Odell's Top Priorities: Tax Base, Development, Shared Services

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell is running for re-election. Her challenger is Democrat Maureen Fleming, currently Kent Town Supervisor.

According to her campaign, through her five years on the Putnam County Legislature and the past seven years as County Executive, MaryEllen Odell has challenged the status quo while focusing on balancing her fiscal and social responsibilities to the people of Putnam County. She has kept the county’s budgets under the tax cap and reduced the county’s debt by $40 million, while still investing in the county’s infrastructure, such as the sewer lines in Southeast/Danbury and Carmel/Mahopac along Route 6, which will promote economic development. In addition, she continues to fund the SRO program throughout the county to make sure that the schools are safe and is tackling the opioid crisis by taking on Big Pharma as part of a national lawsuit.

Patch sent the same questions to all candidates asking them to respond.

PATCH: What are the biggest issues facing the Hudson River and Hudson Valley that affect your communities?

ODELL: The most pressing issue my constituents face is taxes. As County Executive, I have and will continue to fight Albany for unfunded mandate relief—something they have promised since the implementation of the 2% tax cap. In addition, I have sought out new revenue streams for the county, to reduce our dependence on property taxes. For instance, through public-private partnerships, we have taken dilapidated under-utilized county properties, and transformed them into tourist destinations and sources of income for the county. Putnam County Golf Course is now a premiere golf course and a thriving events and banquet venue. Tilly Foster Farm & Educational Institute hosts events and offers secondary educational opportunities through our partnership with BOCES.

Putnam County needs to increase its commercial tax base so that it can relieve the burden from the homeowners. We are developing sewer lines in Southeast-Danbury and Carmel-Mahopac, along Route 6, to enhance our commercial corridors. Also, we are using our Economic Development Corporation and Industrial Development Agency to attract businesses to Putnam County. As a result of our hard work, a $100 million distillery project is planned in the Town of Carmel, that is expected to create up to 400 jobs.

Additionally, I have always been a proponent of shared services and I have brought the school districts into the conversation to find ways that we can all work together to reduce costs and find efficiencies which will also reduce the burden on the taxpayers.

PATCH: How would you apply the adage ‘think globally, act locally’?

ODELL: With Putnam County being part of the East of Hudson Watershed, which supplies a portion of New York City’s drinking water, we are very aware of a “think global, act local” mentality. What we do matters to the environment in our neighborhoods and around the world. As County Executive, I signed legislation to prohibit the sale, application and disposal in Putnam County of radioactive, toxic waste from hydrofracking operations. I have also had the county’s bus fleet replenished with LED-lit, fuel-efficient buses. I have had energy efficient audits conducted in the county’s buildings and implemented energy-saving measures. We are also looking in where to incorporate solar power where it would be appropriate to many of our county facilities, such as at Tilly Foster Farm.

Waste water and septic tanks in highly populated areas near lakes and other bodies are contributing to the blue-green algae problem. My administration is working to have the Danbury-Southeast and Mahopac-Carmel sewer lines along Route 6 as well as a sewer line in Kent near Lake Carmel be built to alleviate the environmental issue.

PATCH: Property taxes are an issue for all our communities. What’s your position on the Shared Services projects? How would you bring school districts into that discussion?

ODELL: I have been an advocate of shared services since I co-chaired the Fiscal Vision and Accountability Commission while I served on the Putnam County Legislature. By sharing services and equipment, we spend less and save money for the taxpayers. We cannot look at each municipality as an island unto itself. We are like a family and must help each other out whenever possible.

Putnam County Government shares a variety of services with our local municipalities and school districts. Our highway department shares services with all the towns and villages. In addition to equipment usage, it has assisted the Town of Philipstown with the roadwork on Route 9D, Veterans Memorial Causeway in the Town of Kent and other projects. The County Clerk’s office handles not only the storage needs of the towns and villages it is also transferring archived hard-copy prints into digital documents. The County also shares out IT services and servers with the Town of Kent and the Kent Police Department.

Putnam County Government has already started sharing services with the school districts through the SRO (school resources officer) program. The County trains the SROs and covers half the cost of the SROs, to ensure that the schools can be a safe environment for the students and staff.

I meet with the school districts regularly and we discuss additional ways to work together. For instance, I recommended the county building a truck and bus wash at its transportation facility that could be utilized by the towns, villages and school districts. Having a washing facility will remove the salt and other chemicals from the vehicles and expand the vehicles’ lifespan, which saves all the municipalities the expense of new vehicles.

PATCH: What would your first priorities be if elected?

ODELL: The most pressing issue my constituents face is taxes. As County Executive, I have and will continue to fight Albany for unfunded mandate relief—something they have promised since the implementation of the 2% tax cap. In addition, I have sought out new revenue streams for the county, to reduce our dependence on property taxes. For instance, through public-private partnerships, we have taken dilapidated under-utilized county properties, and transformed them into tourist destinations and sources of income for the county. Putnam County Golf Course is now a premiere golf course and a thriving events and banquet venue. Tilly Foster Farm & Educational Institute hosts events and is already exceeding its revenue and profit projections through Tilly’s Table Restaurant. It also offers secondary educational opportunities through our partnership with BOCES.

Putnam County needs to increase its commercial tax base so that it can relieve the burden from the homeowners. We are developing sewer line in Southeast-Danbury and Carmel-Mahopac, along Route 6, to enhance our commercial corridors. Also, we are using our Economic Development Corporation and Industrial Development Agency to attract businesses to Putnam County. As a result of our hard work, a $100 million distillery project is planned in the Town of Carmel, that is expected to create up to 400 jobs.

Additionally, I have always been a proponent of shared services and I have brought the school districts into the conversation to find ways that we can all work together to reduce costs and find efficiencies which will also reduce the burden on the taxpayers.

PATCH: It’s a divisive election season - how would you serve all your constituents?

ODELL: As county executive, I serve all my constituents 24/7, 365 days a year. I balance my fiduciary accountability to the taxpayers with the social needs of the community with every decision I make. I work across party lines and in cooperation with the federal, state, town and village governments, as well as the school districts, to do what is best for the residents of Putnam County.

When storms put portions of Putnam County in peril—such as Superstorm Sandy, the snowstorms of March 2018 or the tornadoes in May 2018—I work with the County’s Bureau of Emergency Services to ensure the safety of our residents by having the Incident Command Center be the hub that plans for response, remediation/mitigation and recovery from natural and manmade disasters. It coordinates the efforts of all the first responders and works with the highway departments to get our roadways clear. I am in constant communication with the utility companies and the other local officials to determine plans of action and the distribution of supplies. I also go to the areas affected and check on the residents and listen to their concerns.

I also believe in the importance of transparency and communication. My administration keeps the public informed on what is going on and we have organized many public task forces to determine the proper outcome for Putnam County on the issues. We welcome phone calls, letters and emails always and I regularly meet with school districts, libraries and our local town and village officials keep the public informed and receive feedback. I am accessible to all the residents of Putnam County and enjoy taking the time to hear what people have to say. I do not believe I have all the answers, but I am willing to hear all the possible solutions from other people and together we can determine the remedy that best suits the people of Putnam County.

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