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"Dutchess County remains and really is a special place to live," Molinaro said, noting its close proximity to New York City as well as the state capital in Albany. "A little bit metropolitan and a lot rural,'' he said.
But much like other parts of rural America, Molinaro is faced with the task of keeping jobs and attracting new jobs to Dutchess County.
Molinaro told Daily Voice in a recent "Leaders" series interview at his Poughkeepsie office that he's up for the challenge to create new jobs to replace those lost as GlobalFoundries took over IBM facilities, as reported here.
Economic development has been slow, but strong and steady, Molinaro said, noting that 60 percent of new jobs are bing created by existing businesses. So county government has focused on investing in companies with growth potential, the county executive said.
Molinaro was elected as Dutchess County’s seventh county executive in November 2011, and re-elected In November 2015. He took office at the age of 36, making him the youngest Dutchess County executive in the county's history.
As reported here last month by Daily Voice, Molinaro began his political career when he was only 18 years old with his election to the Village of Tivoli Board of Trustees. He took office as the mayor of Tivoli a year later -- making him the youngest mayor in the United States.
Molinaro was re-elected mayor five times and elected four times to the Dutchess County Legislature. In 2006, he brought his passion for public service to Albany after being elected to represent the 103rd District in the New York State Assembly.
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