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All in Adams--Featuring Commissioner Steve O'Dorisio
22 Plays20 days ago
Welcome to the final episode of our special “All In Adams” commissioner interview series, where we’ve been sitting down with the leaders shaping the future of Adams County. Today, we’re closing things out with Commissioner Steve O’Dorisio, who brings a unique perspective from years of public service, deep community roots, and a strong focus on smart growth and innovation. We’ll hear about his vision for the county, the challenges he sees ahead, and what being “All In” truly means to him. Let’s dive in.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'All In Adams'
00:00:04
Speaker
Welcome to All In Adams, the official podcast of Adams County government, where we're all in for our residents, our employees, and our community. So whether you live here, work here, or you just want to know more about what makes Adams County a great place to be, thanks for tuning in.
00:00:20
Speaker
We're all in, Adams.
Meet the Episode's Guest: Commissioner Steve Odorizio
00:00:23
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to another episode of All in Adams. I'm Nikki Kimballton, the Communications Director for Adams County, also your host.
00:00:31
Speaker
So for the last few weeks, we have been reintroducing you to all five of our county commissioners. And today, last but certainly not least, we have Commissioner Steve Odorizio with us. Thanks for coming in. Thank you very much for having me. Yeah, we're excited to learn more about you today.
00:00:44
Speaker
So first question, just tell us a little bit about about your background. Well, my family's been in Colorado for over 100 years on my dad's side. I had one great grandfather that worked in the steel mills down in Pueblo and another great grandfather and his brothers, ah after they also came from Italy, were loggers up in the mountains.
00:01:04
Speaker
Yeah, oh that's great. So over 100 years of history here, um what what really was your her passion with wanting to serve? Because I know a little bit. So, well, let let's go back a little bit first.
00:01:17
Speaker
So prior to this, tell us about your career prior to becoming a county commissioner.
Odorizio's Career Journey
00:01:21
Speaker
So before i was immediately before I was a county commissioner, was a prosecutor at the 17th Judicial District, and that covers Adams County and Broomfield County.
00:01:30
Speaker
and And at what point was it that you made the decision, you know, I'm going to to i'm going to make this transition? like you know Because, I mean, obviously you're doing a service yeah as a prosecutor, but really taking that step, wanting to to run run for office and to actually serve your community. Well, even before I became a prosecutor, I got the bug for service and student government at Colorado State University.
00:01:52
Speaker
But throughout the 12 years, from 1998 to about 2010, I was working in business and i was like was also then a business attorney, so business consulting, business attorney.
00:02:04
Speaker
Then when I got the opportunity to work for Don Quick, who was our district attorney, I jumped on it. And it was outstanding. And it's kind of really what changed my trajectory from the business side over to public service.
Challenges and Opportunities in Adams County
00:02:16
Speaker
So what is it that you love about this job as a county commissioner? What I love about this job is the diversity of all the challenges that we have. One minute you could be getting yelled at about a pothole in somebody's front yard, you know, right in front of their house.
00:02:29
Speaker
And then the next minute you're talking about multi million, hundreds of million dollar deals on how to get like a road network put in place in a certain region. And so the variety of the challenges is just fun and phenomenal. And it makes it very interesting.
00:02:46
Speaker
So working with you the last couple of years, I've been able to to see your passion. you know I mean, you really do work very hard for for our residents, for our employees as well. What are some of the programs and things that we have here at Adams County that really mean the most to you?
00:03:00
Speaker
Well, one of the things when I, some of the the things that I ran, what some of the reasons I ran for office, I would say are ah watching when I came into Adams County, I grew up in Jeffco, fell in love with ah Robin Odoricio. Robin Frank was her name at the time.
00:03:14
Speaker
And I got to spend more time in Adams County. What i loved about Adams County were the people. and the opportunity and the potential. And when I got here, I realized that there is so much that potential that we have in Adams County that we could we could do more.
