ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ - "I am honored to have served the borough of Englewood cliffs for the 831 days since I took my oath of office." said Council President Robert Agresta of Englewood Cliffs during the April 12th meeting of the Englewood Cliffs Mayor and Council.  Agresta went on to say that "During the course of the past three years I became a public official, lost my greatest hero – my dad, I lost my both of my greatest mentors, still went on to become council president and then an attorney-at-law in New Jersey, New York and Washington, DC.  I started to practice law in my own firm, became a licensed pilot, acquired an Audi dealership with my brothers and began an expansion of our Mercedes store that would nearly double its size.  I started an Internet microfinance company based out of Rockefeller Center and Santiago Chile with my highschool friend which already has investors and is on its way to success."

"I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity." said Agresta, "The Japanese have a term called Ikigai.  Ikigai is the Japanese translation of the French “raison d’etre” or 'reason for being.'  When Plato wrote about government, what Plato said was that the most preferred form of governor was what we know as the true statesman.  -- The philosopher king who knows his place and his task.  My purpose is to be a builder of new ideas and companies.  I live to put new ideas together and advance the conversation.  It is my Ikigai.  I simply love to do it.  There is nothing more exciting to me than helping new ideas spring up out of the ground.

In Nuoro Province of Sardinia Italy and Okinawa Japan there are zones called “blue zones” that are known for having the highest number of centenarians -  which are people over age 100.  When scientists researched these zones to find out how these people were living so long, they found the least common denominator:  These people all had emphasized Ikigai in their cultures.  They knew what their reason for being alive was.  I have never believed that one man should remain a lifelong politician, therefore, I am imposing my own term limit on this office.  Ideas get used up and then the man who had them needs to step aside to make way for the new ones.  And so, I strive to become like he whom Plato once apotheosized - the statesman.  This means that I know my place, and that is why as a builder and starter, it is now my time to pass the torch of good government on to whomever the public’s wisdom declares a new leader in the upcoming November election.

I am proud of the accomplishments this Republican Council Majority has made, the spending cuts we’ve made, the hard thinking we’ve done, and the tax cut we’ve now delivered.  For me, I will be focusing on my law practice, which has thankfully been growing by leaps and bounds.  At my firm, we have developed practice areas that are strong in litigation and corporate law.  Based out of Englewood, we look forward to serving the community’s legal needs in the years to come.  I am also currently working on a book, which I will release this year on Tuesday November 8th, 2011.  I invite you all to signup on robertagresta.com for more updates.  To serve in public office with your lifelong friend beside you is an experience I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and I just want to take a moment to thank my best friend Eric for standing with me through these years."