Reflecting on two-plus decades of service

By JoAnn R. Walter —

Jim Tornatore, Village of Newark Valley Mayor since 2004, retired in December after 21 years of service.

Tornatore shared at the Dec. 9 Village Board meeting, in part, “I have gratefully served as your Village Mayor.”  

He continued, “Last October, I celebrated my eightieth journey around the sun.

“My immediate family suggested to me that someone else deserves the opportunity to lead this fine, wonderful, unique village that my wife, Carrie, and I call home.”

Tornatore added, “Working closely with all of our previous and current staff and trustees, and our residents, has been some of the finer times of my life.”

Deputy Mayor Joseph Mooney fills the Mayoral position until the term expires in April. Katie Sack was appointed Deputy Mayor, and William Foster was named interim trustee.

Tornatore believes the spirit of the community is strong and is pleased to see younger individuals stepping up to be a part of the local government. Spring elections are fast approaching, and the village caucus was held on Jan. 22. The village is home to 928 residents.

Tornatore grew up in Mexico, N.Y., and remembers many harsh winters in Oswego County. The storm he will never forget, though, is the record-breaking 44 inches of snow that fell upon Newark Valley in December of 2020. It even made the national news. What Tornatore remembers most, though, is how residents quickly came together to face the cleanup task.           

The resilience of Newark Valley residents has been witnessed time and time again. There have been several flooding events, the most recent of which occurred in July of last year. Upwards of four inches of rain hit in a short period of time, which compromised roads, bridges, homes, and more. As many as 25 homes were damaged. 

The local community, along with residents and emergency services from around the county and a neighboring county, and county government, pulled resources together to assist. Newark Valley made the national news again, too.

It’s the July weather event that Tornatore believes finally got much-awaited attention. Five days before he was planning on retiring, he was notified that a state study had been approved, an effort that started in 2020 with help from the Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District. The study will focus on how to mitigate future flooding.

Tornatore remarked, “The state had never turned down the request; it had remained live,” and further explained that the study will include input from the Town, Village, and the DOT.  He hopes that a community subcommittee will be considered.  

Tornatore studied accounting and finance at Syracuse University. Before  college, Tornatore shared that he had seriously considered the priesthood. An altar boy in his youth, he reminisced about the encouragement he received from nuns at his church and how it helped him succeed. He is genuinely happy about how his career path unfolded, all of which led to Newark Valley.

Tornatore’s career has spanned years of professional work history, where he held roles as Director, Project Director, and Accounting Director at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, Carrol’s Development Corp., P&C Food Markets, Penn Traffic Corp., and Willow Run Foods.

Tornatore’s resume also includes roles for the Town of Schroeppel, N.Y., where he served on the Planning Board and as Community Chair. He also served on two Boards of Education in Liverpool and Phoenix, N.Y., the latter as District Chair.

Fond memories were conjured up, too, about a time he ran soapbox derbies in 1969 and 1970. As a member of the Syracuse Jaycees, he took part in overseeing youth races at Syracuse’s Schiller Park and also traveled to the nationals in Akron, Ohio.  

It was after meeting his wife and then accepting the Willow Run Foods position that offered the opportunity to relocate to Tioga County.  

Tornatore served on both the Newark Valley Village Planning Board and the Tioga County Planning Board. He also served on the Tioga County REAP Board for 10 years and was a board member for Tioga Opportunities for about 11 years. For 28 years, he has volunteered for the Newark Valley Historical Society, with four years on their finance committee. 

Tornatore will continue his role as Chair of the Tioga County Council of Government until April, where he has served since 2004.

The council, composed of nine town supervisors and six mayors, gathers for regular meetings. 

“It’s an opportunity to widen perspectives and have a wider sphere of influence,” he said. Key speakers such as senators, those from congress, county agency representatives, and more have been invited to meetings.

Tornatore had been a registered Republican for most of his life. The turning point, he said, were the events that took place on Jan. 6, 2021.  

He changed his party to Democrat and explained, “Five years ago I decided to change my affiliation to Democrat due to this and many other actions.”

As Mayor, there have been numerous projects and accomplishments through the years, including the restoration of the exterior of the municipal building. Tornatore sees the demolition of the Ladder Factory a major win. Once a premier employer in northern Tioga County, the facility had sat vacant for two-plus decades and became a visual blight and threat to public safety. Another win is extensive upgrades to an aging water system that dates back to 1907.  Today, Tornatore said, it’s one of the best in the area and provides residents with reasonable rates on water.  

A significant project that Tornatore had a hand in getting started is the restoration of the 10 Whig St. and 14-16 Whig St. properties via Restore NY.  Once the project gets underway, it will realize several positive outcomes.   

Tornatore acknowledges all who played a part in many more successes through the years, such as multiple improvements made to Trout Ponds Park, new sidewalks on Whig Street, and the listing of the Newark Valley Municipal Building and Tappan-Spaulding Memorial Library on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Tornatore pointed out, too, that the Community Connection of Northern Tioga County, composed of the Historical Society, Northern Tioga Chamber, Newark Valley Village, and the Community Center, has made a clear impact on helping the community thrive.    

Newark Valley’s distinct community spirit is brought up again as Tornatore reflects on the annual Summerfest event and December’s Holiday Magic event, as well as the fall Apple Festival, and all that draw people from around the county and beyond to visit Newark Valley. 

On the village website, the community is described as, “A friendly community with a special affinity for the village’s historic legacy and small-town living.” 

Next up for Tornatore is spending more time with his wife, two daughters and two grandsons, and remaining active in the community.