00:03:30
Speaker
And quite often, the spirit of Adams County sometimes ah was was was hurting. People didn't know that they could do more. they So I looked at it, and I'm like, wow, we have so much opportunity potential.
00:03:42
Speaker
can we Can we work on things that allow people to feel proud of where they live? that they their kids can aim higher to go further. And it's those things that make me realize, like, if people can can get those opportunities, we can do more, and they can do more.
00:03:58
Speaker
Absolutely. And now one of the fastest growing counties in the
Hidden Gems and Community Pride in Adams County
00:04:00
Speaker
state. yeah Yeah. Lots of people coming here and lots of people seeing what you see. um So, so with that, let's talk about some of the ah hidden gems and great places in Adams County. Do you have like a, a secret place that, that is like your favorite to go, whether it's for like a walk, whether it's for, um ah you know, to have a a beer at one of our amazing um locations that we have, whether it's a favorite dinner or meal.
00:04:24
Speaker
So that even some of the the great things about Adams County are also some of the programs that I'm excited that we've been able to do over the few years, which is just simply going on walks in some of these neighborhoods that didn't have curbs and gutters and sidewalks, being able to go to the parks that people didn't feel comfortable to go to before. go Look at Rotella Park. look at ah there There are numerous parks that have just...
00:04:45
Speaker
just been enhanced and improved where people now feel safe to go. They know they could bring their kids and it's amazing just to walk around and see people having like birthday parties and and barbecues at the parks. It's fun to see that.
00:05:01
Speaker
I love going to, so other than the parks, I love going to like Stanley marketplace. You could see that over in her Aurora and then you could go up to Bar Lake and then you could go over to the national wildlife refuge at the old arsenal.
00:05:14
Speaker
ah If you want to see you want to be in an urban community, walk along Federal down by Regis University. If you want to go suburban, you've got ah a bunch of places you can go. If you want to go to a mall-type environment, go up to Orchard. ye And so I love the variety and the diversity of of places and the people.
00:05:32
Speaker
But every then if you want to go out east, like we're 72 miles wide. like You can drive, and you can see some amazing things out east. Yeah. So, you know, moving here from Florida a couple of years ago, that was one of the things that really like that I was driving through Adams County and I'm still in Adams County. And I'm like, how this is, ah you know, incredible. I mean, it's it's ah very large by by landmass, um but it's also incredibly diverse. One of the things that I love is when you're talking about all these locations, they're all really close.
00:05:59
Speaker
And I can also get to the airport in like 18 minutes, which is, you know, a bonus as well. um But yeah, thank you for sharing all that. And, you know, on an upcoming episode, when the commissioner was talking about all the different things that you can do at the parks, the birthday parties, all those things, we're going to actually have an episode coming up.
00:06:16
Speaker
telling you how you can easily reserve those places, all the great spots that you can take advantage of as we're heading into the you know the the spring and summer months. um so So hearing all that about the great things that we have, what's your hope and vision for our county over the next two, five, 10 years?
00:06:34
Speaker
I would like to see, would like people to really take pride. And when somebody says, where are you from? And they say, I'm from Commerce City. I'm from Adams County. I'm from North Glen. I'm from Thornton. I'm from Welby. I'm from Berkeley. Any of those, Pearl Mack, Sheryl Wood, Goat Hill. I want them to to say it. I want them to say it with pride.
00:06:53
Speaker
And I want them to be able to rattle off all the great things that they are proud of in their neighborhoods. And I think that we're getting to that point. And so when I look, like we have a lot of work to do, but it's it's it's about people, it's about places, and we have to deliver that through good policy and programs and projects.
00:07:12
Speaker
All right. Thank you for sharing that. Okay. So now we're going to get into some fun questions. Are you ready for that? All
Personal Insights and Fun Facts about Odorizio
00:07:17
Speaker
right. Okay. So first one, if your life had a theme song, what would it be and why? Oh, uh, always look on the brighter side of life.
