In keeping with my focus on training and safety, our Orange County Emergency Services team hosted a comprehensive tabletop exercise simulating a large-scale train derailment, modeled after the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio incident.

This drill brought together departments from across the county and focused on coordination, communication, and evaluating emergency plans. It’s all part of our preparation for the upcoming full-scale response drill this June.

Training and planning as if the next emergency could happen tomorrow is key to being prepared. Keeping Orange County residents and visitors to our county safe is and will continue to be one of my top priorities.

On the workforce front, we had a fantastic turnout at the Orange County April Job Fair, where more than 300 job seekers connected with 28 employers. Our Human Resources team and the Sheriff’s Office were also there, engaging with potential hires and highlighting career opportunities. Thank you to the county’s Employment and Training Administration for organizing another successful event.

If you missed it, mark your calendar and get your résumé ready. The county’s next job fair is coming up on May 21 at the Galleria at Crystal Run.

Orange County reached a significant milestone in Cornwall, where the Department of Public Works installed more than 30,000 pounds of decorative concrete parapet walls on the north side of the Main Street Bridge. Next up: shifting traffic to the center so crews can complete the remaining work on the walls, pavement, and sidewalks. Kudos and thank you to the Orange County DPW team for their hard work and to the residents of Cornwall for your patience throughout this project.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to ShopRite and its shoppers from around the county for their incredible generosity: a $250,000 donation to the Orange County Veterans Food Pantry, and another $150,000 to the Committee for the Families of War Veterans. These contributions will have a lasting impact on the lives of our local veterans and their families.

The donation was presented at the Montgomery ShopRite last week, with Christian Farrell, director of the Orange County Veterans Service Agency, on hand to accept the check. Your continued, generous support means the world to our veterans, and I thank you on their behalf.

You can still reserve a seat for my State of the County on April 23 at 6 p.m. and my next Leadership Speaker Series on April 30 at 6 p.m.

RSVP here for State of the County

RSVP here for Leadership Speaker Series

May your Passover and Easter Week be blessed. I hope to see you around the county!

Orange County Honors Service, Preps for Spring Events

John Robson: Is It 1938 Out There?

There Is a Growing Plot Against Dogs

Compassion or Coercion? What Is the Role of Government in a Free Society?