Tagger-Epstein To Challenge Cohn for Rye Top Job

Former Councilwoman Tagger-Epstein

Throws her Hat in Mayoral Race

On Tuesday night, Danielle Tagger-Epstein (D) announced her candidacy for Mayor in this November’s election, and asked for support in the Democratic Primary.

“To be mayor means to represent all the people of Rye in a transparent and respectful manner. Listening to stakeholders across our community, from residents, local businesses, and our treasured community organizations is critical. But getting to outcomes that prepare our city for the opportunities and challenges of today and tomorrow requires more than just listening. It requires balancing the interests of those stakeholders, while also being guided by Democratic principles and policies of social justice, preparation for climate change, and fiscal responsibility.

As a former City Council member, current Human Rights Commission chair, wife, and mother of three who has been deeply involved in community affairs, I understand there are urgent issues facing our city. It has been and continues to be my passion to participate and contribute where I can, in service to our community.

As mayor, it would be my top priority to reinstate the Master Plan process that has been ignored during this mayor’s tenure. A Master Plan is a critical policy and planning document that serves as a blueprint for our city. Created with community input, it provides an actionable road map of planning for future development; budget and capital improvement forecasting, land use management, how to maximize quality of life, future growth, social equity and enable long-term planning while making sure we protect the city’s rapidly dwindling open spaces.

The absence of an updated plan has caused unnecessary community divisiveness and disruption as neighborhoods and community groups have been thrown into disarray and conflict with piecemeal attempts to address current community wants and needs.

Similarly, Emergency Management Planning has been neglected, ignoring both risks to our city and environment, as more storms, flooding and outages occur, leaving high-risk neighborhoods and residents vulnerable and exposed.
Recognizing the financial, civic and social benefits of our community organizations and restoring good relations with these important community assets would also be a priority. Their engagement makes us stronger.
I will restore the function of mayor to one that is faithful to Rye’s City Charter, recognizing the appropriate and collaborative lines of division between the guidance provided by Rye City Council and our excellent, professional city staff who manage the city day to day.

As a Rye City Councilmember, I listened to all constituents to understand their concerns and interests and find the best path forward. For two years, I conducted open office hours every week in City Hall where any resident could drop in and discuss matters of importance to them: a council practice that ended soon after my term. Similarly, I was active on the committees I served on, such as Rye Sustainability and Traffic and Pedestrian Safety, building trust and relationships that continue to this day.

Issues are often complicated, and I recognize that frequently our residents will have competing objectives. This is both the beauty of the democratic process and its challenge: to allow a forum for healthy, respectful dialogue and debate. It has been my experience that where there is good will and good faith, we can bridge almost every issue without compromising core values and reaching best possible outcomes.

These core values are critical to good governance and I would uphold these principles as your mayor. I have been an unwavering supporter of environmental protection, climate resiliency, human rights, and the independence and professional expertise of our city staff – including our police and firefighters. Most importantly, I have always been faithful to transparency, responsiveness, and respectful governance.

I am a proud Democrat, but also believe in reaching across the aisle to work with my Republican colleagues. This will not change. I will work for you and for Rye. As such, I have a track record of working with people and finding common causes to get positive things done.

I welcome the opportunity to meet with you and listen to the issues that you believe are most pressing for our community and city. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Look out for emails in the coming days on ways you can help our campaign and beyond. Let’s work together for a fair and open government that works for everyone.