Tagger-Epstein MyRye.com Candidate Q&A

Tune in all week long for Rye City Council candidate question & answer interviews.

Your Name: Danielle Tagger- Epstein

What Rye office are you running for: City Council – Four Year term

SEARS: What do you read to keep up with politics, art and culture?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: NY Times, Huffington Post, Rolling Stone Magazine, Time Magazine and for our local news and information The Rye Record and Rye City Review

SEARS: What do you read to keep up with friends?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: All of the above and I am currently reading the David Brooks book “Road to Character”

SEARS: What political leaders of today do you admire and why

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: Although not a political leader, Pope Francis has become one of the greatest leaders of today and not only for Catholics. His speech before the Joint Houses of Congress had plenty of calls for action and words of advice.

"A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces."

SEARS: Why are you running for office?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: I have always been committed to the idea of service and to contribute to the life of my community. I have done it most of my life. I love Rye, and my husband Dan and I chose to live here and I want to be able to do our share and make a difference.

SEARS: Why are you running for office now?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: I felt Rye had so much to offer but it also needs a city council that is balanced and responsive of the issues and problems raised by Rye residents. Currently that is not the case.

SEARS: What are the three most important issues in Rye City heading into 2016?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN:

1. Pedestrian Safety
2. Infrastructure
3. Flood Mitigation

SEARS: What are the three of the most important capital projects that need to be funded in 2016 and how much does each one cost?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: From the priorities I listed in the previous answer we need to do a better job with the City’s capital project process in identifying projects, their feasibility, benefits and costs. The City has ignored issues and has been slow in identifying and cost estimating the projects. This process needs to be improved.

SEARS: Please answer the following questions yes or no.

TAGGER-EPSTEIN:

STATEMENT	Yes or No	Optional: one sentence explanation.
Rye Playland is a pawn in county politics	No	We will see how the next several months play out but we need to make sure Rye’s interests are strongly represented.
Rye Playland does not need to be re-invented by anyone, leave it alone		Playland did financially better than expected this year but still needs major capital investment to prepare it for the future.
Rye Playland will be in good hands with Standard Amusements		It is yet to be determined. But if elected I will work with all parties to achieve the best possible Playland.
Rye Town Park should be controlled (or owned) by Rye City		The city and Rye Town each own 50% of Rye Town Park and any change in management would require consent from both parties.
Rye City is prepared for the next “100 year” flood	No	We have a lot of work to do on that front. The flood mitigation money from NY Rising will help us
Rye City should have additional restrictions on residential development		We need to look at zoning and how to address the interests of all our citizens in the most balanced way.
Rye City property taxes are too high		Property taxes are high all over but we need to understand that the city get only about 16% of that and are currently operating on a relatively lean budget already.
Rye City needs to reduce its deer population by active management including sharp shooters or bow hunting		Rye needs to be address the deer issue. We need to be smart and thoughtful and do all our due diligence to protect us.
Rye City needs additional professional fire fighters	Yes	Staffed for Failure plain and simple.
The Starwood project on the Port Chester boarder is generally a good idea		That is not for me to say. I am not a Port Chester resident. But for Rye, our job is to represent our residents interests. How will it affect our neighborhoods and our traffic. We need to be a part of that discussion and building alliances with people who have similar interests in this project. That has not been done.
Rye Golf Club is better but still a mess and needs aggressive oversight		Aggressive oversight- How about just oversight. If the city council does its job than by definition there will oversight and no need to be hostile and aggressive
Rye City parking downtown is a serious mess and has a negative impact on local business and residents enjoying downtown	Yes
Rye City paid meter parking downtown has a negative impact on local business and on residents enjoying downtown	Yes
Rye City has a serious issue with residents texting while driving and remediation steps need to be taken		Not only Rye – this is an issue and a conversation we are having as a country.
Rye City should be more pedestrian and bike friendly		This has been part of our campaign from day one.

Tell us more about you:

SEARS: What do you do for your day job and how is it relevant to serving Rye City?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: I worked as a consultant doing recruiting. I also spent years in the Marketing and Special events world. I just stepped away from my role to concentrate on the campaign. But my career has always involved people. Being able to read their needs and who they are, and finding ways to connect with them. I believe that will serve me very well on the city council. I am able to build relationships and connections with people from different backgrounds.

SEARS: Tell us about your family, why you moved to Rye and how many years you have lived in Rye.

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: My husband Dan and I live in the Greenhaven area with our daughter Lulu who is in fifth grade and our daughter Nina who just started Kindergarten. Oh and of course Teddy our one year old Golden Doodle. We fell in love with Rye the first time we drove down Purchase St. We were visiting friends who live here. My husband turned to me and said “I want to live here”.  Everything about it felt right. A week later we found our house.

SEARS: What are your three favorite Rye traditions?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN:

1. MistleToe Magic. I love the holiday season and there is something so charming about the way Purchase street looks at that time of year. Something out of a movie.
2. My kids love the Halloween window painting, and I love the way downtown looks after the kids are all done. So much fun and full of creativity.
3. Although it is a solemn occasion the 9/11 memorial to me is now a special day. We remember a tragic day and come together as a community. I would like to see more people attend.

SEARS: If you could go to the airport right now with friends or family and fly anywhere in the world for vacation, who would you take and where would you go?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: My husband and I have always wanted to go to Fiji.

SEARS: If you could create an endowment to fund any existing non-profit you designated, what lucky non-profit organization would that be?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN: The Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ) is a national campaign dedicated to ending the practice of trying, sentencing and incarcerating children under 18 in the adult criminal justice system. According to experts, Campaign for Youth Justice could do more with more resources.

SEARS: What are your three favorite Rye restaurants?

TAGGER-EPSTEIN:  

I am excited to try Rosemary and Vine , I hear it is delicious….

1. Andys. I love everything at Andy’s.  Being gluten free and health conscious this is my favorite. Best smoothies…My kids love the Pink Lady.
2. Le Pain Quotidien. I love the quinoa cakes and so did my kids. Meeting friends for coffee there is a great way to start the day.
3. Fogama. I love the sushi from there and they alway cater to our Gluten Allergies.  It’s always fresh and delicious.

Thanks Danielle!