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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. The Daily White Plains has put together a guide for voters interested in learning more about the Common Council and county legislature candidates before the Nov. 8 elections. Each candidate was asked the same questions.
Iris Pagan, 57, a former president of the Westchester County Women's Republican Club, has stepped into the fifth district legislative seat race. She will be running on the Republican ticket. In her own words, here's how the White Plains resident and former educator describes her campaign:
Why did you decide to move to White Plains?
I moved from the city to White Plains in 1978 because I wanted to improve my life and have opportunities to get a job and go to school that I didnt see happening in the city. In the city there was entrenched entitlement and here there was hope.
Why would you be a good representative in the coming term?
Id be a good representative because my goal is to listen to what people need and what theyre struggling with. I want to take the same tenacity and determination for self-improvement and apply it to what people tell me are their concerns and look for effective solutions.
If elected, what are the three biggest goals you'd work to accomplish?
The biggest issue is keeping down property taxes. We need to look directly at how seniors and young people are being affected. You have a generation of people who worked hard for young people and now they cannot enjoy the fruits of their labor.
We need to streamline government structures and look into how we do things. We need to analyze procedures that may add to the tax burden.
I want to create a dialogue because we need unity. Its not about Republicans and its not about Democrats. Were all in the same community.
Has the local government made any mistakes or had any oversights that you'd try to avoid?
The biggest mistake is misspending of our taxpayers money. When you see articles about county legislators spending money on cell phones and conferences, this is not why citizens are paying more taxes than they can afford. Theyre not in it for the waste.
What's the best part of White Plains?
I think that acknowledging that White Plains is the seat of Westchester County and keeping in mind its diversity, I think that White Plains has the potential to be a thriving metropolitan that provides a friendly business environment, jobs, great education, and a wonderful standard of living.
Other related experience:
- Former president of the Westchester County Women's Republican Club
- Former educator at the French-American School of New York (FASNY), Horace Mann, and public schools
- Writer working on a book about her experience in education
Will you vote in the Nov. 8 election? Are there any additional questions you'd like us to ask candidates? What would you like to see your county legislator accomplish in the coming term? Join the conversation below.
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