Robert A. Agresta
Encyclopedia
Robert "Rob" Anthony Agresta (born March 31, 1983) is a lawyer and an American
Republican Party
politician who was elected on November 4, 2008 to serve a three-year term as a Republican councilman in the Borough of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
, defeating Democratic opponent Patricia Drimones, 1256 to 1059.
On January 6, 2009, Agresta was voted President of the Borough Council after two more Republicans were voted in during the November 2009 general election creating a new Republican majority in Englewood Cliffs.
.
After graduating from Fordham University
in 2005, Agresta attended a one-year program in McLean, Virginia
, developed by the National Automobile Dealers Association
to teach dealership management techniques. Agresta is currently Managing Partner at The Agresta Firm PC and General Counsel at Benzel-Busch Motor Car Corp.
Agresta graduated from New York Law School
in New York City
on June 1, 2009 with a Juris Doctor
degree. He began law school as an evening student and in 2007 was elected Student Bar Association senator for the New York Law School
Evening Division. In 2008 Agresta transferred to the full-time day division and graduated one year early.
, he and friends formed WMN, LLC, a media technology startup, contemporaneously with the filing of a U.S. Patent Application.
In 2001, Agresta enrolled at Fordham University
to pursue a Bachelor of Science
degree in the College of Business Administration, which he was awarded in 2005. By the time he graduated from Fordham, Agresta had filed his second U.S. Patent Application, completed two tiers of fundraising and was marketing WMN’s concept to potential purchasers out of an office in Rockefeller Center
.
As one of six brothers and sisters, Agresta has also been actively involved in his family business - Benzel-Busch Motor Car Corp. - the Mercedes-Benz dealership his father acquired in 1976 when it sold 300 cars per year. Agresta worked summers during high school updating the dealership's technology system and helped make it into a notably successful enterprise in the New York area.
Agresta was the Republican nominee running for the Englewood Cliffs Borough Council seat held by democratic incumbent Patricia Drimones. Agresta was the winner of the June 2008 primary in which he ran uncontested.
On November 4, 2008, Agresta won a three-year term to the Englewood Cliffs council. He was sworn in to office on January 6, 2009 by Judge Maurice Gallipoli, Assignment Judge of Hudson County, New Jersey
.
Agresta was endorsed by New Jersey Senator Gerald Cardinale
, New Jersey Senator Tom Kean, Jr., Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes
, Bernard Kerik
and Dr. Mehmet Oz
.
Agresta has endorsed candidates for numerous offices including Englewood Cliffs Councilpersons Eric Petrone, Carlo Bartolomeo and Carrol McMorrow.
, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg
, U.S. Representative Steven Rothman and Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes
at a protest in Englewood, NJ against Libyan leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi coming to inhabit a home owned in the town by the Libyan government.
On September 12, 2009, Agresta attended a 9-12 rally in Washington, DC against excessive taxation and large government.
On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama
announced that Osama Bin Laden
had been captured and killed. Agresta joined Fox correspondent Margaret Hoover
and model Melyssa Ford
revelers at Ground Zero to memorialize the occasion.
In July of 2010, Agresta, as Chairman of the Finance Committee, introduced the 2010 municipal budget. The budget, which represented a $588 increase over the borough's 2009 spending plan, carried a $10.5 million tax levy. A taxpayer with a home assessed at $1.25 million, the borough's average, would pay $3,838 in municipal taxes — $200 more than 2009. Agresta said two major factors accounted for this increase: Governor Christie’s decision not to allow municipalities to defer payments to the state pension plan and a loss in state aid this year. Aside from those factors, he said,the tax rate would have remained flat.
During the 2010 election in which incumbent council democrats Ilan Plawker and Melanie Simon were seeking re-election, they cited an article from Agresta's website in which he supports shared services to lower property taxes, arguing that Agresta was in favor of a merger of towns and had spoken with the mayor of neighboring Englewood regarding the same. Huttle was quoted as saying "I did have a conversation with Mayor Parisi, council members and other Democrats and Republican council members in nearby towns and invited them to join me in sitting down to explore very carefully any opportunities that do exist to share services for the sole purpose of reducing costs and improving services."