00:07:25
Speaker
Yes. Monty Python. I try to stay positive. It's a, you know, I mean, the world can be challenging, but always look on the brighter side of life. What is the best piece of advice that you've ever received?
00:07:40
Speaker
Well, ah my mom used to say, count your blessings. And so there are times in life where you you may you know want to feel sorry for yourself. You want to be mad or you want to and and that happens to all of us.
00:07:51
Speaker
It's nice. But it's also made me realize that it's kind of become the new driver of my mission. It's just, well, some people spend their whole lives trying to get what they deserve. And I'm going to dedicate the rest of my life to deserve all I've been given.
00:08:07
Speaker
And it's because of being able to look and count your blessings and all the things that, that, that God and this community and family have given me. ah Those are the things I'd like to see others be able to enjoy.
00:08:20
Speaker
and like, ah I like that. That's really good. Okay. So anything on your bucket list that you haven't done yet that you're planning to? I mean, you could always, like, let's the the far-off stuff, I'd love to go visit places in Eastern Europe and Asia that I haven't been. I'd love to go to Africa. I've still not been to Australia. So travel is something that I never got to do when I was in here. We didn't have that kind of money. But um as I get older, I realize how important it is and how valuable it is. And so there's some places I'd really like to see.
00:08:51
Speaker
As far as the community goes, like like some of the stuff I'd like to see here, um I'd like to really – really like finish out some of our curb gutter sidewalk in some of these neighborhoods.
00:09:03
Speaker
That's on um the small side, on the big side of real ecstasy, Aerotropolis really become an international place. And I think we're getting there where we can compete with anybody, any region in the entire world.
00:09:14
Speaker
And those are some of the things I'm very excited about. Yeah, I think there's there's so many great things to come with Aerotropolis. And I also love that part of your bucket list is really taking care of the ah community, which doesn't surprise me at all, um having worked with you for the last couple of years.
00:09:27
Speaker
Okay, so what is there a fun fact about you that most people don't know? I used to love and be able to do art, I guess. I mean, i just don't have time to do it now, but I i really loved like drawing what kind drawing and little painting. And just growing up, it was something I really enjoyed, but you know, life got got in the way and I'd like to find a way to get back to that.
00:09:49
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I like that. So at anything specific that you would, that you would draw more than like, was it people? Was it places? It was like sports figures and animals and by stuff. I mean, if you go into, uh, if you go into my office, you'll see a picture I did of, of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oh, okay.
00:10:05
Speaker
I'm going to have to, now I'm going to have to go see that. here you go All right. Um, if you could have dinner with any historical figure or famous person, who would it be and why? Hmm.
00:10:19
Speaker
Historical figure, famous person. So if it's historical, it like way back in the day, or at like maybe not too far, I would want to hear from, i mean, there's quite a few, but if I'm going to just pull one out, yeah I would say Frank and Delano Roosevelt.
00:10:35
Speaker
I'd like to understand what it was like to come into office, take on the challenge of the depression, and then also have to stand up and and and how to navigate and get into World War two And unfortunately, he didn't get to finish World War II, but the challenges that that president had were just daunting, ah both domestically and internationally.
00:10:59
Speaker
And I look ahead and I see those, like, I just want to make sure, like, I would want to i' love to get some guidance on um the decision-making and the and and thought process that went into being able to tackle some of those very difficult situations.
00:11:13
Speaker
Sure. i mean, you've been in public service to know what that was like to serve the country, to be able to to navigate through all those things, yeah all those challenges. I mean, think about it. We get we get frustrated on some of this some of these things that are important to us right in front of our noses.
00:11:30
Speaker
And then you have to take a breath and be like, yeah we're not anywhere close to what the world was like at that point. least you hope not. And that's part of the challenge is being able to try to understand how did, how did they see stuff coming?
00:11:44
Speaker
How did they avoid certain things? But then also how did they respond when some of the worst situations happen? um We're, we're quickly coming to our close of time, but I wanted to ask you one more thing.
