There Is An Elected Government Official Everyone Can Admire !

I think we live in an era of doubt about many of our elected government officials. But occasionally one comes into our lives who sets an example and restores our faith in our way of choosing our elected officials.

Jim Dean, Orangetown's Highway Superintendent is my candidate for being one of the best great examples.

Jim is 81 years young and has been a "Highway Man" since he was a High School Junior and Senior as a Summer Helper [1957 & 58] in the Orangetown's Highway Department.

Upon Graduation from High School in 1959, he was employed by the Town as a Road Maintenance employee and held the position until 1962, when he was promoted to the position of Motor Equipment Operator until 1969.

That was the year he was promoted to the Supervisory position of Road Foreman, a job he held for 5 years, when in 1984 he was appointed Orangetown Highway Maintenance Supervisor.

Jim climbed the ladder from the bottom up the hard way by working very diligently and with enthusiasm and an appetite to learn.

Ergo, Jim ran for the Office of Town Highway Superintendent in 1997 and won. It was the last and only time someone ran against him in the next 12 elections, including this year's. This says it all.

Starting with his professional competence/expertise, judgement, integrity, honesty and devotion to his job and the people of the Town of Orangetown and all his colleagues in the County and State it ends with the condition of the Town's roads and Jim's staff getting the snow and ice away as fast as it can be done.

Jim was/is an innovator, a visionary. Jim introduced and implemented many improvements, too many to list, except my favorite. Jim used the next-to-last Camp Shanks parcel on Western Highway in Tappan to be declared surplus to create a water detention program to prevent the too often flooding one of our town's great nature sites, the Sparkill Creek. It abuts the "Rockland Homes for Heroes" Supportive Apartments for homeless veterans parcel, the very last parcel of our historic iconic WW II Camp Shanks and Jim is naming it after our Veterans. The "Rockland Homes For Heroes Green Infrastructure Project".

During my 44 years of representing Orangetown on the Rockland County Legislature, I worked with hundreds of other elected officials at every level of government from the Village level to the White House, of all Political Parties, who were great and all of whom would have to say, Jim set a high bar for the rest of us. Jim's guiding concept is " a major component of Local Government is to provide quality Local Service".

Moreover Jim did this respectfully, kindly and gentlemanly with everyone, both resident/consumers of the town and his employees. It's called CLASS.

Jim has spent his entire adult life and career, more than 60 years, serving the people of Orangetown. If there is such a thing like a legend, Jim's life of public service is one.

Job Well Done, Mr. Highway, Job Well Done !