executive Director Leila Gordon to cease contacting her after he allegedly sent Gordon a disturbing chain of emails.

Rod Koozmin, a Reston resident who unsuccessfully ran in 2011 for RCC's board and in 2010 for an RA Board seat, forwarded to Gordon a thread of graphic emails between himself and a D.C. dominatrix called "Mistress Tyler."

The email exchange took place in late November and early December and contains details of an extremely graphic and sexual nature. 

"It doesn't make any sense at all that he would send me these emails," Gordon, 58, told Patch. "But it is characterized as grossly inappropriate."

Gordon responded to Koozmin in a Jan. 3 email, obtained by Patch, telling him that she has contacted the Fairfax County Attorney and the Fairfax County Police and that Koozmin will be subject to harassment charges if he continues to contact her. She said she was also disturbed that Koozmin, who is rumored to be running again this year for Reston Association's board,  left a bottle of whiskey and a card at RCC for her.

 "I want to be completely and emphatically clear: I wish to have no communication with you whatsoever on any basis other than official and necessary County/Reston Community Center business," Gordon wrote to Koozmin.  "You are asked not to send me emails, cards, liquor, correspondence of a personal nature, or have any other contact with me that will interfere with my ability to do my job and enjoy my peace of mind." 

Gordon says she does not want to impinge on Koozmin's lifestyle, but feels his conduct is inappropriate.

"I have no desire whatsoever to damage a sense of who he is," she said. "But I do think if you are going to run for office, you need to be responsible for your conduct. And this is not appropriate conduct."

Koozmin, who runs a knife sharpening stand at the Wednesday farmers market on Sunrise Valley Drive at Reston Parkway, ran for RCC's board on the platform of increased hours for the RCC woodshop.

Koozmin ended up with 463 votes,

In 2010, Koozmin ran for an at-large seat on RA's board. He finished fourth in the four-way race with 1,195 votes. Joe Leighton was re-elected to serve his second three-year term. He received 3,152 votes.

Koozmin did not respond to Patch's interview request.