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Who

James Oddo is the top Republican on the New York City Council, which makes him the political equivalent of the loudest Red Sox fan at a Yankees game.

Backstory

Oddo attended New York Law School before taking a job with Councilmember John Fusco. He spent seven years there, rising to the position of chief of staff, then joined the legal staff of Thomas Ognibene, a Republican on the City Council. When Oddo's old boss Fusco vacated his seat representing the council's 50th District in 1999, Oddo tossed his hat in the ring and won.

Of note

Oddo now represents two somewhat curious minorities on the New York City Council: Republicans and Staten Islanders. Outnumbered 48 to three in the council, Republicans are often frustrated or ignored, yet Oddo generally manages to keep a sense of humor about his job and has maintained good relationships with the Democratic council speakers. He often ends up as a gadfly, especially on tax issues and when the council takes up international policies, like a resolution opposing the Iraq war. His biggest successes have occured when he's taken up less ideological issues, like his pet project to get heart defibrillators into public spaces and his opposition to development projects on Staten Island. His call for a lift on the ban on racial profiling, meanwhile, earned him a good deal of criticism. And his quixotic, long-running campaign to get aluminum baseball bats banned from city leagues now appears to finally be dead after a veto from Mayor Bloomberg in 2007.

Keeping score

He made $130,500 for his city council work in 2007.

Drama

In August 2007, Oddo was memorably punked by a European news crew and the resulting video became a sensation on YouTube. A blonde Norwegian interviewer asked a series of nutty questions that triggered a Tony Soprano-like rage: Oddo removed his jacket and told the woman: "Get the fuck out of my office before I beat the fucking shit out of you." He later apologized for using "mono-syllabic imperatives" and admitted, "I'm not a terribly good politician."

Personal

Oddo is unmarried. Naturally, he's a resident of Staten Island.

No joke

Arguing against city funding for a hip-hop museum in the Bronx, Oddo told the Sun, "I'm the biggest LL Cool J fan in the council, but this is not a proper use of taxpayer money."