James Oddo
Encyclopedia
James S. Oddo is a Republican politician from Staten Island
, currently serving as Minority Leader in the New York City Council
. He is one of five Republicans serving on the Council.
and a J.D. from New York Law School
.
He started in politics by working as Chief of Staff to then-councilman John Fusco
for seven years and as Legal Counsel to the former Council Minority Leader Thomas Ognibene
.
He was first elected in February 1999 in order to fill the seat vacated by John Fusco, and has always been reelected since. After the resignation of Ognibene, he was elected Minority Leader of the City Council with the consent of the three other Republicans on the Council in 2002.
His district, the 50th, is located mainly in Staten Island
and encompasses the neighborhoods of Arrochar
, Bulls Head
, Castleton Corners
, Concord
, Dongan Hills
, Emerson Hill
, Fort Wadsworth
, Grant City
, Graniteville
, Grasmere
, Heartland Village
, Isle of Meadows, Meiers Corners
, Midland Beach
, New Dorp
, New Springville
, Oakwood
, Ocean Breeze
, Old Town
, Prall's Island
, Richmondtown
, South Beach
, Todt Hill
, Travis
, Westerleigh
, and Willowbrook
; but also parts of Bensonhurst
, Dyker Heights
and Bath Beach
in Brooklyn
.
around October 5, 2007. In the video clip, Oddo is shown being interviewed by a film crew from the Norwegian
comedy show Rikets røst (meaning "Voice of the Nation"), a show similar to The Colbert Report. The comedians had gained entry to councilman Oddo's office by posing as TV journalists who wanted to get the view of a Republican
on the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Instead, the interviewer, Pia Haraldsen
, played the role of an uninformed foreigner. She asked how Barack Obama
could run for president, "as he is not a U.S. citizen" (when informed by Oddo that Obama is indeed an American, she wondered about that, given that she had read somewhere that he was "African-American") and asked if Senator Clinton
could be president "after that embarrassing incident with the cigar
?" On the aired clip, Haraldsen cannot refrain from smiling as Oddo starts swearing at and threatening the film crew. One of the film crew's cameras continues recording the incident, as Oddo, in a profanity-laced tirade, furiously tells them to get "the fuck" out of his office. Oddo later apologized, stating the tirade was "inappropriate" but that the sentiment beneath it was entirely appropriate.
stating that he "knows what [Fossella's] core is about" and "He is my friend ... and I stand with him during the good times and I stand with him during the difficult times. What he needs to do is what he did today: Say, 'I'm ready to be held accountable and apologize and I have to heal myself, heal my relationship with my friends and family, and heal my relationship with my community.'" Fosella subsequently declined to run for re-election.
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, currently serving as Minority Leader in the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
. He is one of five Republicans serving on the Council.
Early life and career
Born in Staten Island as the youngest of four sons in a family of city employees, James Oddo earned a B.A. from Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
and a J.D. from New York Law School
New York Law School
New York Law School is a private law school in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. New York Law School is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. The school is located within four blocks of all major courts in Manhattan. In 2011, New York Law School...
.
He started in politics by working as Chief of Staff to then-councilman John Fusco
John Fusco (politician)
John Fusco, is an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from the New York City Borough of Staten Island.Fusco represented parts of Central, Staten Island and Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in the New York City Council until his election to the New York Surrogate's Court for Richmond County, New York in...
for seven years and as Legal Counsel to the former Council Minority Leader Thomas Ognibene
Tom Ognibene
-Biography:Ognibene was elected in 1992 as New York City Council member, where he served through 2001, representing the 30th District in Queens, including the neighborhoods of Middle Village, Glendale, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, and Forest Hills...
.
He was first elected in February 1999 in order to fill the seat vacated by John Fusco, and has always been reelected since. After the resignation of Ognibene, he was elected Minority Leader of the City Council with the consent of the three other Republicans on the Council in 2002.
His district, the 50th, is located mainly in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
and encompasses the neighborhoods of Arrochar
Arrochar, Staten Island
Arrochar is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. It is located directly inland of Fort Wadsworth and South Beach, on the east side of Hylan Boulevard south of the Staten Island Expressway; the community of Grasmere borders it on the west...
