PETER OBERACKER, R-DISTRICT 6

Maryland Supervisor Looks

For New Revenue Sources

Editor’s Note:  This is the third of seven profiles, one each on the seven new members of the Otsego County Board of Representatives elected Nov. 3, that will appear each Wednesday up until they take office Jan. 1.  Next week, David Bliss, R-District 5 (Towns of Middlefield, Roseboom, Cherry Valley).

By LIBBY CUDMORE • for AllOTSEGO.com

MARYLAND – “My wife told me I was looking portly, that I should take up running,” joked Peter Oberacker, Maryland town supervisor. “So I ran for office!”

Oberacker, a Republican, is the newlyelected Otsego County Board representative for District 6 – Decatur, Maryland, Westford and Worcester.  He ran unopposed, hand-picked by Don Lindberg, who is retiring from the county board to become Worcester town supervisor.

“When he announced that he wouldn’t be running, he asked if I would be interested, and I told him ‘Absolutely not’!” he said. “I didn’t think I had the skill set.”

But Lindberg believed in him, and approached him again a few weeks later. “He told me I had the skill set he needed – I had a background in business and I had raised a family locally.  He twisted my arm!”

As the owner of Form Tech Solutions in Schenevus, a company that does research and development for food companies, including Tyson and Smithfield, Oberacker hopes to bring his business outlook to the county board.  “As the town supervisor, I had to look at creative ways to make budgets work,” he added.

In Maryland, he explains, money was set aside each year to buy trucks for the road crews, but when an option came up to buy two trucks on a purchase plan, he jumped on it.  “That’s a way a businessman looks at it,” he said. “The money we were paying on the purchase plan is exactly what we’d be setting aside, and now we have two new trucks in our fleet.  That’s never been done before.”

He’s also looking for ways to increase the tax base.  “We want to create a homestead mentality,” he said.  “We’re looking at ways to offer tax abatements to people who build homes here so we can increase our tax base.”

On the county level, he’s interested in hearing more about the proposed water park. “Anything that could bring in revenue streams that doesn’t take away services has my ear,” he said.  “We need to find ways to bring people and money into this county.”

He also wants to begin examining the “inner workings” of what he sees as the two biggest areas of County government – roads and public safety.  “Those are the services citizens use the most,” he said.

And although he hasn’t started yet, he’s already established that he’s a firm believer in term limits.  “I plan to impose them on myself,” he said.  “With term limits, you set the goal posts for yourself, which means you have to get to work.”

But he’s excited about getting started. “With some change, we’ll come up with new ways of looking at things,” he said. “The town is in good shape, and I hope to bring that to the county.”