John Giudice, a Republican from Newburgh, announced his candidacy for Orange County Legislature District Six, which covers the City and Town of Newburgh. His decision to run comes with the stepping down of Democrat James Kulisek. Giudice is the third to join the race, along with Democrats Genesis Ramos and Roger Ramjug.

“I look forward to representing the 6th district of the Orange County Legislature,” said Giudice in a press release. “Newburgh is my lifelong home, and I am very familiar with the people who live here and the issues they are facing. I will do my best to assure constituents that their interests are represented in Goshen fully and honestly.”

Giudice hopes to continue to bring activities back for children, but also look at new options for the older crowd. For example, he would like to be able to let seniors utilize the city and town’s ponds and lakes for catch and release fishing because right now “they don’t have anywhere to go.”

Giudice was born and raised in the City of Newburgh and has worked in construction for over 50 years. From 1988 to 1995 he sat on the city council, where he “took the job to heart” and was heavily involved with spearheading the creation of new recreation, like ice skating for the youth and seniors club 60 for the elderly. Giudice was also responsible for obtaining several state and federal grants that allowed for the restoration of the Delano-Hitch Stadium and park.
“A lot of things we did when we were younger aren’t even around anymore in Newburgh,” said Giudice. “I’d like to see some of that come back. It will take a lot of hard work, but if we work with the right people, we can bring recreation back.”

When he heard about Kulisek no longer seeking the position, he decided to announce his run. Giudice said he will “work hard at the job” and that if there is a problem, he will try to resolve it. He isn’t afraid of a boots on the ground approach with knocking on doors and hearing from neighbors, similar to his experience as a councilman where he had an open door attitude. Additionally, he plans to work closely with the surrounding districts’ legislators.

Giudice is a supporter of strong public safety. With supporting law enforcement, he does not believe in defunding the police department here in Orange County. When it comes to infrastructure, he hopes to create better road conditions in both the town and the city, especially when it comes to Central Hudson who he believes “leaves the roads in bad condition.” Although he has plans in mind, Giudice is also weary of taxes and does not want to raise them.

“Republican, Democrat, whatever you are, if I can help you, I’ll be there to help you,” said Giudice. “I always did that. I believe in helping constituents out and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Giudice is a father of two daughters and has been married to his wife for over 50 years. Additionally, he has been a member of the bricklayer union for over 50 years.