At the January 2011 mayor & council reorganization meeting, Agresta introduced resolutions to not reappoint a number of borough professionals and employees for the 2011 term including the Borough Clerk / Administrator, Municipal Assistant, Borough Attorney and Labor Attorney. Agresta said that the moves were made to "save the taxpayers money." He added,"The taxpayers deserve an administration capable of efficiently working in their interests to reduce the spending." "I'm still in shock," Mayor Joseph C. Parisi Jr., a Democrat, said a day after the reorganization meeting. "I am aghast of the treatment of the borough employees it's inhumane." On February 1, 2011 at a public meeting of the mayor & council, Agresta introduced resolutions to hire Susan McGinley Spohn as borough Administrator / Clerk, and to eliminate the position of Deputy Clerk from the borough ordinances. Douglas Doyle, of Decotiis, Fitzpatrick and Cole, was appointed as borough attorney and labor attorney, replacing two other attorneys.
since 2002 and was a member of the Englewood Cliffs Volunteer Fire Department until October 2008. In October 2008, Agresta was suspended from the department. On November 4, 2008, Agresta won election to the office of Councilman. Later in November, Agresta was terminated by the department for a low call response percentage. Agresta maintains that the termination was a political action taken by the department, spearheaded by his political opponent's brother and husband who are respectively the President and Chief of the department as retaliation for his candidacy for the office of Councilman. Agresta has explained his low call response percentage by stating that he was on academic leave from the department. He has filed a suit for retaliatory termination and civil rights violations in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Pursuant to a settlement agreement entered into on September 2, 2009, the insurance company representing the defendants agreed to pay a portion of Agresta's legal fees. The Englewood Cliffs Fire Department agreed to reinstate Agresta and his brother in good standing. Contemporaneously Agresta and his brother resigned from the department in good standing.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician who was elected on November 4, 2008 to serve a three-year term as a Republican councilman in the Borough of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Englewood Cliffs is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 5,281. The borough houses the world headquarters of CNBC and the American headquarters of Unilever, and is home to both Ferrari and Maserati North America.Englewood Cliffs...
, defeating Democratic opponent Patricia Drimones, 1256 to 1059.
On January 6, 2009, Agresta was voted President of the Borough Council after two more Republicans were voted in during the November 2009 general election creating a new Republican majority in Englewood Cliffs.
Biography
Agresta was born at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New JerseyTeaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
.
After graduating from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
in 2005, Agresta attended a one-year program in McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
, developed by the National Automobile Dealers Association
National Automobile Dealers Association
The National Automobile Dealers Association, founded in 1917, represents nearly 17,000 new-car and truck dealers, both domestic and international, with about 37,500 separate franchises...
to teach dealership management techniques. Agresta is currently Managing Partner at The Agresta Firm PC and General Counsel at Benzel-Busch Motor Car Corp.
Agresta graduated from New York Law School
New York Law School
New York Law School is a private law school in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. New York Law School is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. The school is located within four blocks of all major courts in Manhattan. In 2011, New York Law School...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on June 1, 2009 with a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree. He began law school as an evening student and in 2007 was elected Student Bar Association senator for the New York Law School
New York Law School
New York Law School is a private law school in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. New York Law School is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. The school is located within four blocks of all major courts in Manhattan. In 2011, New York Law School...
Evening Division. In 2008 Agresta transferred to the full-time day division and graduated one year early.
Early career
At the age of 16, Agresta incorporated the technology business, CapSync Systems, Inc. Subsequently, while attending high school at the Dwight-Englewood SchoolDwight-Englewood School
The Dwight–Englewood School is an independent coeducational college preparatory day school, located in Englewood, New Jersey. The school teaches students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade via three functionally separate schools. The Lower School serves students in pre-kindergarten through...