, Bulls Head
Bulls Head, Staten Island
Bulls Head is a neighborhood in west-central Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of the USA's largest city, New York.The community received its name from an 18th-century tavern located at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Richmond Avenue , from which a sign bearing a bull's head was...
, Castleton Corners
Castleton Corners, Staten Island
Castleton Corners is an upscale neighborhood of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. It is in a region of the island often referred as the North Shore, Staten Island....
, Concord
Concord, Staten Island
Concord is a neighborhood located in the Borough of Staten Island in New York City, New York, United States.Located in northeastern Staten Island, and bordered by the neighborhoods of Grasmere, Clifton, Dongan Hills, Emerson Hill, and Old Town, Concord was named Dutch Farms originally, but was...
, Dongan Hills
Dongan Hills, Staten Island
Dongan Hills is a neighborhood located within New York City, USA's borough of Staten Island. It is on the Island's East Shore.The neighborhood was originally known by two separate names, the western half being called Hillside Park and the eastern half Linden Park...
, Emerson Hill
Emerson Hill, Staten Island
Emerson Hill is the name of a hilly area, and the neighborhood upon which the hill is situated, in Staten Island, New York, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA....
, Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth is a former United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper and Lower halves, a natural point for defense of the Upper Bay and Manhattan beyond. Prior to closing in 1994 it claimed to be the longest...
, Grant City
Grant City, Staten Island
Grant City is the name of a neighborhood located on the East Shore of Staten Island, New York, USA. The island comprises one of the five boroughs of New York City.-History:...
, Graniteville
Graniteville, Staten Island
Graniteville is the name of a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA.-History:Graniteville was originally named Bennett's Corners and Fayetteville...
, Grasmere
Grasmere, Staten Island
Grasmere is the name of a neighborhood located on the East Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City.Grasmere although crossed by major roads has retained its quiet suburban character. The area and adjoining Concord was dotted with lakes and ponds similar to the English...
, Heartland Village
Heartland Village, Staten Island
Heartland Village is a residential development located close to the geographic center of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. The name is also often used to denote the immediately surrounding area....
, Isle of Meadows, Meiers Corners
Meiers Corners, Staten Island
Meiers Corners is a neighborhood on Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA.-Location:Meiers Corners is sometimes confused with the adjacent neighborhood of Westerleigh; however, Westerleigh is generally understood to mean the area immediately west of Castleton Corners that is...
, Midland Beach
Midland Beach, Staten Island
Midland Beach is a Staten Island neighborhood. It lies along the east-central coast of the island, in the area known locally as the "Mid-Island, Staten Island," or, according to some, the "East Shore." To its immediate west is Grant City, south lies New Dorp Beach with Graham Beach and South Beach...
, New Dorp
New Dorp, Staten Island
New Dorp – an anglicization of Nieuwe Dorp, Dutch for New Village – is a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States. The community lies near the foot of Todt Hill, with Grant City immediately to its north, Oakwood bordering to the south, and...
, New Springville
New Springville, Staten Island
New Springville is a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA.-History:Located near the island's geographical center, the neighborhood was founded in 1680 as Karle's Neck Village...
, Oakwood
Oakwood, Staten Island
Oakwood is the name of a neighborhood located in east central Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It lies near the southern shore, and is bordered by Ebbitts Street ; the Atlantic Ocean ; Great Kills Park ; and the Staten Island Railway...
, Ocean Breeze
Ocean Breeze, Staten Island
Ocean Breeze is a name sometimes applied to the southern part of the neighborhood known as South Beach, in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States.-History:...
, Old Town
Old Town, Staten Island
Old Town is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Staten Island, located on its East Shore. Old Town was established in August 1661 as part of New Netherland, and was the first permanent European settlement on Staten Island...
, Prall's Island
Prall's Island
Prall's Island is an uninhabited island in the Arthur Kill between Staten Island, New York, and Linden, New Jersey, in the United States. It is one of the minor islands that are part of the borough of Staten Island in New York City...
