Business to Business Exchange, Breakfast Speaker, Timothy C. Idoni, Westchester County Clerk

Tim Idoni has an impressive record of over twenty-seven years of public service throughout Westchester County. Currently, Tim serves as the Westchester County Clerk a position in which he not only manages and safeguards all of the county land records, but also serves as the Clerk of the Supreme and Westchester County Courts. Tim’s other responsibilities as Westchester County Clerk include overseeing the licensing of plumbers and electricians, the facilitation of passport applications, and the naturalization of new citizens. In the County Clerk’s Office, Tim is known for his hands-on management style, his willingness to work with his partners in government to improve constituent service, and his understanding of the benefits of innovative technological solutions.

Prior to being sworn in as the Westchester County Clerk in January 2006, Tim Idoni served as the fourteen year Mayor of the City of New Rochelle, a position he was elected to four times. When Tim took office in 1992, New Rochelle was on the brink of financial disaster and its downtown was a sea of vacant storefronts. Tim’s dedication and energetic leadership resulted in the city making tremendous strides across the board, but most notably in the areas of finance and economic development. During Tim’s tenure and because of his enthusiasm for what his city could become, over $3 billion in economic development projects were completed or planned and over 2,000 jobs were created. Tim built the foundation on which the revitalization of downtown New Rochelle is still taking place.

While Tim is most well-known as the current Westchester County Clerk and former Mayor of the City of New Rochelle, his public service spans another decade. Tim Idoni entered public service in 1980, serving as an assistant to the Village Administrator of Bronxville, as Director of Emergency Services and then Deputy City Manager of New Rochelle, and then as Village Manager of Ardsley. While working in Ardsley in the late 1980’s, Tim was awarded the International City Management Association's highest award, one of only ten internationally, for his work in modernizing that village's operations and programs. In 1990, Tim returned to his hometown to take over the operation of the New Rochelle Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation as its Executive Vice-President. The agency, a local not-for-profit, specializes in affordable housing construction and rehabilitation. Tim was brought in to put an agency which had fallen on hard times back on its feet. And, in twenty short months, the organization was not only solvent, but was moving forward with substantial and necessary projects such as the MacLeay Apartments renovation and conversion, the construction of the Lincoln Townhouses and the rehabilitation of 400 North Avenue.

Tim is well-respected in the municipal planning and development community for not only his wealth of knowledge, but also for the results achieved due to his tenacious advocacy for his community. But Tim’s achievements in the area of planning and development only tell part of the story of his professional achievements. After Tim left the New Rochelle Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation, he remained a leader in the field of affordable housing, often being invited to speak on the topic of affordable housing to municipal and professional colleagues. And Tim has been a consistent advocate for open space and our environment. During Tim’s tenure as Mayor of New Rochelle, the city renovated all thirty-seven city parks and the City Council passed over thirty pieces of environmental legislation aimed at improving the quality of life of New Rochelle residents. Tim counts not only the revitalization of downtown New Rochelle, but also the creation of affordable housing and a commitment to environmental initiatives among his most satisfying professional achievements.

As Mayor of New Rochelle, Tim put results behind his pledge to level the playing field so that the residents of New Rochelle could benefit from the experience and contributions made by residents of various descents. His sponsorship of legislation opened the door to the hiring of the first African-American to lead a city department. Through the creation of council districts throughout the city, an African-American was elected for the first time in twenty years and a Hispanic was elected for the first time in the city’s history. And when presented with the opportunity to appoint an Acting City Court Judge, Tim appointed the first African American woman to a judgeship in the city’s history. And his actions did not stop at the doors to City Hall as Tim co-sponsored legislation that insured the equal opportunity for minorities in gaining city contracts.

Community activists in New Rochelle and beyond know that they can count on Tim to be an active and vocal supporter of community-minded projects and organizations. Tim currently serves on a number of boards including the Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester and the Foundation for Educational Excellence. He has been honored by numerous local and countywide organizations for his leadership and philanthropic work and was named one of Westchester's Top Ten Newsmakers in 1999 by the Westchester Business Journal.

A life-long resident of the City of New Rochelle and a product of its public school system, Tim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Iona College in 1977 and his Master's Degree in Public Administration from New York University in 1981. Tim and his four daughters reside in New Rochelle.