, he and friends formed WMN, LLC, a media technology startup, contemporaneously with the filing of a U.S. Patent Application.
In 2001, Agresta enrolled at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
to pursue a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in the College of Business Administration, which he was awarded in 2005. By the time he graduated from Fordham, Agresta had filed his second U.S. Patent Application, completed two tiers of fundraising and was marketing WMN’s concept to potential purchasers out of an office in Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
.
As one of six brothers and sisters, Agresta has also been actively involved in his family business - Benzel-Busch Motor Car Corp. - the Mercedes-Benz dealership his father acquired in 1976 when it sold 300 cars per year. Agresta worked summers during high school updating the dealership's technology system and helped make it into a notably successful enterprise in the New York area.
Business career
In 2004, Agresta formed Agresta Acquisitions, LLC., a venture capital, M&A and holding company. In 2009, Agresta formed The Agresta Firm, PC, a law firm specializing in corporate transactions after successfully passing the New York and New Jersey bar exams. Agresta is admitted to the bars of the State of New York, the District of Columbia and the State of New Jersey. Agresta is a member of the American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, the Bergen County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association.2008 campaign for Borough Council
On November 4, 2008, Agresta won a three-year term to the Englewood Cliffs council. He was sworn in to office on January 6, 2009 by Judge Maurice Gallipoli, Assignment Judge of Hudson County, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Agresta was endorsed by New Jersey Senator Gerald Cardinale
Gerald Cardinale
Gerald Cardinale is an American Republican Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey State Senate since 1982, where he represents the 39th Legislative District...
, New Jersey Senator Tom Kean, Jr., Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes
Michael Wildes
Michael J. Wildes is an American immigration lawyer and senior partner of Wildes and Weinberg PC. He is a former Federal Prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York,, and a former Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey. He is recognized as an authority on Immigration Law, and has been referred to as...
, Bernard Kerik
Bernard Kerik
Bernard Bailey "Bernie" Kerik is a former New York City Police Commissioner, Secretary of Homeland Security nominee, and now a federal felon. Kerik was New York City Police Commissioner from 2000 to 2001, under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In December 2004, President George W. Bush nominated Kerik as...
and Dr. Mehmet Oz
Mehmet Oz
Mehmet Cengiz Oz , also known as Dr. Oz, is a Turkish-American cardiothoracic surgeon, author, talk show host, and commentator for The Dr. Oz Show, a daily television program focusing on medical issues/personal health....
.
Agresta has endorsed candidates for numerous offices including Englewood Cliffs Councilpersons Eric Petrone, Carlo Bartolomeo and Carrol McMorrow.
Activism
On August 30, 2009, Agresta joined Gov. Jon CorzineJon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg
Frank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...
, U.S. Representative Steven Rothman and Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes
Michael Wildes
Michael J. Wildes is an American immigration lawyer and senior partner of Wildes and Weinberg PC. He is a former Federal Prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York,, and a former Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey. He is recognized as an authority on Immigration Law, and has been referred to as...
at a protest in Englewood, NJ against Libyan leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi coming to inhabit a home owned in the town by the Libyan government.
On September 12, 2009, Agresta attended a 9-12 rally in Washington, DC against excessive taxation and large government.
On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
announced that Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
had been captured and killed. Agresta joined Fox correspondent Margaret Hoover
Margaret Hoover
Margaret Claire Hoover is an American political commentator, political strategist, and blogger. She is a great-granddaughter of former President Herbert Hoover...
and model Melyssa Ford
Melyssa Ford
Melyssa Savannah Ford is a Canadian model and actress. She attended York University and studied in the field of forensic psychology. Ford's father is Afro-Barbadian and her mother is Russian and Norwegian...
revelers at Ground Zero to memorialize the occasion.
