Meet Andy Sternlieb, Incumbent
Your Ridgefield Board of Assessment Appeals Candidate
How has your personal and professional background prepared you for this role? My professional background has been in real estate finance and investment sales, so these are issues I’ve had to deal with on behalf of my clients. On a personal level, I have challenged the assessment on the last house we owned and successfully argued for a 10% reduction in the assessment!
What do you think the Board’s greatest strengths are and how will you build on them?
There are currently 3 of us on the Board. And in my experience, we are completely collegial, collaborative and apolitical. If you think the assessment on your house or car is wrong, please make an appointment to see us at the times provided and present your case. It won’t be the first time that the board agreed to change the assessment based on info provided by the taxpayer. We’re all about fairness.
What are your top priorities for Ridgefield when you are elected?
To be fair, responsive and open minded about the concerns of those who come before our Board. You may not be successful in your appeal, but we will always back up our decision with the facts and convey them to the petitioner in a non-judgemental manner.
What are the key issues the Board of Assessment Appeals faces?
The key issue for the BOAA is to make sure property owners feel that the assessment process is fair and that, if they feel the assessor reached the wrong conclusion as to the value of their property, they can come before the BOAA to state their case and receive a thoughtful response. We may not always agree with petitioner’s position, but we hope that they will believe we were thoughtful and fair in our response.
What is your leadership style?
To be collaborative and seek consensus
What does Ridgefield mean to you personally?
We moved to Ridgefield after living in North Salem for 32 years where I was very involved in various community organizations. Now Ridgefield is our home and my wife and I feel we have an obligation to give back to our new hometown. If you see how we care for our home you’ll know we are invested in Ridgefield.
What is one thing voters might be surprised to learn about you?
I’ve always been a real estate geek. I love exploring the different sections of town looking at the diverse properties. That’s how I get ideas about how might improve our property, whether it is painting the house a new color or “stealing” some landscaping ideas.
Why should Ridgefield trust you?
I’m very forthright – I mean what I say and say what I mean.