00:11:54
Speaker
there any, is there
00:11:57
Speaker
story event that you feel really shaped you in your career. And i I know as a prosecutor, you seen a former prosecutor, you've seen so much.
00:12:10
Speaker
um And I can only imagine some of the stories. It's really hard not to take your work home with you. Is there anything that really shaped or defined who you are today?
Commitment to Mental Health and Community Involvement
00:12:18
Speaker
Well, rather than going way back, I can say that in 2013, I was just starting to, I just made the commitment to run for county commissioner and I was still working at the DA's office and the most difficult three weeks of my life where was, I was right the murder trial. my In this whole period of three weeks, my father died, we had a murder trial and a good friend at our office committed suicide.
00:12:41
Speaker
And it really kind of made you think about all the challenges that are out there, whether it was crime and mental health and addiction and suicide. All of that kind of came crashing down on me, um making me really kind of, again, count your blessings, but also say that that there are a lot of people who need help.
00:13:01
Speaker
And when we and when if we can't address some of these issues, on a daily or on a micro level, then they become big problems. And so that was one of the most difficult times I had in my life and career, but also it really brings me back to some of those moments where, okay, like let's put this this situation or this challenge into perspective.
00:13:24
Speaker
But it also really, it really propels me in a lot of the things that a lot of people don't know ah when I try to help with issues of mental health or addiction or criminal justice, public safety.
00:13:35
Speaker
And a lot of it really just comes down to like, there are a lot of good people who make bad mistakes. And that was the part of being a prosecutor that I really liked is you can help good people who made bad mistakes, get on a good path.
00:13:48
Speaker
And then there was other times where there's some evil out there and you need people to go up and protect others. Thank you for sharing that. and And that also, I think, shows us some of the motivation, like you were just saying. You've had a lot of your decisions and a lot of the things that you fight for.
00:14:03
Speaker
um And then also to expand on that, last night I just said this to someone. Good people do bad things. Bad people do good things. It's you know it's it's exactly like you just said. um Is there anything else that you want to share with those that are that are watching and listening um that I didn't ask?
00:14:19
Speaker
No, I think it's cool that... Like in looking at where we are, Adams County has so much potential and we've also come so far. And I think what we should do is take pride in our community. And it's little things like making sure if you get a chance to pick up the trash in your neighborhood, let's do it.
00:14:37
Speaker
If you see somebody who needs help, ah either try to help that person or make the phone call if you need to. um But it's those little things that that become bigger. We're at a point in history where we are recognizing we can't rely on big corporations, big government, big nonprofits to to take care of us for everything that we need.
00:14:56
Speaker
And so I think what we really need to do is start talking about how can we help each other? How can we make little differences every day, whether it's little actions, habits, and and just ah to make big impact?
00:15:09
Speaker
And I think we need to get back to that. I think we've become overly dependent on expecting others to come and save us and um and others. And I think it's time for us to to do that. And so that means everything, like I said, little interactions, little smiles, little waves, um giving each other grace that we need.
00:15:29
Speaker
um but also having the grit to stand up for what we believe in. And then, of course, back to the
Themes of Grit, Grace, and Gratitude
00:15:34
Speaker
gratitude. Grit, grace, and gratitude are the things I'm, those are kind of my current themes I'm trying to remind myself every day. I love that. Grit, grace, and gratitude. I couldn't have ended it on a better note.
00:15:43
Speaker
Thank you to Commissioner Steve Odoricio for taking the time to let let us get to know him a little bit better. We appreciate that. And thank you for joining us on this episode of All in Atoms.
00:15:53
Speaker
Thank That's a wrap for this episode of All in Adams. Thank you for joining us as we explore the people, programs, and the policies that make Adams County a great place to live, work, and thrive.
00:16:06
Speaker
If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe and share with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know. We're all in for bringing you the stories that matter most.
00:16:17
Speaker
Until next time, take care of each other and stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and X. We're all in, Adams, and we're all in for you.