Marc Molinaro announces re-election bid
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro will seek re-election this fall.
Molinaro, R-Red Hook, said Wednesdasy that four years ago he committed to transforming county government with “bold innovative ideas, control(ing) spending and reduc(ing) the size of government.”
Now, he said, the county has “turned the corner and [is] poised for a great come back.”
Molinaro was elected to a four-year term in 2011, succeeding William Steinhaus, who had held the post since January 1992. Molinaro, who had been a state assemblyman, easily defeated Democrat Dan French, who was the town of Beekman supervisor.
Molinaro said his administration has “made the difficult decisions together (and) are poised to move this county forward. Together we can strengthen our communities for our children and their future.”
He said he assumed the office when the county faced a $40 million budget gap, then turned the “grim” situation into three straight budgets under the mandated state tax cap, built a budget surplus of more than $18 million this year, replenishing the fund balance to $40 million, and improved the county’s bond rating to among the highest in the state.
“I promised four years ago that, if we worked together in a bipartisan way and were committed, we could solve the problems we faced and that no challenge was beyond our reach. I am proud to say that, together, we proved that we could achieve what some said was impossible under the burden of government mandates, high taxes, and a faltering economy.”
Molinaro began his government career at 18 years old as a village of Tivoli trustee. He was elected Tivoli mayor in 1995, becoming the youngest elected mayor in the nation. He then served as a Dutchess County legislator before being elected to the state Assembly in New York’s 103rd Assembly District.
The Dutchess County executive is the county’s chief financial officer and is responsible for the day-today management of county government and the implementing policies established by the county Legislature.
The county executive serves a four-year term and is paid $139,869 per year.