Otsego County Board
calls for Cuomo
to resign or be impeached

By Greg Klein • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

COOPERSTOWN — Otsego County’s Board of Representative unanimously approved a resolution calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign — or for the state Assembly to impeach him if he does not resign — in light of a new investigation that found Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women while in office and he and his advisors tried to retaliate against at least one whistle blower.

The resolution came from the floor during the board’s meeting Wednesday, Aug, 4, at 197 Main St. in Cooperstown, meaning any member could have blocked it and demanded it pass a two-thirds vote to even be debated. However, no one objected to the resolution, which was sponsored by Rep. Clark Oliver, D-Oneonta.

“I think it speaks volumes if we as a legislative body state that this behavior is not tolerated,” Oliver said.

Rep. Adrienne Martini, D-Oneonta, and Rep. Andrew Stammel, D-town of Oneonta, were not at the meeting, but the other 12 representatives all voted for the resolution and the Democrats on the board were as quick to criticize Cuomo’s actions as the Republicans, although Cuomo is a member of the Democratic Party.

Board Chair Dave Bliss, R-Cherry Valley, Middlefield, Roseboom, and Rep. Danny Lapin, D-Oneonta, suggested additions to the resolutions that were accepted.

Bliss suggested the sentence saying if Cuomo does not resign, the board calls of the Assembly to initiate impeachment hearings in a timely manner.

Lapin suggested a sentence that stated the board and Otsego County support a harassment-free workplace and are committed to honoring the laws the county has in place on the subject.

Representatives from both parties called Cuomo’s behavior disgusting.

Rep. Ed Frazier said he had little hope the resolution would do much good, but as a father of girls he thought Cuomo, who also has daughters, should have treated women with more respect.

“If he is not going to listen to President Biden or the U.S. Senators (who have also called for Cuomo to resign), I don’t think this is going to make a difference,” Frazier said. However, he said he still felt like he and the board needed to take a stand.

In other business Wednesday:

• After a long consultation with County Attorney Ellen Coccoma, the board approved new mask mandates for county employees in county buildings, because of the rise in COVID cases from the delta variant. Employees must all wear masks when interacting with members of the public or when within six feet of other people for 10 minutes or more.

However, vaccinated employees may obtain a “green tag” from the NYS Unified Court System by providing proof of vaccination.

Employees without a green tag will have to wear masks at all times within county buildings, while those with green tags may take off their masks at their desks or when not in close contact with other people.

• County Health Director Heidi Bond said the county will continue to focus on vaccinations as a way to tamp down the spread of the variant.

“We are seeing some vaccinated people infected, but they are mild (cases),” she said. “(The vaccine) does a good job of keeping illnesses mild and preventing hospitalizations.”

Bond said she was pleasantly surprised by the success of vaccinations Tuesday at the first day of the Otsego County Fair, saying about 20 people got vaccines on the first day of the fair. Vaccinations are scheduled again from noon to 6 p.m., Friday, Aug, 6, at the fairgrounds in Morris.

Bliss said it would help if the state would send the county more testing supplies, saying there is once again a testing shortage.

• The board unanimously approved repeals of the purchasing and hiring freezes, which were enacted last spring during the height of the pandemic shutdown when the county’s tax revenues cratered.

• The board unanimously approved the purchase of two Crestline CCL-150 ambulances in order to provide supplemental emergency services to county residents. Board members as well as members of the E-911 and Emergency Services departments have been sounding the alarm for months about a crisis in rescue services as more volunteer members age out of service. The two vehicles will cost no more than $434,337, according to the resolution.