Neuhaus: “… we have a great portfolio …”
MONROE – When elected three years ago, Orange County Executive
Steven Neuhaus promised to bring 1,000 new jobs to the county in his first
1,000 days. He says he has exceeded that, announcing on Tuesday while
in Monroe that in fact, 5,945 jobs have been created.
In a time where many other counties across the state are losing businesses and people are moving away, Neuhaus said Orange County is maintaining, even slightly growing, its population.
With several infrastructure projects, seven hotels under construction, millions in open space protection funding, healthcare industry growth, enhanced tourism marketing, as well as nationally-known brands like Angry Orchard, and possibly Legoland moving to the county, the local economy is growing in a way it hasn’t for years.
The county exec is counting on the diversity of current economic activity to keep pushing the county toward success.
“I think we have a great portfolio, very diverse; construction, manufacturing, healthcare, professionals, all different levels and it’s starting to grow,” said Neuhaus. “We didn’t have these opportunities in 2008. We’re, now, gaining them back.”
Those economic opportunities are the reason it was possible to create so many jobs, he said.
“We are an amazing community,” Orange County Chamber of Commerce President Lynn Cione said. “My house is 90 minutes away from the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; but yet, I live in the most magnificent place on earth, really. How blessed are we? I’ve got the best of New York City and the Hudson Valley at my doorstep.”
Cione said the county had been stagnant because of the recession and it is now “on the cusp of something great.”
