The Saugerties Village Board voted at its regular meeting on April 21 to appoint Stan O’Dell as the Associate Village Justice. Acting Village Justice Robert Schnell has indicated that he will not seek reappointment, Mayor Bill Murphy said at the Village Board meeting on March 21. Murphy said he had asked Schnell for a recommendation, and Schnell suggested appointing O’Dell. The board voted unanimous approval.
The associate justice handles traffic court and fills in when the town justice is not available. O’Dell must still complete mandatory training, so he will not be able to start until April 15.
O’Dell ran for Town Justice in 2000, losing to incumbent Claudia Andreassen. While he has not had legal training or acted as a lawyer or judge, that is not required at the Village or Town Justice court level. O’Dell said at the time that his 30 years with the New York State Police had familiarized him with the law. He rose through the ranks to a senior investigator position.