LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. upon the occasion
of his retirement after 40 years of distinguished service to the Sarato-
ga County Chamber of Commerce

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and honor
those distinguished citizens of this great Empire State who have devoted
themselves to faithfully serving the best interests of their community
and the needs of its residents; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. upon the occasion of his retirement after 40 years
of distinguished service to the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce; he
will officially retire as President of the Saratoga County Chamber of
Commerce on June 1, 2010; and
WHEREAS, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. arrived in Saratoga Springs in 1970 to
assume the position of Executive Vice President with the staff of
himself, one full-time and one part-time employee, and a total member-
ship of 330 members; he will leave the Saratoga County Chamber of
Commerce with a staff of 10 full-time employees and a membership of
2,800 firms; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. was recognized as
one of approximately 240 Certified Chamber Executives in the Nation,
earned Accreditation by the United States Chamber, served on the
National Chamber Executive Board twice, and served as the President of
the New York State Association of Chamber Executives; and
WHEREAS, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. has been an instructor in management at
five nationally recognized universities, and has been a coordinator of
strategic planning sessions for Chambers, governments and non-profit
organizations across the State as well as in Saratoga County; and
WHEREAS, The United States Chamber has recognized the Saratoga County
Chamber of Commerce as one of the most effective Chambers in the Nation
in that it truly met community and member needs; and
WHEREAS, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. was one of three founders of the Sara-
toga Economic Development Corporation, which has brought thousands of
new good paying jobs to Saratoga County, as well as one of the two
founders of the Saratoga Springs Plan of Action, which revitalized the
Saratoga Springs downtown; his skills were also integral to the initial
construction of the City Center and its present expansion; and
WHEREAS, Serving as Chairman of a three-county Private Industry Coun-
cil for over a decade, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr.'s leadership was critical
in placing thousands of individuals in training and full-time unsubsi-
dized employment; and
WHEREAS, In recent years, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. organized the effort
to protect the quality of thoroughbred racing for which Saratoga is
famous; earlier in his career, he mounted the successful effort to save
spring and fall thoroughbred training at Saratoga's Oklahoma Track;
recently, he initiated the greeter program at the Saratoga Race Course;
and
WHEREAS, Currently, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. serves on the Luther Forest
Economic Development Board, which sold the 220-plus acre site to Global-
Foundries and controls an additional 500-acres of developable high-tech
property; and
WHEREAS, He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Sarato-
ga Convention and Tourism Bureau since its inception, and has led or
been a part of numerous fund raising efforts for non-profits in the
county, including the annual NYRA Open Houses, Saratoga Hospital, the
Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the YMCA of Saratoga, Saratoga Central

Catholic High School, Saratoga Bridges, the United Way, St. Clement's
Saratoga Horse Show and the New York State Military Museum; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure at the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce,
Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. initiated the Bartenders' Ball which has raised
funds for 12 charities in Saratoga County, Leadership Saratoga, the
re-opening of Alpine Meadows Ski Slope, the opening of the Saratoga
Music Hall, the hosting of the Medal of Honor recipients, and the Commu-
nity of Respite Program in response to 9/11; and
WHEREAS, Recent initiatives by Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. include convinc-
ing existing and new residents to become involved as volunteers in their
hometowns; creating a volunteer recruitment video and non-profit volun-
teer directory, and producing a series of essays on how volunteers were
able to turn a depressed city (Saratoga Springs) into the urban jewel it
is today; and
WHEREAS, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr.'s most important contributions have
been his mentorship of a significant number of Saratoga County's current
community leaders who have learned from his examples and wisdom about
how to transform businesses, organizations and communities; and
WHEREAS, His personal leadership talents are evident in the extraor-
dinarily low turnover of staff at the Saratoga County Chamber of
Commerce over the past four decades; furthermore, he initiated numerous
membership benefit programs for the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
including health, dental and energy group-purchasing plans, along with
the annual business trade show; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. served the Sara-
toga County Chamber of Commerce with intelligence and caring dedication,
continuously striving to effectively fulfill the duties of his position;
and
WHEREAS, Sincerely loved and greatly respected by all those with whom
he worked, Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. will be remembered for his honesty,
integrity, keen sense of duty and ability to show a unique grasp of
human problems in his official acts; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Joseph W. Dalton, Jr. upon the occasion of his retirement after 40
years of distinguished service to the Saratoga County Chamber of
Commerce, and to wish him continued success in all of his future endeav-
ors; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Joseph W. Dalton, Jr.