James Oddo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Oddo
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Oddo in 2009
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| Commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings | |
| Assumed office April 27, 2023 |
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| Mayor | Eric Adams |
| Preceded by | Eric Ulrich |
| 15th Borough President of Staten Island | |
| In office January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | James Molinaro |
| Succeeded by | Vito Fossella |
| Minority Leader of the New York City Council | |
| In office January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Ognibene |
| Succeeded by | Vincent Ignizio |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 50th district |
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| In office February 1, 1999 – December 31, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | John Fusco |
| Succeeded by | Steven Matteo |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Steven Oddo
January 12, 1966 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Kim Petersen
(m. 2014) |
| Education | Fordham University (BA) New York Law School (JD) |
| Signature |  |
James Steven Oddo (born January 12, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the Borough President of Staten Island from 2014 to 2021. Before that, Oddo was a member of the New York City Council, representing the 50th district from 1999 to 2013. He is currently the Commissioner for the New York City Department of Buildings under Mayor Eric Adams.
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About James Oddo
James Oddo was born on Staten Island. He was the youngest of four sons in an Italian-American family. His parents both worked for the city.
Education and Early Career
Oddo studied at Fordham University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then went on to get his law degree (a Juris Doctor) from New York Law School.
He started his career in politics by working for seven years as the chief assistant to councilman John Fusco. He also served as a legal advisor to former Council Minority Leader Thomas Ognibene.
Becoming a City Council Member
James Oddo's political journey began in February 1999. He won a special election to take over the seat left by John Fusco. In 2002, he was chosen by the other Republican council members to be the Minority Leader of the City Council.
His district, the 50th, is mostly on Staten Island. It includes many neighborhoods like Arrochar, Bulls Head, and Richmondtown. It also covers small parts of Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, and Bath Beach in Brooklyn.
Serving as Borough President
On October 20, 2010, Oddo announced he would run for Staten Island Borough President in 2013. He won the election on November 5, 2013, with 69% of the votes. This was the highest percentage ever for someone new to the office.
He was re-elected as Borough President on November 7, 2017. He won with an even higher percentage of 75.56% of the vote. After his time as Borough President, in 2022, Oddo became the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Operations in New York City under Mayor Eric Adams.
Improving Bus Services
As Borough President, James Oddo strongly supported the Staten Island Bus Study. This study suggested big changes to the express bus services on Staten Island. Because of this study, the express bus system was completely updated in August 2018. All the old bus routes were replaced with 21 new routes, which were given a "SIM" prefix.
A Prank Interview Incident
In October 2007, a video of Councilman Oddo became widely known online. The video showed him being interviewed by a film crew from a comedy show from Norway. The comedians pretended to be TV journalists who wanted to talk to a Republican about the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
However, the interviewer acted like she was very uninformed. She asked unusual questions. Oddo became very upset during the interview. He later apologized for his reaction, saying it was "inappropriate."
