12 Facts About James Oddo

James Steven Oddo was born on January 12,1966 and is an American attorney and politician who served as the Borough President of Staten Island from 2014 to 2021.

James Oddo was born on Staten Island, the youngest of four sons to an Italian-American family of city employees.

James Oddo earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University, and a Juris Doctor from New York Law School.

James Oddo 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.

In 2022, James Oddo was named Chief of Staff to the New York City Deputy Mayor for Operations in the administration of Mayor Eric Adams.

Borough President James Oddo championed the Staten Island Bus Study which has recommended major service changes to Staten Island express buses.

Councilman James Oddo received widespread, negative attention when a video of the councilman appeared on YouTube around October 5,2007.

James Oddo later apologized, stating the tirade was "inappropriate" but that the sentiment beneath it was entirely appropriate, despite threatening physical harm to the film crew.

James Oddo was widely believed to be running for surrogate court judge in 2018 despite running for election as Borough President in 2017.

James Oddo ultimately chose not to run for Surrogate Court Judge.

In 2010, when developers planned to build a Muslim community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan, James Oddo said he understood the outrage of families opposed to building a Muslim place of worship within a mile of the World Trade Center.

In 2005, James Oddo said that police officers conducting random security searches on the New York subway system was not enough.