Odell Dominates in County Exec. Race
Stating more than once the last few months this would be her last election, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell ended her final political campaign on a high note with a dominating win to retain her seat for another four years.
In a contentious race for the top county post and coming off a previous year where the GOP machine lost a countywide race, Odell easily staved off a spirited run from Kent Supervisor and Democrat Maureen Fleming. Surrounded by raucous supporters at the Villa Barone in Mahopac last Tuesday night, Odell called her tenure as an elected official in the county she grew up in “an amazing run” that’ll continue until 2022 when she will be term limited out of office.
Odell garnered an impressive 56 percent of the vote over Fleming with 20,293 voters checking the box for the Republican incumbent while 15,718 voters circled in Fleming’s name.
Odell said the last seven years her administration had advocated for veterans and senior citizens, built up the county golf course and Tilly Foster Farm, and fought the opioid crisis all while eliminating debt in masse and keeping taxes at bay.
“And we’ve done it all as a team,” Odell said.
Fleming, who refused to concede to Odell Tuesday night, called Odell the next morning to congratulate her on the win. She was viewing results at McCarthy’s in Kent Tuesday night with her family and supporters, many of whom were shocked by the crushing defeat.
In a statement Wednesday morning, Fleming said she was grateful to all the volunteers and donors that believed in her candidacy, as well as the voters that supported her. She didn’t acknowledge Odell in her concession statement and Odell did not mention Fleming in her victory speech, which seemed like an appropriate way to conclude a bitter race between the two
“We asked important questions about how the county is run, how its people are served and how our tax dollars are spent,” Fleming stated. “We’ve opened the public’s eyes to things that have been kept in the dark for far too long. Now the public must ensure that we are given actual transparency and real accountability. I’ll continue to press the Legislature and the Executive to open County government and refocus their work on issues that really matter to the people of Putnam.”
Odell started her political career in the early 2000s when she was elected to serve on the county legislature after being involved in a myriad of community organizations. She then ran for county executive in 2010 against former state senator Vincent Leibell and while she lost that election, once he was arrested for corruption before taking office, she ran again in a special election and won the seat in 2011. She then ran for reelection after three years in office, beating former legislator and current Putnam Valley Supervisor Sam Oliverio in 2014.
Getting choked up, Odell noted this was the first election she didn’t have the support of her grandmother and mother, who both died the last few years. But Odell said, “’I know they’ve been with me every single step of the way.”
There is still much work that must be addressed in the county and the state, Odell said.
“I’ve enjoyed the ride, it’s been a great ride,” Odell said. “I look forward to the next four years to finish the things that I started, that we built as a team.”
Odell’s huge win came at pivotal time for the county GOP, after Republican Don Smith lost to Democrat and current Sheriff Robert Langley last year, which stunned the party apparatus. But last week Putnam Republicans cherished a strong night with Odell leading the way.
She concluded her final victory speech in her final election with these words: “It’s all about family, it’s all about God, and it’s all about country. Thank you.”
