James D. O'Donnell

Background and Experience:
Bachelor of Arts — Dominican College
FBI National Academy
John F. Kennedy School of Government — Harvard University
I am extremely proud to have had a successful and distinguished career in law enforcement which began in 1974 as a New York State Trooper. I moved through the ranks and in 1993, returned to Orange County as Troop Commander of Troop F. In 1995, I was appointed Lieutenant Colonel in charge of all Uniform Trooper patrol operations for the State of New York.
I established the “DARE” Program, designed to bring law enforcement and the communities closer together.
In 1997 I was appointed by Governor Pataki as Chief of Police of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. To guard against the threat of terrorism I brought the MTA, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the FBI-NYPD Terrorism Task Force together to coordinate emergency response. This proved to be critical after the World Trade Center Bombing on Sept. 11, 2001. While Chief of Police, I oversaw the MTA’s evacuation of New York City on that day and the police response during the months after the attack.
In 2004 I joined Orange County Government as the Director of Operations. In 2005 I became the Deputy County Executive. In this role, I oversaw the daily operations of all 35 County Departments.
One of my many duties was to oversee Economic Development. In this capacity, I created and retained thousands of jobs. I instituted a Lean Six Sigma Program saving the County over $2 million.
I put my law enforcement background to work for Orange County residents during the Emergency Operations of Hurricane’s Lee and Irene and Super-Storm Sandy.
I am currently retired and spend most of my time doing volunteer work and serving on various Boards.
Vice Chair of the Newburgh Armory Unity Center.
President – Elect of the Goshen Rotary.
Board member of Safe Homes of Orange County.
I have been married to my lovely wife Margaret for 43 years. We have eight children: Christy, Joanne, Jamie, Maggie, Michael, Molly, Ellen, and John Kerry. We have six grandchildren: Hudson, Luke, James, Cailyn, Keira and Maya.
Government Center:
I am looking forward to seeing the Government Center reopen and life be restored to a derelict building.
Over 70 roofs have been eliminated and the entire space has been hygienically scrubbed to insure we have a healthy building for our workers and the public. Safety will be significantly enhanced with a single point of entrance and the use of magnetometers. There will be a 30 x 30 community room available for use by all of us.
The return of the Department of Motor Vehicles will be an economic boost to our local businesses. The new Government Center will be equipped with the latest technology in energy efficiencies. The building will finally be handicap accessible friendly!
Valley View:
I will never sell Valley View. I will never vote to lease Valley View land as my opponent did.
When the County Clerk’s Office moves out of the Parry Building at Valley View and back to downtown Goshen, the vacated space should be filled with expanded services; such as a ventilation unit and/or type of assisted living unit.
I was instrumental in hiring the new Commissioner, Laurence LaDue. I will work to insure he has all the resources he needs. For the few of you, including my opponent, who keep misrepresenting my position on Valley View, I refer you to review my full testimony before the Health and Mental Health Committee on May 22, 2012. Putting fear into our Valley View residents is shameful. Again, I will never sell Valley View.
Quarry:
The first rental of the Quarry property dates back to 1963; the county was paid 5 cents per ton. In 1970 a very intelligent decision was made by Orange County to exclude the 13.2-acre cave sight from the lease agreement. This preserved the historic archeological significance of the caves. Their use goes back over 10,000 years. Currently there are discussions being held to open an educational interpretive center that I fully support.
The Town Board recently visited the site with the D.E.C. relative to noise complaints and drilling on Sundays. I will monitor the D.E.C.’s response to the legitimate complaints of our constituents.
Anyone interested in further Quarry information should contact the Planning Department and ask for a copy of the 2012 study.
LEGOLAND:
LEGOLAND will change Goshen forever. In July, I called on the Industrial Development Agency to conduct a cost/benefit analysis. KPMG was hired and I am told that their report will be completed in the coming weeks. I look forward to thoroughly reviewing it and sharing my comments with you.
In August, I visited LL California at my own expense.
The theme park was very clean. The noise level was acceptable. The employees I talked to were working for $10.50 per hour and had nothing but good things to say about Merlin. This was also true of former employees I met. Give Merlin credit for treating employees with respect.
I met Sergeant Marshall of Carlsbad P.D. who stated crime is not an issue at the park.
Important issues that remain for me are:
Traffic: LL must have its own entrance/exit off Rt. 17. This is a safety issue as well as a sensible accommodation to the families near the property.
Safety: I was not impressed with the safety measures I observed in California. I was not impressed with what I heard at the Planning Board meeting regarding the planned Emergency Entrance/Exit road off Arcadia Road.
This road must be four lanes, capable of handling an emergency. It cannot be a gravel road.
Taxes: LL must pay their fair share in taxes. A 30-year payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) is exorbitant and should not be considered. A 15-year PILOT is more than fair.
The agreement must be ironclad with specific claw-back provisions if Merlin does not live up to their investment and job creation figures.
Jobs: A good percentage of the 500 jobs should pay more than $50,000 0 annually. To date LL has declined my request for that information.
I will continue to monitor the project, review the EIS as well as the cost/benefit analysis and report back to you, the citizens.
Goals I have for the future of Orange County:
Attract Fortune 500 companies to Orange County so our most valuable asset, our children, can remain here to live, work and raise a family. My opponent has limited experience in economic development and cost the homeowners in Hambletonian Park and Arcadia Hills a more than 20 percent reduction in their sewer bills by allowing Amy’s Kitchen to contract with Middletown rather than Goshen. I can assure you this will not happen with me.
Closing Remarks:
I have a large amount of institutional knowledge of county government and I am uniquely qualified to be an outstanding representative of your concerns. I will put this knowledge to work for you as your County Legislator.
I learned from the scriptures of Luke verse 12:48 “To whom much is given much is required.” I have had a wonderful life; if elected I will donate my entire county salary to many of our local not for profit community organizations such as the Goshen Humane Society, Goshen Food Pantry, Goshen Art League, all the local youth sports, our Veterans’ organizations as well as Friends of Valley View to name a few.
I am asking for your vote on Election Day, Nov. 8. I will be an energetic legislator working hard for you!