DAVE BLISS

COUNTY BOARD OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 7 

COMMUNITY OF RESIDENCE: Middlefield

EDUCATION:

Cooperstown Central School, Regents Diploma; SUNY Oneonta, BA in History with a minor in Economics, BS and MS in Social Science Education;  NYS Real Estate Brokers License with over 225 hours of Continuing Education credits;  NYS Professional Coaching License with over 120 hours of Continuing Education credits

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Owner/Operator of 300-acre organic farm (1983-present), NYS Real Estate Broker (1995-present), CCS Girls Varsity Softball Coach (2001-present).

Town of MIddlefield: Zoning Board of Appeals (2 years), Town Board (2 years), Town Supervisor (24 years).  Otsego County Board of Representatives (2016 – present)

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

Member of the Board of Directors of The Farmers’ Museum and of the Otsego Land Trust; Member of Cooperstown Rotary Club, Rotary International Youth Exchange (host family and youth counselor).

American Legion Baseball, Cooperstown Sports Booster Club, Youth soccer and baseball, Fetterman Award Winner, Oneonta Daily Star and Utica Observer-Dispatch Coach of the Year Awards.

FAMILY:

Married 34 years to my wife Kim, a teacher in Richfield Springs Central School.  Three adult children: Rachel, Eric and Ethan, and one granddaughter.

PHILOSOPHY OF GOVERNMENT:

As Abraham Lincoln said “The legitimate object of government is to do for people what needs to be done, things that they cannot do for themselves: the making and maintaining roads and bridges, providing for the helpless, providing schools, and the forming and maintaining of the military, police, and civil departments.”  I believe in doing so we provide everyone the opportunity for personal liberty and economic success.

MAJOR ISSUES FACING OTSEGO COUNTY:

Investing in our infrastructure including roads, bridges, communications and high speed internet.  In the past two years we have made significant progress and the foundation has been put in place to continue at an even more rapid pace.  We need to complete the process of determining the duties and responsibilities of a county manager and fill the position. Although many NY counties have a manager/executive, research shows their duties and authority vary greatly.  We need to find the right fit for Otsego County.   Reroute XNG trucks so they travel Interstate Highways to the fullest extent possible.  Continue to look for ways to save money through shared services, a process that has saved the county tens of thousands of dollars in the past year. Addressing the opioid epidemic.

MY QUALITIES:

My well documented record of public service has been one of honesty, fairness, transparency, open communication, low taxes, investment in people and infrastructure, as well as environmental stewardship. I keep an open mind on issues and listen to all sides without confrontation, therefore I have excelled at building bipartisan consensus to better serve residents.  As a result, I have been endorsed by leading members of the Republican, Democrat and Independence parties.

STATEMENT:

As with any job, there is a steep learning curve for a someone new.  I was better prepared than most because of my 24 years as Middlefield Town Supervisor.  In my short tenure on the board I have spent time listening to, and learning from, our county employees and department heads as well as town and county board representatives, gaining their trust, confidence and support.  I have been tagged as the quiet leader of bipartisan reform by the Freeman’s Journal newspaper. We have a great deal of talent in our county and we have made significant progress in just 21 months.   More importantly, the foundation has been put in place for further progress at an accelerated rate.  I ask for your continued support to implement these programs for your benefit.