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'{{Short description|American businessman and polititian}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Infobox Officeholder | image = | imagesize = | name = Jim Roddey | caption = | birth_date = 1935 | birth_place = [[Asheville, North Carolina]] | residence = [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania | office = [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County]] Chief Executive | term_start = January 3, 2000<ref name=Oath>{{cite news|title=Roddey takes over as Allegheny County executive|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R6syAAAAIBAJ&pg=5641,246736&dq=jim+roddey+sworn+in&hl=en|access-date=December 31, 2011|newspaper=The Gettysbirg Times|date=January 4, 2000}}</ref> | term_end = January 2, 2004 | predecessor = Office created | successor = [[Dan Onorato]] |office2 = Chairperson of the<br />[[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County Republican Party]] |term_start2 = December 14, 2005 |term_end2 = |predecessor2 = Bob Glancy |successor2 = | party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | religion = | occupation = | alma_mater = [[Texas Christian University]] | website = }} '''James C. Roddey''' (born 1935) is a [[Pennsylvania]] businessman and politician best known as the former (and first) [[county executive|chief executive]] of [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]], from 2000 to 2004. He is a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and was the chair of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County, from 2005 until 2016. ==Early life and career== Roddey is originally from [[Asheville, North Carolina]]. He graduated from [[Texas Christian University]] in [[Fort Worth, Texas]] with a degree in speech. He is a former [[United States Marine Corps]] captain, and moved to Pittsburgh in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=POQcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FmMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2034,5480957|title=The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com|accessdate=November 29, 2023}}</ref> ==Professional career== Roddey served on the boards of [[Turner Communication Corp]], [[Rollins Communication Corp]], and others. He is the [[Emeritus Trustee]] of the [[University of Pittsburgh]] and has received three honorary doctorates from various institutions. He was appointed the Port Authority of Allegheny County, of which he became chairman, the Pittsburgh Water Authority, and the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, of which he also because chairman. In 2010, ''Politics Magazine'' named him one of the most influential Republicans in Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Roarty |first=Alex |author2=Sean Coit |title=Pennsylvania Influencers |newspaper=Politics Magazine |pages=44–49 |date=January 2010 |url=http://politicsmagazine.com/uploads/Image/Politics_PA_influencers_web.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229023006/http://politicsmagazine.com/uploads/Image/Politics_PA_influencers_web.pdf |archive-date=December 29, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Roddey once was the head of the company [[Wexford Health Sources]].<ref name="TwedtWexford">Twedt, Steve. "[http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09102/962006-28.stm Wexford Health works with inmates]." ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]''. Sunday April 12, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2010.</ref> ===County Executive=== Prior to 2000, Allegheny County was governed by a group of three [[commissioners]]. In 1998, Roddey was appointed by the commissioners to manage a successful campaign (also initiated by the county commissioners) to replace that system (via a [[referendum]]) to a new system composed of a single Chief Executive and a 15-member [[County Council]]. Roddey argued along with the commissioners that this would more evenly distribute representation as the previous system tended to have commissioners predominantly from [[Pittsburgh]], rather than other towns and communities in the county. (Pittsburgh is the [[county seat]] and by far the largest population center in the county, but still with only 26% of the county population in the city-proper.) In 1999, the first election was held for the new Chief Executive and County Council. Roddey won his race against Democrat (and "celebrity" [[coroner]]) [[Cyril Wecht]], although Democrats won the majority of the seats on the new Council. This led to friction during his term in office. During his term, Roddey implemented a property reassessment begun by the former commissioners to reverse the county's financial situation. This increased the value of many homes in the county by 5%-- a legal maximum. This increase in tax revenue was not popular, but it did succeed in creating new operating revenue. ===Defeat and subsequent political activity=== In 2003, Roddey ran for reelection but lost to [[Dan Onorato]]. In interviews, he credits the re-assessments as leading to his decline in popularity. Following his time as Chief Executive, he became an appointed member of [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh's]] fiscal oversight board ([[Pittsburgh Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority]]), but resigned in February 2005. He was elected chair of the Allegheny County Republican Party in 2005. He drew plaudits for a relatively diminished showing for incumbent Democrat [[Luke Ravenstahl]] in the [[Pittsburgh mayoral special election, 2007|2007]] and [[Pittsburgh mayoral election, 2009|2009]] [[Mayor of Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh mayoral]] elections<ref name=partychairone>{{cite news|last=O'Toole|first=James|title=GOP had a good day in Pennsylvania|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/gop-had-a-good-day-in-pennsylvania-365352/|access-date=August 11, 2012|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=March 16, 2012}}</ref> and [[Tom Corbett]]'s victory in Allegheny County in the [[Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2010|2010 gubernatorial election]], but was criticised for a 2012 speech in which he claimed to have jokingly attempted to yield a handicapped parking space to a man because he, "...saw that [[Barack Obama|Obama]] sticker and thought [he was] mentally retarded."<ref name=abcnews>{{cite web|last=Kiesel|first=Meghan|title=Republican Jokes Obama Supporters 'Mentally Retarded'|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/08/republican-jokes-obama-supporters-mentally-retarded/|work=Politics Blog|publisher=ABC News|access-date=August 11, 2012}}</ref> He retired from his position as Party Chair in 2016, having presided over a period of financial stabilization and tripling membership growth for the organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wtae.com/article/ex-county-executive-jim-roddey-resigns-as-allegheny-county-republican-chair/7477783|title = Ex-county executive Jim Roddey resigns as Allegheny County Republican chair|date = February 16, 2016}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} * [http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/1998/08/31/story4.html?page=1 ''The two lives of Jim Roddey''], [[Pittsburgh Business Times]]. August 28, 1998. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060215161002/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_164372.html ''Roddey leaves lasting impact'', Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. November 9, 2003.] * [http://www.progresspittsburgh.org/DocumentPage.php?thing=Roddey%2C+James+C. James Roddy's entry in the ProgressPittsburgh database] *[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/08/jim-roddey-obama-mentally-retarded_n_1755690.html Local GOP Chair Implies Obama Supporter Is 'Mentally Retarded'] {{S-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | before=[[Bob Cranmer]]<br />[[Mike Dawida]]<br />Larry Dunn<br /><small>''County Commissioners''</small> | title=[[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Chief Executive of Allegheny County]] | years=2000&ndash;2004 | after=[[Dan Onorato]] }} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Bob Glancy}} {{s-ttl|title=Chairperson of the [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County Republican Party]]|years=2005&ndash;present}} {{s-aft|after=Incumbent}} {{S-end}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Roddey, Jim}} [[Category:1935 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American health care businesspeople]] [[Category:Politicians from Asheville, North Carolina]] [[Category:Pennsylvania Republicans]] [[Category:United States Marines]] [[Category:Texas Christian University alumni]] [[Category:Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) executives]]'