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Odell, a Republican, and Oliverio, a Democrat took part in a League of Women Voters Debate Tuesday, Oct. 28, at Carmel High School.
"Balanced government is best for everyone," Oliverio said.
Oliverio was critical of the county for bonding $15 million in three years and said he would hire Putnam County residents to work in government while reducing the county executive's salary from $148,000 to $102,000.
"The county executive is the voice of the people," Oliverio said. "They need to go to Albany and get them to revise the school tax system that is driving seniors and young people out of the county. Putnam County is the people's county. It's for everyone, not just the favored few."
Odell said the county has had a tremendous three years since she became county executive.
"We took the best and the brightest from the private sector and sat them down," Odell said. "They produced creative ideas that were terrific."
Under Odell, Putnam County has produced a budget under the state-mandated two percent cap on the tax levy while funding social programs and fighting a war on heroin.
"We've paid down our debt and we've met the challenges," Odell said.
Odell said she has worked to consolidate services. For every dollar the county spends, she said 71 cents goes back to Albany.
"We have to look at government and run it like a business," Odell said. "We deal with our budget every day. We say no to expense vouchers or ask our highway department to get a better price for salt.
Oliverio said Putnam needs to improve its business climate.
"We have to concentrate on Main Street," Oliverio said. "The focus of county government shouldn't be on big box stores. We need to give incentives to mom and pop stores. That will generate the sales tax and business incentives we need."
Both Oliverio and Odell said they strongly support offering tax credits to veterans and that veterans come first in Putnam County. They also agreed more law enforcement needs to be in place to fight Putnam County's heroin problem.
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