Q&A With the Candidates: Moge Agahian

On March 16, Rye Brook will hold an election for its Village Board of Trustees. Mayor Joan Feinstein, who was elected in 2008, is currently uncontested in her efforts to seek re-election. However, three candidates are vying for two spots that will be left vacant by Village Trustees Dean Santon and Patricia Sanders Romano, who aren't seeking re-election.

In the run-up to the election, Rye Patch is featuring a Q&A with the candidates. We've already published interviews with candidates  Toby Marrow and Jeff Rednick, who are running on the Rye Brook Together ticket. This week's final Q&A is with Moge Agahian, an independent candidate and former prosecutor.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I moved to the U.S. at the age 17 from Tehran, Iran.  I went directly from Tehran to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to attend the University there.  Later, I moved to San Francisco, Calif. and graduated from University of San Francisco with a degree in Fine Arts.  This was followed by law school in Seattle, WA.

My husband, Reza, and I have been married for 20 years and have a 14- year-old son attending Blind Brook Middle School.  Reza is an architect and specializes in designing research laboratories.  We moved to Rye Brook five years ago but feel a strong sense of connection to Rye Brook.  This is mainly due to the fact that we have met and made many wonderful friends here. Rye Brook is truly our home now.

I practiced law for nearly 10 years.  My most favorite assignments were clerking for a court of appeals judge and working as a civil deputy prosecutor.  Prior to attending law school, I was a systems analyst for Xerox Corporation, where I was commended for being both an effective leader and team player.

I love to read, to cook and entertain.  And, my day is not complete unless I've solved at least one Sudoku puzzle.

2.  Why did you decide to run for public office and have you ever been involved in politics before? 

Officially, I had not sought public office before unless one considers running for a position on a homeowners association running for office.  My name appeared on ballots a few times when I attended college because others had nominated me.

I don't believe in running for office just for the sake of being in office.  I decided to run because I felt that Rye Brook citizens deserve a strong, balanced and independent voice on the Board of Trustees.  As the president of the Arbors Homeowners Association I was actively involved with the Village to bring our community into compliance with the Village requirements for updating our PUD (planned unit development).  Through those efforts, I realized that our Village needs to take a more cooperative, more open and welcoming approach in dealing with its residents.  That was the motivation for my interest in joining the Board of Trustees.

3.  What is your campaign platform? 

I am the only independent candidate to run in the past 6 years who has not been endorsed by an organized group.  My representation of the residents will not be impacted by old guard loyalties and political favoritism.  I have the professional experience to listen to the concerns and opinions of our residents and to find solutions that are workable for the entire community.

I believe in our democratic system and as a trustee I will invite and encourage our citizens to take part in every aspect of their local government decision-making process.  We need a friendlier and more inclusive attitude to be the hallmark of our interactions with our Village.  Our residents must be able to feel that their Village government is working with them and not against them.  I believe I can bring a refreshing new voice and a whole new perspective to the board.

4.  What civic groups are you involved in?  How have you been involved in the community since moving to Rye Brook? 

Upon moving to Rye Brook, I joined the PTA and took part in many volunteer activities in the elementary school.  For the past three years I have been on the board of our homeowners association and have represented the interests of nearly 400 residents of the community all with varied concerns requiring different solutions.  My goal has always been about non-adversarial interactions and to advocate compromise for the good of the entire community.

Prior to moving to Rye Brook, I was the vice chair of a county human rights commission and was involved with a nonprofit organization for the promotion of cultural diversity (EUC).

5.  What are the three most important issues local government needs to address in the village?  How would your presence on the village board help to move these issues forward? 

The most important issue facing all of us nationally and locally is the grim financial landscape we face.  I believe that when so many of our residents are anxious about their financial stability and cutting their expenses to make ends meet, this should also be reflected in the village spending policies.

Another concern is the perception of a large number of village residents that the enforcement of some village codes is at times punitive.  Our village should enforce the rules in a fair and reasonable manner.  The process of applying for permits should be streamlined and made much clearer and the applicable fees should not be looked upon by the village as a major source of income.

The new mandate for creating affordable housing will also become a key issue in the next couple of years.  The village must conduct its own studies on how to derive the most benefit with the least impact on the residents who already live in Rye Brook.  My experience on the human rights council will help me to contribute to accomplishing this task.

Again, my strength is in building consensus.  I am committed to working cooperatively with the members of the Board of Trustees, committees and the residents of Rye Brook to research, deliberate and resolve the issues we face fairly and expeditiously.  This is a small community of well educated and bright people.  We need everyone's involvement to come up with the best possible solutions.

6.  You are currently president of the Arbors Homeowners Association.  The Arbors has been in constant discussion with the board about several issues, particularly the PUD.  Are you planning to get these issues resolved once you're elected? 

Of course, as the Arbors president for the past year, I was intimately involved with the issues that our community faced when we were asked to address the PUD. This process morphed into an unnecessarily difficult and costly process.  I would like the PUD related issues to be resolved as quickly and inexpensively as possible.  However, I would defer to the ethics code any decision on how my future interaction as a Trustee should be conducted in relation to the Arbors community.

7.  Will you continue as president of the homeowners association if elected?  Will living in the Arbors affect the way you govern and the issues you address, for better or worse, as a Village trustee? 

Serving my neighbors in the Arbors was a pleasure and an honor for me.  I did step down from the Arbors board recently to make certain that the community is in no way impacted by my efforts to run for office.  The community is left in very good hands with a committed and proactive Board and knowledgeable attorney who will move the process of updating the PUD forward.

The Arbors has nearly 400 residents.  I believe that I have led our community through one of its most challenging times with clarity of mission and the courage to make the difficult choices.  Our residents may not have agreed with every decision made by their board but they have been very supportive as they realize that the board's first and foremost concern was the best interest of the community and every decision was thoroughly considered before action was taken.

My leadership style would not differ drastically from how I have conducted myself in the past 3 years.  My community is in large part very supportive of me and I believe that is quite an accomplishment considering the sometimes tumultuous periods which divided our community.  I will apply the same principles of openness, respect, and thoughtful deliberation to the position of Trustee.

8.  How will you deal with perceptions that you may be more of an advocate for the Arbors community rather than people living elsewhere? 

Although I am more familiar with the concerns of the Arbors residents at this time, I will be ready to respond to the concern of every resident of Rye Brook by first listening, then investigating and finally expediting the best possible solution.  As such, my personal address is not a measure of my level of commitment to any resident of the village.  If I were residing on Winding Wood or Argyle, I would follow the same steps to determine the best course of action for resolving issues for any of our village residents.

9.  Budget season is fast approaching.  In these times of economic hardship, in what areas should the village cut expenses or increase them? What kind of budget would like to see approved this year? 

Our village property taxes have gone up slightly over the rate of inflation in the past five years.  Although, I do not believe that this rate of increase was unreasonable during the prosperous economic times, it is incumbent upon the village to keep the increase as low as possible.  Personally, I would advocate for an increase of zero percent in property taxes for 2010-2011.

This is not an easy choice but one that can be made.  For example, the Arbors Board passed an austerity budget for 2010-2011.  We cut out all the fat so that we could meet our most important obligations.  The association fees were increased by $20 in two years despite the unforeseen legal expenses that were thrust upon us last year.

Another step to consider is the combination of non-emergency and back office administrative services with other municipalities to reduce our expenditures while maintaining the same level of service for our citizens.