Mark Drnek wins Oneonta Mayor Race

According to unofficial results available at press time, Mark Drnek (D) is the new mayor of Oneonta, defeating Republican challenger Len Carson.

“I want to thank Len Carson for running a respectful and issue-oriented campaign, and I look forward to working with him in the realization of our many shared goals for the future of our City,” Drnek said in a statement.

Mayor-elect Drnek’s statement continues:

“I want to thank my ‘kitchen cabinet.’ Former Mayor Kim Muller, Councilman Dave Rissberger, Oneonta Fire Department Assistant Chief (Retired) Jim Maloney, County Representative Danny Lapin, our head-cheerleader, Jen Armstrong, and the love of my life and our Campaign Manager, Betsy Holland. A special thank you to Mayor Gary Herzig, Dan Buttermann, Macguire Benton, Vicki Hurlburt, Diandra Sangetti-Daniels, Avery Miritello, the City of and Otsego County Oneonta Democratic Committees, and everyone who has posted, shared and otherwise engaged on our behalf.”

The Mayor-elect has lived in Oneonta for 38 years. He said he came to Oneonta during a tour of upstate and “fell in love.” He decided he wanted to live there full-time.

Drnek has an impressive resumé.

He has served as a Common Council member representing the Eighth Ward since 2019. He is the host of the popular radio program “Blue Light Central” and owner and creative director of Sweet Home Productions, a marketing company which provides multimedia to businesses in the Oneonta area.
As a Common Council member, he co-chaired the “Survive and Thrive” initiative, alongside former Mayor Gary Herzig, which helped downtown businesses. He also organized socially distant “Meet me on Main Street” events, which closed the street for entertainment, activities, and vendors.

Born in La Rochelle, France, he lived in Long Island’s Mastic Beach until 18.

“It was much more like Schenevus back then,” Drnek said of his Long Island upbringing. He
moved to New York City at age 18, where he attended college as a Visual Arts major. He became an illustrator for Scholastic Magazine for children, and still provides freelance illustrations for Leatherstocking Education on Alcoholism/Addictions (LEAF). He also designed the “Rocky Roadster” coloring page for Destination Oneonta.

Drnek said he was “relatively successful” in his illustrations career.

He also was a morning on-air news reporter for WZOZ and a director of creative services for The Daily Star.

As mayor, Drnek envisions creating an entertainment district on Market Street. He hopes to attract one thousand more people to Oneonta by target-marketing New York City and downstate residents looking to move upstate. By doing this, he believes it will improve the tax base and allow him to implement the changes he wants to make.

During a pre-election debate hosted by the League of Women Voters, Drnek said he “lay awake at night” thinking of improvements to attract people to Oneonta.

“We are poised to do great things, but the window to act won’t be long,” Drnek said, who hopes to use money from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative to improve Market Street and create “green energy-driven conveyances” to take people from there to Main Street.

“Thank you to the voters of City of Oneonta. I am humbled and motivated by your support, and I’m excited to get started,” Drnek said in his statement. “We are all in and all in this together. On January 1, we begin our journey into a bright and inclusive future. I can’t wait.”

In other races …
In the Town of Hartwick, incumbent Town Supervisor Robert O’Brien looks to be the winner after an unofficial vote tally at press time. Challenger Brian LoRusso said late Tuesday night that he was not disappointed by the loss.

“The amount of exposure we got for our campaign was a win/win,” he said.

•In the Town of Oneonta, the unofficial tally at press time shows Randall Mowers as the winner in the race for Town Supervisor with more than 75 percent of the vote.

•In the race for County Board District 3, the incumbent, Rick Brockway (R) looks to be the winner with more than 60 percent of the vote.
•In the race for County Board District 13, Donald Scanlon (R) looks to have defeated challenger Mark Pawkett (D) in a tight race.

•Look to AllOTSEGO.com for additional election night updates.