LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Dominic Cordisco and John Lavelle upon
the occasion of their designation by the Orange County Partnership as
recipients of 2012 Most Valuable Partner Awards

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that individuals who
distinguish themselves in their profession and in service to their
community merit the highest commendation; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing tradition, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
Dominic Cordisco and John Lavelle upon the occasion of their designation
by the Orange County Partnership as recipients of 2012 Most Valuable
Partner Awards, to be presented at the Annual MVP Breakfast, to be held
on Thursday, June 7, 2012 at Anthony's Pier 9 in New Windsor, New York;
and
WHEREAS, The esteemed Orange County Partnership's Most Valuable Part-
ner Award is presented to honor an individual or individuals who have
gone above and beyond the call of duty to improve the economic strength
and diversity of Orange County; and
WHEREAS, Dominic Cordisco and John Lavelle, Co-chairs of the Alliance
for Balanced Growth, truly merit this high honor; and
WHEREAS, Dominic Cordisco earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY
Plattsburgh, and his Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University School
of Law, where he received the Murray Award for Outstanding Public
Service; and
WHEREAS, Dominic Cordisco is a partner with the New Windsor law firm
of Drake, Loeb, Heller, Kennedy, Gogerty, Gaba and Rodd PLLC; his prac-
tice includes land use permitting and environmental law for both munici-
pal and private clients; he is a past Regional Attorney for Region Three
of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and
has been a lecturer on such topics as the New York State Environmental
Quality Review Act (SEQRA), wetlands regulation, endangered species,
mining, underground storage, and oil spill; and
WHEREAS, He appears regularly before the New York Association of
Towns, the New York Planning Federation, and the Orange County Municipal
Planning Federation; in addition to serving as a Co-chair of the Alli-
ance for Balanced Growth, he serves as Co-chair of the New York State
Bar Association's Environmental Law Section Committee on Mining, Oil and
Gas Regulation; and
WHEREAS, John Lavelle is a real estate broker with RJ Smith Realty,
which specializes in commercial and industrial developments; he is a
lifelong area resident and a graduate of the Leadership Orange program;
and
WHEREAS, In addition to serving as Co-chair of the Alliance for
Balanced Growth, John Lavelle is a former Orange County Partnership
Director of Business Attraction; he also serves as the 2nd Vice Presi-
dent of the New York State Commercial Association of Realtors; he was
recognized as the 2009 New York State Commercial Realtor of the Year and
has been a valued and active member of the boards of several local non-
profit organizations; and
WHEREAS, The Alliance for Balanced Growth is a cooperative effort
between area developers, landowners, commercial real estate profes-
sionals, engineers, land-use attorneys, construction services and the
Orange County Partnership dedicated to presenting a strong, unified
voice for responsible development in Orange County; and
WHEREAS, Dominic Cordisco and John Lavelle have supported economic
development for years through their work with the Alliance for Balanced
Growth activities; their work on the wetlands issue in Orange County has

been so thorough that it is being used as a model throughout New York
State; regarding their work with wetlands, the DEC is finalizing new
wetlands maps for Orange County; and
WHEREAS, Dominic Cordisco and John Lavelle took the lead after recog-
nizing the potentially adverse impact the remapping could have on the
county, and began researching alternatives for the DEC to consider; they
educated the public on the remapping impact, and mobilized the business
community and elected officials to get their voices heard; through their
efforts, the Orange county community has been given the opportunity to
alter an otherwise foregone conclusion; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Dominic Cordisco and John Lavelle upon the occasion of their
designation by the Orange County Partnership as recipients of 2012 Most
Valuable Partner Awards; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Dominic Cordisco and John Lavelle.