, Richmondtown
Richmondtown, Staten Island
Richmondtown, is a neighborhood on Staten Island in New York City, New York, in the United States.Originally known as Coccles Town because of the abundance of oyster and clam shells found in the waters of the nearby Fresh Kills, Richmondtown gained its present name in 1728 when the village now...
, South Beach
South Beach, Staten Island
South Beach is the name of a neighborhood located on the East Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It is situated immediately to the south of the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge...
, Todt Hill
Todt Hill
Todt Hill [elevation 410 ft ] is a hill formed of serpentine rock on Staten Island, New York. It is the highest natural point in the five boroughs of New York City and the highest elevation on the entire Atlantic Coastal Plain from Florida to Cape Cod., The summit of the ridge is largely covered...
, Travis
Travis, Staten Island
Travis is a neighborhood at the west-central shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. Some local geographers classify Travis as being on the island's West Shore, while others reckon it as a Mid-Island neighborhood.-Name:...
, Westerleigh
Westerleigh, Staten Island
-Geography:Westerleigh is located in the northwest quadrant of the borough and is bounded in the east by Manor Road, the west by Crystal Avenue, the south by Victory Boulevard and to the north by College Avenue....
, and Willowbrook
Willowbrook, Staten Island
Willowbrook is a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. It is located in the region of the island usually referred to as Mid-Island, immediately to the south of Port Richmond, to the west of Meiers Corners and Westerleigh, to the north of New Springville, and to...
; but also parts of Bensonhurst
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.-Geography:Sometimes erroneously thought to include all or parts of such neighborhoods as Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park, or to be defined by the streets where the concentration of...
, Dyker Heights
Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
Dyker Heights is a residential neighborhood in the southwest corner of the Borough of Brooklyn in New York City, USA. It is sandwiched among Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Gravesend Bay. According to the Post Office, Dyker Heights is bounded to the west by Interstate 278, to the north by Bay Ridge...
and Bath Beach
Bath Beach, Brooklyn
Bath Beach is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn in the United States. It is located at the southwestern edge of the borough on Gravesend Bay.-Geography:...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
Norwegian comedy show incident
James Oddo received attention when a video of the councilman appeared on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
around October 5, 2007. In the video clip, Oddo is shown being interviewed by a film crew from the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
comedy show Rikets røst (meaning "Voice of the Nation"), a show similar to The Colbert Report. The comedians had gained entry to councilman Oddo's office by posing as TV journalists who wanted to get the view of a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
on the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Instead, the interviewer, Pia Haraldsen
Pia Haraldsen
Pia Renate Haraldsen is a Norwegian TV personality, comedian and author, most known for her interviews on the Norwegian TV show Rikets Røst....
, played the role of an uninformed foreigner. She asked how Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
could run for president, "as he is not a U.S. citizen" (when informed by Oddo that Obama is indeed an American, she wondered about that, given that she had read somewhere that he was "African-American") and asked if Senator Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
could be president "after that embarrassing incident with the cigar
Lewinsky scandal
The Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal emerging in 1998 from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 25-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation eventually led to the impeachment of...
?" On the aired clip, Haraldsen cannot refrain from smiling as Oddo starts swearing at and threatening the film crew. One of the film crew's cameras continues recording the incident, as Oddo, in a profanity-laced tirade, furiously tells them to get "the fuck" out of his office. Oddo later apologized, stating the tirade was "inappropriate" but that the sentiment beneath it was entirely appropriate.
Support of Congressman Fossella
Oddo supported scandal-plagued Congressman Vito FossellaVito Fossella
Vito John Fossella, Jr. is a U.S. Republican politician from the state of New York who formerly represented the state's 13th Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms, from 1997 to 2009 serving as the lone Republican from New York City. Fossella, a Staten Island...
stating that he "knows what [Fossella's] core is about" and "He is my friend ... and I stand with him during the good times and I stand with him during the difficult times. What he needs to do is what he did today: Say, 'I'm ready to be held accountable and apologize and I have to heal myself, heal my relationship with my friends and family, and heal my relationship with my community.'" Fosella subsequently declined to run for re-election.