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Jim currently serves on the Town Board and is a third generation resident of Bethlehem. His recent accomplishments include successfully leading the effort to save our town's cherished dive pool. As an experienced attorney in private practice and former auditor, Jim has a strong background in advocacy, ethics, and finance.
Jim is a graduate of Georgetown University and Albany Law School, and is a dedicated volunteer with various community organizations, including serving as a longtime volunteer firefighter with the Elsmere Fire Company. Jim is extremely proud that his 6-year-old son is attending Elsmere School -- the same elementary school Jim attended. |
More about Jim's background . . . |
Jim with his sister, nephew, and parents.
Since the 1940s, Jim’s family has called Bethlehem home. Jim’s father and his five siblings were raised in their parents’ home on Wellington Road and Jim’s parents and many of his other family members still live in the community.
Like his father, aunts, and uncles, Jim was born and raised in Bethlehem. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Thomas Church, and is a proud graduate of Elsmere Elementary and Bethlehem’s public middle and high schools. Jim joined the Elsmere Fire Company as a volunteer firefighter over 15 years ago, and since then has gained years of valuable experience working in teams to serve the community in times of crisis. In addition to his service with the fire company, Jim has volunteered with the Bethlehem Youth Court to assist in the administration of justice and rehabilitation of local juvenile offenders. Through his years of employment with the Bethlehem Highway and Parks & Recreation Departments, he has gained firsthand experience in delivering services to the Town and its residents. These jobs have shown him that Town Hall must communicate effectively with its workers so that every resident can benefit from their valuable ideas and insights.
Like his father, aunts, and uncles, Jim was born and raised in Bethlehem. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Thomas Church, and is a proud graduate of Elsmere Elementary and Bethlehem’s public middle and high schools. Jim joined the Elsmere Fire Company as a volunteer firefighter over 15 years ago, and since then has gained years of valuable experience working in teams to serve the community in times of crisis. In addition to his service with the fire company, Jim has volunteered with the Bethlehem Youth Court to assist in the administration of justice and rehabilitation of local juvenile offenders. Through his years of employment with the Bethlehem Highway and Parks & Recreation Departments, he has gained firsthand experience in delivering services to the Town and its residents. These jobs have shown him that Town Hall must communicate effectively with its workers so that every resident can benefit from their valuable ideas and insights.
Jim at Elsmere Fire Department's weekly drill
In addition to his experience working in the community, Jim has gained perspective from his time spent elsewhere. After graduating from Bethlehem Central High School, he attended college at Georgetown University where he double majored in Government and Psychology and graduated with honors in three and a half years. From there, Jim went to work for a private auditing and consulting firm in Washington, DC where he was granted Top Secret security clearance and performed and oversaw audits of various large companies and governmental entities including the Department of Defense and United States Agency for International Development (“USAID”). Jim made recommendations and worked with management to ensure compliance, improve efficiency, and mitigate vulnerabilities at those government organizations. Consequently, Jim was recognized by the USAID’s Inspector General for outstanding performance, and was selected to perform additional fieldwork and interviews at the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, and USAID’s offices in Malawi.
In 2007, Jim returned home to attend Albany Law School, where he received a merit-based scholarship. While at Albany Law, he worked at the E. Stewart Jones Law Firm in Troy, and was elected to the position of Executive Editor for Business of the Albany Law Review. In that position Jim was responsible for the Law Review's budget and finances and identified areas where costs could be reduced and efficiencies realized. In addition to work, classes, exams, and his position on the Law Review, Jim continued to respond to emergency calls in Bethlehem with the Elsmere Fire Company.
In 2007, Jim returned home to attend Albany Law School, where he received a merit-based scholarship. While at Albany Law, he worked at the E. Stewart Jones Law Firm in Troy, and was elected to the position of Executive Editor for Business of the Albany Law Review. In that position Jim was responsible for the Law Review's budget and finances and identified areas where costs could be reduced and efficiencies realized. In addition to work, classes, exams, and his position on the Law Review, Jim continued to respond to emergency calls in Bethlehem with the Elsmere Fire Company.
In 2010, Jim graduated with honors from Albany Law and accepted a position as an attorney in the Manhattan office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley, & McCloy, LLP, a top international law firm. While at Milbank, he worked extensively with industry experts on complex financial matters and supervised a team of nearly 60 attorneys. In that role, Jim was often responsible for preparing timelines, cost estimates, and proposals for crucial long term projects. He was often the liaison between outside vendors and senior attorneys, and developed strong interpersonal skills and relationships working with individuals both inside and outside the firm. In addition to his on the job experience, he has received additional business and legal training at executive education sessions at Harvard Law School. These sessions, led by Harvard Business and Law School professors, provided valuable training in subjects such as management, accounting, strategic planning, and business valuation methodologies. Since 2016, Jim has been employed as an attorney in the Corporate and Commercial Transactions practice of Couch White, LLP in downtown Albany.
Jim currently lives at his home in Delmar and remains active in the community, including serving on the Advisory Council of the Bethlehem YMCA and Board of Directors of the Elsmere Fire Company. |
