Steve Neuhaus is Orange County’s sixth County Executive since the office was established in 1970.
Since being elected County Executive, Neuhaus has focused on economic development, public safety, health, improving infrastructure and cutting Orange County’s budget, at a time when spending in many governments is on the rise. He has successfully led the effort to reduce the County budget by $40 million dollars, and brought the size of the workforce to its lowest level in a quarter century, without any layoffs or effect on services.
The son of immigrants, Neuhaus and his two sisters were raised on a working farm in Southern Orange County that is still in operation today. A Monroe-Woodbury High School graduate who took courses at SUNY Orange during senior year, he went on to receive a Bachelor Degree in History/Political Science from Mount Saint Mary College as well as a Master Degree in Public Administration from Marist College. He is also a graduate of Leadership Orange.
Neuhaus is an Officer in the Navy Reserves and is currently assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. Neuhaus has earned two warfare designations: Seabee Combat Warfare (SCW) Officer and Navy Expeditionary Supply Corps Officer (NESCO). His past assignments include Amphibious Construction Battalion Two, Navy Mobile Construction Battalion Two-Four and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command.
Neuhaus was sworn into office on January 1, 2014 after serving as the Town of Chester’s Supervisor since 2008. His tenure as Chester Supervisor proved to be one of the most economically successful in history, as he held the line on property taxes for residents, and stimulated local businesses. He was previously a Chester Councilman.
Neuhaus is active in the community, serving in various volunteer organizations throughout Orange County, including: the Hudson Valley Boy Scouts Annual Dinner Committee, American Legion Post 1167, the Military Officers Association of America/Mid-Hudson Chapter, the Fraternal Order of Police/Jason Conklin Lodge 957.
Neuhaus is a founding member and former chairman of the Families of War Veterans Committee, and is a supporter of the Hudson Valley Honor Flight, a non-profit organization which honors American veterans for their sacrifices by bringing them to Washington, D.C. to visit their war memorials at no cost to them.
He has served as Treasurer and Vice President of the Orange County Association of Towns, Villages and Cities and is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Orange County Land Trust. Prior to joining the Navy Reserves he was an active member of the Lakeside Fire Department in Monroe. Neuhaus currently serves on the County Executives of America (CEA) Board of directors.
Neuhaus lives in Chester with his wife and three children.
