Statement from County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro
on James L. Sedore Jr. Stepping Down
as Dutchess County’s MTA Board Representative
“We are grateful to Jim Sedore for his decades of dedicated service as Dutchess County’s representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board. Jim has been vocal advocate for Dutchess County and during his tenure we have seen exponential growth in passenger ridership on both lines, during both peak and off-peak hour. Jim has championed millions of dollars in investments on both the Hudson and Harlem lines that helped expand our economy, including the tremendous growth in our tourism industry.”
James L. Sedore, Jr. was originally appointed as Dutchess County’s representative on the MTA Board in July 1994 by Governor Mario Cuomo, as recommended by former Dutchess County Executive William R. Steinhaus. He serves as the Chairman of the Metro-North Committee and has also served as the Chair of the MTA Audit Committee and as a member of the Capital Program Oversight, Corporate Governance, Finance, Safety, and Long Island Rail Road Committees. His current term expires in June, 2016.
Mr. Sedore met with County Executive Molinaro last week to notify him of his decision to step down from MTA Board at the end of his current term following over two decades of services.
Among the investments and improvements that Metro North Railroad has completed during Mr. Sedore’s tenure on the board:
- Investments totaling $40 million at the Poughkeepsie Train Station including the completion of a new parking structure in 2002, including overpass and station building improvements, the restoration of the historic walkway and new intermodal center.
- Improvements at the New Hamburg Train Station, including parking lot expansion and the creation of an exit road.
- Over $20 million in investment at the Beacon Train Station for station access improvements and expanded parking including an intermodal plaza/drop off area featuring award winning landscaping, seating and new bike racks.
- Creation of two new stations and nearly 400 parking spaces along the Harlem Line with the completion of the Wassaic Extension in 2000.
- Construction of the MTA canine training facility, the only mass transportation canine in the country, that will open this spring in Stormville.
- Launch of the Newburgh-Beacon ferry in 2005 with connections to Hudson Line train service.
Mr. Sedore is a resident of the Town of Fishkill. He is a career Certified Public Accountant and is a founding partner of Sedore & Company, C.P.A.s, which serves the counties of Dutchess, Putnam, and Orange. He is active in a wide variety of civic organization and has served as an officer or member of numerous business, not-for-profit, and political organizations, including the board of trustees for Vassar Brothers Medical Center.
County Executive Molinaro expects to submit a recommendation for Mr. Sedore’s replacement to Governor Cuomo in the coming weeks to fill the six year term that will begin July 2016.
Dear County Executive Molinaro:
For more than two decades, I have represented the interests of Dutchess County on the Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Let me state from the outset that I am quite proud of what we have accomplished on behalf of the county and its people.
First as a member of the board and then as the Chair of both the Metro-North Railroad Committee on Operations and the Audit Committee, I ensured that our transportation concerns and needs were brought to the forefront of the Authority’s agenda. My underlying principal has always been to bring value to both the MTA commuters and Dutchess County.
After 22 years, however, I believe it is time for a change – both for me and for the County. Therefore, please be advised that I will not seek to be renominated for confirmation to the MTA’s Dutchess County seat. If it is your desire that I continue to sit on the board until a new representative is confirmed, I will of course do so.
I wish to thank the leadership of Dutchess County for allowing me to actively advocate all these years on the county’s behalf. I also wish to thank my colleagues on the MTA Board – past, present and most especially my mentor, the late Edward Vrooman. In the spirit of public service, and without compensation these fine men and women take their fiduciary responsibilities very seriously, investing many hours every month to consider how their decisions might make transportation in this region ever better. They are consummate professionals.
Together, I believe we have set the MTA on the right path. I look forward to watching as a new generation continues that work.
Sincerely,
James L. Sedore
