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James Oddo
NLN Jim Oddo (cropped).jpg
Oddo in 2009
Commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings
Assumed office
April 27, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams
Preceded by Eric Ulrich
15th Borough President of Staten Island
In office
January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2021
Preceded by James Molinaro
Succeeded by Vito Fossella
Minority Leader of the New York City Council
In office
January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2013
Preceded by Thomas Ognibene
Succeeded by Vincent Ignizio
Member of the New York City Council
from the 50th district
In office
February 1, 1999 – December 31, 2013
Preceded by John Fusco
Succeeded by Steven Matteo
Personal details
Born
James Steven Oddo

(1966-01-12) January 12, 1966 (age 59)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse Kim Petersen (2014–present)
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. He represented the 50th district from 1999 to 2013. Currently, he works as the Commissioner for the New York City Department of Buildings under Mayor Eric Adams.

Early Life and Education

James Oddo was born on Staten Island. He was the youngest of four brothers. His family members often worked for the city.

He went to Fordham University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Later, he studied law at New York Law School. There, he received his law degree, called a Juris Doctor.

His Political Journey

Oddo started his career in politics behind the scenes. He worked for seven years as the chief assistant to Councilman John Fusco. He also served as a legal advisor to the former Council Minority Leader, Thomas Ognibene.

Serving New York City

James Oddo became a politician himself in February 1999. He won a special election to take over the seat left by John Fusco. In 2002, he was chosen by other Republican council members to be the Minority Leader of the City Council.

His district, the 50th, covers many neighborhoods on Staten Island. These include places like Arrochar, Bulls Head, and New Dorp. It also includes small parts of Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, and Bath Beach in Brooklyn.

On October 20, 2010, Oddo announced he would run for Staten Island Borough President. This election took place in 2013. On November 5, 2013, he won 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, with an even higher percentage of votes.

In 2022, Oddo joined Mayor Eric Adams's team. He became the Chief of Staff for the Deputy Mayor for Operations.

Improving Bus Service

As Borough President, Oddo strongly supported the Staten Island Bus Study. This study suggested big changes for express buses on Staten Island.

Because of this study, express bus service was completely changed in August 2018. All the old bus routes were stopped. They were replaced with 21 new routes, all starting with "SIM."

A Public Moment

In October 2007, a video of Councilman Oddo gained a lot of attention online. The video showed him being interviewed by a TV crew from a Norwegian comedy show. The comedians pretended to be serious journalists. They asked Oddo some unusual questions about American politics.

On the show, the interviewer seemed uninformed. This led to a difficult moment during the interview. Oddo later said his reaction was "inappropriate" and apologized for it.

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