Attorney Amir Sadaghiani Launches Campaign for Orange County Legislature

Amir Sadaghiani, an attorney from Goshen, has announced his candidacy for the Orange County Legislature, aiming to enhance his community using the insights and skills accumulated over nearly two decades in legal practice.

“My primary focus will be on tackling issues related to mental health and substance abuse—this stems from my background in criminal justice. I want to see the county government held accountable,” Sadaghiani shared during an interview with The Epoch Times on March 10.

“As a trial lawyer, my role is to advocate and persuade,” he explained. “This provides me with a unique set of skills to advocate for the residents of District 2 and all of Orange County.”

The newly redrawn District 2 includes the entire town of Goshen and the northern region of Warwick, as well as the village of Florida.

Having grown up in Deerpark and graduated from Port Jervis School District, Sadaghiani reminisced about the tight-knit community on the western fringe of the county.

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“The community embraced my family when few others would,” he recounted, explaining how, during the 1980s—following the political atmosphere of the Iran hostage crisis—his late father, who had trained as a physician in the U.S., struggled to find work in the New York area until he landed an OB-GYN position at a small Port Jervis hospital.

“I cannot express enough appreciation for the community: its values, unity, and the understanding that when a neighbor is in need, it is both an obligation and a privilege to assist,” he emphasized.

Sadaghiani later pursued studies in economics and finance at Bucknell University, originally eyeing a career on Wall Street, but the events of 9/11 reshaped his outlook on life.

“While finance is commendable, my personal conviction is that I wanted my life to have a different meaning,” he noted, pointing out that both his father and his mother, a long-serving school board member in the community, instilled the importance of serving humanity and giving back to society in him and his sister.

He attended the University of Notre Dame Law School and returned to Orange County in late 2006 as an assistant district attorney. His responsibilities included prosecuting a variety of criminal cases, such as murder, arson, and robbery, responding to crime scenes as a member of an on-call team and managing wiretap investigations.

About eight years later, during a divorce from his ex-wife, Sadaghiani contemplated changing careers and joined private practice with the late attorney Ben Ostrer.

“As a prosecutor, my goal wasn’t solely to imprison individuals, but to pursue genuine justice, which sometimes means exercising mercy when dictated by the facts and evidence,” he explained.

“In my current role as a defense attorney, I strive to advocate for my clients and ensure they receive a fair resolution in their cases—my focus has always been on achieving that just outcome.”

Today, half of his private practice, which relocated from Chester to Goshen years ago, involves criminal law, with the remaining portion dedicated to personal injury and other civil matters.

As he embarks on his campaign for a seat on the county legislature, Sadaghiani hopes to address the significant impacts that mental health and substance abuse have on crime by focusing on preventative solutions at the county level.

“Throwing funding at law enforcement, prosecutors, and jails won’t resolve these issues,” he remarked. “The county can spearhead efforts to provide resources and access that individuals can utilize to overcome these challenges.”

He is also committed to improving government accountability and transparency.

“When things don’t unfold as they should in government, we owe it to the public to explain what happened and the measures we’ve taken to prevent a recurrence,” he asserted.

“Mistakes are inevitable, and none of us are infallible,” he added. “What matters is how we address those errors and progress.”

As an attorney, Sadaghiani has traversed nearly every part of the county and has honed his skills as a good listener, since he often encounters people during their toughest moments.

“I believe that members of the Legislature exist to represent all citizens—it does not matter if one is a Democrat, Republican, or Independent; the Legislature is there for everyone,” he stated.

“If elected, I will collaborate with anyone for the betterment of Orange County.”

As a father, Sadaghiani co-parents three middle school-aged children—Catherine, Darius Amir, and Anthony—with his ex-wife.

“I discussed my candidacy with my ex-wife since it would significantly affect our family dynamics,” he stated. “Together, as a family, we agreed that this is a venture we want to pursue, one that we believe we can excel at.”