EDITORIAL HOMETOWN Views and Perspectives Levels Rising On Reservoir Of Good Will Bliss Achieves Key Goal: Collegiality On County Board The amiable Dave Bliss, who is entering his second year as chairman of the Otsego County Board of Representatives, patently has achieved his first goal: A “change of culture” toward a more amiable atmosphere. “I believe we have a working relationship with departments heads and other board members,” the former 24-year Middlefield town supervisor, a Republican, said in an interview…
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Editorial for December 28, 2018 Stacie Haynes Latest ‘Citizen’ To Win Everyone’s Appreciation In early 2015, when the credentials of Hometown Oneonta/The Freeman’s Journal “20 Under 40” honorees were published in this newspaper, Stacie Haynes – one of the 20 – called to say how impressed she was by everyone’s accomplishments. “I’m not worthy,” she said. It was explained to her that an independent panel of community leaders from Oneonta and Cooperstown had convened, reviewed nominations from the public, and…
Editorial for December 21, 2018 Christmas, Things Better Then Ever – Really! Handel’s “Messiah,” performed every other year by the Voices of Cooperstown at Christ Church – on Saturday, December 15, this was one of those happy years – brings to front of mind the inevitable light and darkness that is part of everyone’s life. Amid the wailing and gnashing of teeth that has characterized American life since Nov. 8, 2016 – “dumpster fire” has just been added to Merriam…
Editorial for December 14, 2018 Can Open-Minded People Create ‘Center Of Energy Excellence’? Otsego Chamber’s ‘Energy Infrastructure Summit,’ County Task Force’s Makeup Will Help Answer That Question – And Soon Where angels fear to tread… The angel in this piece is Barbara Ann Heegan, Otsego Chamber of Commerce president, who this week announced the chamber is planning an Energy Infrastructure Summit Thursday, Jan. 31, at The Otesaga. “By bringing other stakeholders to the table, we can help inform our membership…
Editorial for December 6, 2018. George H.W. Bush Life Is An Example Of Simple Courtesy To Us All When he was first running for U.S. senator from Vermont in 1974, Patrick Leahy, now eminent ranking Democrat and erstwhile chairman of the Judiciary Committee, used to joke, “Washington D.C. you can’t get there from here.” Whatever way you look at it, it’s a long way from here to the corridors of power and vice versa. But it’s boys from cities and…
Editorial for November 30, 2018. Ruffles Takes First Step Against Whack-A-Mole For years now, Otsego County’s annual auction of foreclosed-on tax-delinquent properties has eaten up a lot of oxygen at the county Board of Representatives’ monthly meetings. It’s the Whack-A-Mole of county government, which suggests: There are unresolved issues. So a take-charge presentation by the new county treasurer, Allen Ruffles, at the November meeting was welcome, if partial. First, he declared, having studied the issue, giving delinquent taxpayers four years…
Editorial for November 23, 2018 CONTRIBUTE NOW, DOUBLE YOUR INVESTMENT Let’s Give Back To Ensure SPCA Keeps Serving Us When the Susquehanna SPCA learned last February it had won $500,000 from Governor Cuomo’s Companion Animal Capital Fund, Executive Director Stacie Haynes sought bids to upgrade the aging shelter in Hartwick Seminary. To a person, all of the prospective contractors said: Don’t spend a half-million on this building, Haynes related the other day in an interview leading up to the announcement…
Editorial for November 16, 2018 State Zigged To Democrats, But County Zagged To GOP The Wall Street Journal headline was sly: “Blue Wave Breaks Softly.” The article reported that, as of Nov. 6, Election Night, Democrats gained 27 Congressional seats in the midterms, regaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives. That pales compared to Democrats losing 63 in the first Obama midterms in 2010, and losing the House as well; still, even one-vote control is control. (As canvassing ensued,…
Editorial for November 9, 2018 ‘Knowledge’ Is Our Future This week’s Tom Morgan column on the facing page, and former DEC Commissioner Mike Zagata’s column last week capture the Upstate dilemma: Upstate is rebounding more slowly than any other area of the country. First, let’s look at local bright spots. • Custom Electronics in Oneonta is planning a futuristic 250-job production line making self-recharging batteries. Andela Products, the Richfield Springs glass recycler, is likewise looking to expand. And Corning’s Oneonta…
Editorial for November 2, 2018 Are We Doing Political Debates Right? Let’s Talk About It League of Women Voters’ moderators lost control of the Monday, Oct. 22, debate between the incumbent Otsego County Sheriff Richard J. Devlin, Jr., and his challenger, retired state trooper Bob Fernandez. Not the candidates – the League, to the point where moderator Barbara Heim of Oneonta threatened at least twice to shut it down and send home the 150+ attendees who packed The Fenimore Museum…