2009-2011 Term of Office
In January 2010, Agresta was voted Council President by the majority of the council. In April 2010, the Englewood Cliffs Republicans announced two more candidates to take unanimous control of the council. In April 2010 Englewood Cliffs voters defeated a school board budget in the wake of significant cuts resulting from a statewide initiative to cut local school budgets. The school budget was then passed to the borough council while Agresta was president. Voting in the affirmative with the majority, Agresta and the council cut $87,000 from the school budget without elimination of any additional programs. Council President Robert Agresta said the prevailing interest is that of the kids and he was happy their cut was "far less of a proposal than a lot of our neighboring towns."In July of 2010, Agresta, as Chairman of the Finance Committee, introduced the 2010 municipal budget. The budget, which represented a $588 increase over the borough's 2009 spending plan, carried a $10.5 million tax levy. A taxpayer with a home assessed at $1.25 million, the borough's average, would pay $3,838 in municipal taxes — $200 more than 2009. Agresta said two major factors accounted for this increase: Governor Christie’s decision not to allow municipalities to defer payments to the state pension plan and a loss in state aid this year. Aside from those factors, he said,the tax rate would have remained flat.
During the 2010 election in which incumbent council democrats Ilan Plawker and Melanie Simon were seeking re-election, they cited an article from Agresta's website in which he supports shared services to lower property taxes, arguing that Agresta was in favor of a merger of towns and had spoken with the mayor of neighboring Englewood regarding the same. Huttle was quoted as saying "I did have a conversation with Mayor Parisi, council members and other Democrats and Republican council members in nearby towns and invited them to join me in sitting down to explore very carefully any opportunities that do exist to share services for the sole purpose of reducing costs and improving services."
At the January 2011 mayor & council reorganization meeting, Agresta introduced resolutions to not reappoint a number of borough professionals and employees for the 2011 term including the Borough Clerk / Administrator, Municipal Assistant, Borough Attorney and Labor Attorney. Agresta said that the moves were made to "save the taxpayers money." He added,"The taxpayers deserve an administration capable of efficiently working in their interests to reduce the spending." "I'm still in shock," Mayor Joseph C. Parisi Jr., a Democrat, said a day after the reorganization meeting. "I am aghast of the treatment of the borough employees it's inhumane." On February 1, 2011 at a public meeting of the mayor & council, Agresta introduced resolutions to hire Susan McGinley Spohn as borough Administrator / Clerk, and to eliminate the position of Deputy Clerk from the borough ordinances. Douglas Doyle, of Decotiis, Fitzpatrick and Cole, was appointed as borough attorney and labor attorney, replacing two other attorneys.
Agresta's Civil Rights Lawsuit
Agresta has been a certified Firefighter in the State of New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
since 2002 and was a member of the Englewood Cliffs Volunteer Fire Department until October 2008. In October 2008, Agresta was suspended from the department. On November 4, 2008, Agresta won election to the office of Councilman. Later in November, Agresta was terminated by the department for a low call response percentage. Agresta maintains that the termination was a political action taken by the department, spearheaded by his political opponent's brother and husband who are respectively the President and Chief of the department as retaliation for his candidacy for the office of Councilman. Agresta has explained his low call response percentage by stating that he was on academic leave from the department. He has filed a suit for retaliatory termination and civil rights violations in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Pursuant to a settlement agreement entered into on September 2, 2009, the insurance company representing the defendants agreed to pay a portion of Agresta's legal fees. The Englewood Cliffs Fire Department agreed to reinstate Agresta and his brother in good standing. Contemporaneously Agresta and his brother resigned from the department in good standing.
Sources
- Councilman-elect sues town and county officials
- Fire call response now issue in race
- GOP wants cut in Cliffs police pay
- Mayor named in local suit
- Robert Agresta
- Candidates face off ... well kind of
- Qaddafi "is not welcome in New Jersey"
- Englewood Cliffs May Not Reappoint Construction official
External links
- Englewood Cliffs official website
- Agresta & Petrone 2008 Campaign Website
- Articles from Media Saved on the Political Website of Robert Agresta