Rye Brook Candidates Debate the Issues

Trustees candidates for the Rye Brook Village Board debated hot-button issues Wednesday night at Blind Brook High School during a candidates' forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Moge Agahian, Toby Marrow and Jeff Rednick, who are vying for just two spots on the board, addressed issues such as Rye Brook's 2010-2011 budget, possible service cuts, the county's affordable housing plan, shared services and a host of other topics.

Each of the candidates answered questions from members of the audience, which totaled close to 70 people, and from the Rye, Rye Brook and Port Chester League of Women Voters.

Both Rednick and Marrow are running on the Rye Brook Together ticket, a local group that currently holds all five spots on the Rye Brook Village Board of Trustees. Agahian is running as an independent candidate.

The forum made clear the difference between the candidates on key issues, particularly the village's 2010 budget, which has yet to be unveiled.

Agahian advocated a zero percent tax increase, while both Marrow and Rednick said that was highly unlikely.

"A zero percent budget increase is a great talking point," Rednick said. "Heck I'd like a 15 percent decrease but in this kind of economy it's just not possible."

Marrow said the village had contractual obligations that would likely increase its expenses, such as its garbage contract, which doesn't expire for another two years.

Though Marrow and Rednick are running on the same ticket, they frequently expressed that their ideas were their own, saying repeatedly they were "independent thinkers" who weren't running on behalf of a particular constituency.

However, all the candidates seemed to skirt answering certain questions directly, especially in regards to cutting specific services.

Rednick said since he isn't involved in the budget process he could not specifically say where cuts should be made. However, he said that each department head at Village Hall should be asked to reduce their budgets by 5 to 10 percent, and tell the public what these service cuts would entail.

Both Marrow and Agahian echoed the same point.

"This isn't really a question I can answer unless there is a full investigation into the budget process," Marrow said.

"One has to go in and look at all the options before deciding where the cuts should be made," Agahian said.

Consolidation was a frequent topic during the forum.

Rye Brook currently shares fire services with the Village of Port Chester and ambulance services with that village and the City of Rye. The Town of Rye is responsible for collecting taxes and conducting property assessments for both Rye Brook and Port Chester.

When an audience member asked if the candidates supported either consolidation with the Town of Rye or elimination of the village of Rye Brook to cut costs, most said neither was a good idea.

Rednick said if a professional study proved there would be a cost savings by eliminating the Town of Rye, then that would be a viable option. He said he wasn't in favor of eliminating the Village of Rye Brook, which has existed and operated on its own for 28 years.

The candidates also addressed the county's affordable housing plan. They were asked what areas of the village should be considered for affordable housing. Agahian said that she would not consider putting it in the densely-populated southern part of the village, while both Marrow and Rednick said all areas of the village, north and south, should be considered.

Perhaps the most hot-button issue of the evening concerned the Arbors, a 30-year-old housing development located next to Blind Brook High School that has been in frequent discussions with the Village Board about updating its site plan.

Both Agahian and Marrow are residents of the Arbors and past presidents of its homeowners association. Agahian has frequently appeared before the Village Board, advocating for Arbors homeowners in what has become a lengthy, arduous and costly process. Until the issue is resolved, the homeowners cannot perform any modifications because the Village Board said it would no longer issue permits until the community updated its site plan.

Both Marrow and Rednick criticized Agahian's leadership and role in the ongoing issue.

"Nothing is being asked of the Arbors that isn't being asked of other residents in the village," Marrow said. "It's village code."

Rednick criticized Agahian for hiring four attorneys to deal with the site plan process and said that under her leadership Arbors residents have experienced the largest increase in common fees, an amount that totals $20.

Several members of the audience and Agahian supporters took issue with Rednick's criticisms. Some started booing and screaming, saying Rednick was going over the line in his closing arguments.

The forum's moderator, Sue Weisfeld, asked Rednick to stop and told him that his closing argument wasn't an opportunity to take political jabs at his opponent.

For some audience members the forum was informative, even if they had already decided whom to support.

Rye Brook resident Alan Vernon said Rednick made several valid points, especially in regards to the potential expansion of the Rye Town Hilton, which Rednick called too ambitious.

"I have no question about who I'm going to vote for," Vernon said, though he declined to name a candidate.

Dee Mitchell, an Arbors resident and Agahian supporter, said Rednick had misrepresented her community, the increase in fees and Agahian's leadership.

"There were a lot of inaccuracies in what Rednick said," Mitchell said.

She said both Marrow and Rednick had the support of an organized political group and stuck to their talking points throughout the forum.

"The political machinery of the other two fed them with as many statistics as possible, " she said.

The forum was one of the candidates' final opportunities to speak to voters. The Rye Brook Village Board election will take place on March 16. The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.