Assembly Resolution No. 159

BY: M. of A. Gunther

HONORING James D. O'Donnell upon the occasion of
his designation as Grand Marshal of the 43rd Annual
Mid-Hudson St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 10,
2019

WHEREAS, St. Patrick's Day is a time to celebrate the rich heritage
of the Irish people, unlimited in their contribution to this State and
Nation; and

WHEREAS, A St. Patrick's Day Parade reflects and records the ongoing
history of the United States and Ireland and provides an opportunity for
people of all generations to assemble in ethnic pride and pageantry; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor James D.
O'Donnell upon the occasion of his designation as Grand Marshal of the
43rd Annual Mid-Hudson St. Patrick's Day Parade, to be held on Sunday,
March 10, 2019, in Goshen, New York; and

WHEREAS, Prior to the beginning of the Parade, a Mass at the Shrine
of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Middletown, New York, will be held at
9:00am, followed by a Grand Marshal Breakfast at Kuhl's Catering Hall;
and

WHEREAS, The Grand Marshal for the 2019 from LAOH Division 1, Orange
County, James D. O'Donnell is an active member of the Knights of
Columbus in St. John's Church and the Ancient Order of Hibernians,
Division 1, Orange County; and

WHEREAS, James D. O'Donnell was born in the Bronx, New York, to John
Kerry and the former Helen O'Donnell, who were the proprietors of the
Gaelic Park Sports Centre for over 60 years; in 1975, he moved to Orange
County; and

WHEREAS, Currently retired, James D. O'Donnell spends most of his
time volunteering his time and energies to various worthy organizations
including the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, the Goshen Rotary, Safe
Homes of Orange County and the Kaplan Family Foundation; and

WHEREAS, James D. O'Donnell earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from
Dominican College, and graduated from the FBI National Academy; he
furthered his education by attending the Harvard University John F.
Kennedy School of Government, and completing graduate level courses at
the University of Alabama; and

WHEREAS, James D. O'Donnell enjoyed a long and distinguished career
in law enforcement beginning in 1974 as a New York State Trooper;
through the years, he advanced through the ranks serving as Captain in
charge of the state wide Violent Felony Warrant Squad and Major in
charge of all State Police operations in New York City; in 1993, he
returned to Orange County as Troop Commander of Troop F in Middletown,
and two years later, he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel in charge of
all Uniform Trooper patrol operations; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure, James D. O'Donnell accomplished
numerous goals such as establishing the Troop "F" DARE Program and the
Trooper on Patrol Program; for his steadfast and unremitting commitment
to his profession and community, he was the recipient of numerous awards
and accolades; and

WHEREAS, Upon retiring from the New York State Police in 1997, James
D. O'Donnell returned to his roots at Gaelic Park Sports Centre, where
he oversaw major renovations in 1998; and

WHEREAS, In February of 1999, James D. O'Donnell was appointed Chief
of Police of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Police
Department by Governor George E. Pataki; in this capacity, he initiated
an aggressive reengineering of the former Long Island Rail Road and
Metro-North Railroad Police Departments into the new MTA Police
Department; and

WHEREAS, In addition, Chief James D. O'Donnell improved planning for
emergency preparedness, and secured assignment of his Deputy Chief to
the International Association of Chief of Police Terrorism Committee and
a Detective to the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force, both of which
were proven to be critical after the World Trade Center Bombing on
September 11, 2001; Chief O'Donnell oversaw the MTA's evacuation of New
York City on that day and the police response during the aftermath of
the attack; and

WHEREAS, In 2004, James D. O'Donnell joined Orange County Government
as the Director of Operations for the County Executive's Office; from
2005-2013, he served the citizens of Orange County as Deputy County
Executive; and

WHEREAS, In this role, James D. O'Donnell was in charge of Economic
Development for Orange County, and served as the Executive Director of
the Foreign Trade Zone as well as Executive Director of the Orange
County Industrial Development Agency where he created and retained
thousands of jobs; and

WHEREAS, As Deputy County Executive, James D. O'Donnell instituted a
Lean Six Sigma Program and management training for senior management
positions, and oversaw the daily operations and activities of 35 County
Departments and Divisions; he also created the "Team Orange" identity
for the County's 3,000 employees, and helped lead the County during the
emergency operations of Hurricanes Lee and Irene and Super-Storm Sandy;
and

WHEREAS, With him throughout have been his wife of 43 years,
Margaret; their eight children, Christy, Joanne, Jamie, Maggie, Michael,
Molly, Ellen and John Kerry; and their six grandchildren, Hudson, Luke,
James, Cailyn, Kiera and Maya, all of whom have shown him love and
support and rejoice in his many achievements; and

WHEREAS, The St. Patrick's Day Parade celebrates the spirit, purity
and strength of the Irish culture and its fine traditions; and

WHEREAS, Through this heartfelt and compassionate expression, as
well as through their sustained commitment to the cultural vitality of
their Irish heritage, the Irish-American people of Orange County, the
Mid-Hudson area and the State of New York bear witness to the deep faith

and love of humanity which is their rich tradition; now, therefore, be
it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor James D. O'Donnell upon the occasion of his designation as Grand
Marshal of the 43rd Annual Mid-Hudson St. Patrick's Day Parade on March
10, 2019; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Grand Marshal James D. O'Donnell.