A crowd of 350 business, civic and political leaders from Orange County and the Hudson Valley were on hand on June 7 for the Orange County Partnership’s Annua

TOWN OF WALLKILL–A crowd of 350 business, civic and political leaders from Orange County and the Hudson Valley were on hand on June 7 for the Orange County Partnership’s Annual Most Valuable Partner award presentation at the Barn at Villa Venezia in the Town of Wallkill.

This year, the economic development organization honored Town of Montgomery Supervisor, Brian Maher as its Most Valuable Partner for his efforts in striking the necessary balance between maintaining the town’s identity, while fostering new business growth that will bring hundreds of well-paying new jobs and significant tax revenue to the community for years to come.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, who gave a detailed presentation on some ongoing major projects and county government initiatives, praised Maher’s efforts to unite the Town of Montgomery behind a new Comprehensive Plan that offered the necessary neighborhood protections residents wanted, while at the same time, targeted business growth in sections of the town that will allow it to continue to grow its tax base.

“There is no one more deserving of the MVP award than Brian,” Neuhaus noted.

Maher’s political career began at the young age of 23 in 2009 when he was elected Mayor of the Village of Walden, making him the youngest Mayor in New York State at the time. He served a total of three consecutive terms as Walden Mayor while at the same time serving as chief aide to New York State Senator Bill Larkin and as Executive Director of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.

In 2019 Maher saw a divided Town of Montgomery engage in a bitter battle over its economic future and decided to run for Supervisor. A tough campaign followed, but Maher emerged victorious, first in a primary and then in the general election in a three-way race. His victory was keyed on his campaign promise to have the entire community involved in the drafting and approval of a new Comprehensive Plan that addressed residents’ concerns over commercial growth, but also spelled out how and where new economic development could take place.

Thanks in part to Maher’s efforts, Medline expanded its Orange County operations into a new 1.3-million-square-foot distribution facility, while Amazon built a 1-million-square-foot distribution facility in the town.

Orange County Partnership President and CEO Maureen Halahan said, “If you are worried about where our next generation of leaders is coming from, stop worrying.” She noted that Maher’s nomination as this year’s MVP was unanimously approved by the Orange County Partnership’s Board of Directors. “Brian simply gets things done and it has been an honor to watch him grow his skills,” Halahan added.

In his acceptance speech, Maher credited his administrative team at the Town of Montgomery with helping him secure the approval of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan as well their assistance in establishing programs and services for residents and businesses struggling with the impacts of the coronavirus.

He said the key to promoting economic development is to present the public the facts. His motto is simply: “The more people are involved in their government, the more honest the government is.”

In addition to County Executive Neuhaus’ bullish forecast for Orange County, Orange County Partnership Chairman Michael Gilfeather offered a candid assessment of the changing finance market in the U.S. and in Orange County.

Halahan provided statistics on the Partnership’s new development and business expansion project pipeline and offered a preview of a new initiative called the “Site Inventory Program,” which will be rolled out shortly by the organization.

She also noted that the 17-Forward-86 Coalition recently scored a major victory as New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul has budgeted up to $1 billion for the environmental study and construction of an expansion of Route 17 in Orange and Sullivan counties. The Orange County Partnership is a founding member of the 17-Forward-86 Coalition.