From Diana Benoit's Website:
The youngest of seven, I was born and raised in Greene County. Both of my parents instilled a strong work ethic in all of their children and at the age of 15, I was waiting tables at Eva's Farm Resort to earn money. After high school, I went to work for the Cairo Police Department and attended the Kingston Municipal Police Training Course. I was the first woman ever hired by the Cairo Police Department. After Cairo PD, I was employed by the New York State Capital Police and eventually hired by the New York State Police. I attended the New York State Police Academy in 1990. While working for the New York State Police and raising a family, I was able to find the time to go back to school and have obtained three college degrees:
·A.A.S. - Rochester Institute of Technology - Disaster and Emergency Management
·B.S. Rochester Institute of Technology - Criminal Justice and Emergency Management
·Master's - Marist College - Public Administration (MPA)
I am also an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Columbia Greene Community College.
My goal since I was a child was to be a Trooper with the New York State Police. I spent a few years away from Greene County patrolling other areas but was eventually assigned as a Trooper in Greene County in 1995. In 1997, I was promoted to the rank of Investigator and spent sixteen years in the BCI in Catskill. During that time, I obtained a unique perspective of all the different towns and areas in Greene County. Police work presents a dichotomy of good and bad that few other professions afford. In 2013, I was promoted to the rank of Senior Investigator and was assigned to the State Police Station in Highland, NY.
I have been married for thirty-four years and have three children, whom I am very proud of. Candace owns her own business on Main Street in Cairo; Great Beginnings Daycare, Adam is currently a student in Albany majoring in Computers and Erik attended Norwich University and has just graduated from Marine Corps Boot Camp. My husband, Dan, a thirty-two year veteran of the New York State Police is currently an attorney with Ralph Lewis in Catskill as well as the Supervisor in the Town of Cairo.
After retiring from the New York State Police, I set my sights on trying to revitalize the Main Street area of Cairo. I am the Co/President of the Cairo Development Foundation and act as their grant writer. We have only been in existence for a little over a year now but have been able to obtain ownership of a building on Main Street, run several successful fundraising events and have obtained several grants. The most recent being the New York Main Street – Technical Assistance Grant that will allow us to apply for the larger Main Street Grant. These efforts are all for the revitalization of Main Street.
I am a life member of the NRA and a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. I am also a Republican Committee person in the Town of Cairo and the Greene County Republican Committee Treasurer. I believe that it is imperative to public service that we remember we exist to serve the citizens; that our goal is to help people and be a force for good.