NY county executives elect Molinaro as president

County executives from across this state elected Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro to serve as president for the New York State County Executives Association. NYSCEA, an affiliate of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), represents the 19 counties that have county executives as their chief elected official. These counties, including the City of New York, represent 16.7 million New Yorkers. 

“These are challenging times for everyone. As county executives, our first responsibility is to serve the public, keep our citizens safe and help our communities thrive. But in this environment, we cannot do this by ourselves. We all need to work together, and we need a strong partnership with the federal, state and local governments on behalf of all New Yorkers,” Molinaro said upon his election. “I look forward to working with county leaders from across the state and building the necessary partnerships we all need to battle this pandemic and save our economy.”

“Marc is a great public servant and a great friend and will be a tremendous president of our County Executives Association,” said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, immediate past president of NYSCEA. “It has been an honor for me to serve as president and I looking forward to working with Marc and all of New York’s county executives as we lead the local response to the global pandemic.”

Molinaro was elected in Dutchess County in November 2011. At 36, he took office as the youngest county executive in Dutchess history. He was reelected for a third term in 2019. Molinaro also serves as second vice president of the New York State Association of Counties, the association that represents all 57 counties in the state and the City of New York.

Molinaro was first elected to public office at the age of 18 in 1994, serving on the Village of Tivoli Board of Trustees. In 1995, he became the youngest mayor in the U.S. He was reelected mayor five times and elected four times to the Dutchess County Legislature. In 2006, he brought his passion for public service to Albany to represent the 103rd District in the New York State Assembly, where he served until becoming county executive.

Throughout his tenure as Dutchess County executive, Molinaro has been a leader on issues including advocating on behalf of individuals and families with intellectual and developmental disabilities through his “ThinkDIFFERENTLY” initiative; comprehensive criminal justice reform based on prevention, intervention, diversion and transition; open space protection and farmland preservation and an advocate to preserve the Hudson River Valley Greenway; and a supporter of the Greenway compact.

"County Executive Molinaro is one of our state’s most talented leaders, and we are grateful that he will bringing his passion for leadership and public service to the New York State County Executives Association. His breadth of experience in both local and state government and his proven as a problem solver to achieve results will serve our members well as we work together for New York’s counties,” NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario said.