New York County Executives Elect Odell As President Of Statewide Association

Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell has been elected president of the New York State County Executives' Association (NYSCEA).
 

NYSCEA, an affiliate of the NYS Association of Counties (NYSAC), represents the 19 counties that have county executives as their chief elected official. These counties, including the City of New York, represent more than 16 million New Yorkers.
 

"I'm honored to have been chosen to lead this great organization at such a critical time for New York's counties and the residents we serve," said County Executive Odell. "Our counties face many challenges from rising costs, the intensifying threat of cyber attacks and potential state budget shortfalls, but through our Association, we're able to collaborate and share information and best-practices to ensure we continue to strengthen our communities and our state as a whole.”
 

Odell has previously served as President of NYSAC in 2017-18, and served on the NYSAC Board of Director from 2013-2019. She is currently serving her third, and final, term as Putnam County Executive.
 

In this role, Odell has made it a priority to bring social and fiscal responsibility to county governance. Her disciplined approach to budgeting has reduced Putnam's debt level by more than $48 million since she took office and eliminated short-term borrowing while increasing the general fund balance by nearly $49 million. Those measures have allowed the county to maintain its high Aa1 bond rating, a designation few counties statewide ever achieve.
 

Prior to being elected County Executive in 2011, Odell served as a legislator for five years. This included two terms as the Deputy Chairperson of the Putnam County Legislature, in which role she successfully fought to identify and reduce unnecessary government spending.
 

"For more than twenty years, County Executive Odell has been a champion of local government, both in her service to Putnam County and NYSAC," said NYSCEA Executive Director Stephen Acquario. “Her experience and proven leadership will be invaluable to the County Executives' Association during this critical moment for our counties and our state.”

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Media Contact: Mark LaVigne | MLavigne@nysac.org | 518-465-1473 x206