RSS Purchase of 27 Market St.: Opposing Views—Letter to RSS Executive Director DeVita in Favor

‘We Support Your Efforts’

March 24, 2025

Dear Executive Director DeVita,

This letter reflects the collective views of a multitude of Oneonta residents and key downtown stakeholders. We are actively engaged in local government affairs and we have been closely following RSS’s activities in Oneonta. We would like to express our support for your organization’s efforts to purchase 27 Market St.

According to Mayor Drnek, RSS staff will be presenting on this matter at the April 1st Common Council Meeting. We invite you to attend so you can see that Oneonta is a diverse, welcoming, and empathetic community. Your Director of Strategic Partnerships, Christine Nealon, has advocated on behalf of this project effectively and we look forward to engaging with her further.

A recently distributed letter states that you and Mayor Drnek have engaged in “behind-the-scenes discussions” to lay the groundwork for this project. Conversely, the signatories of this letter recognize that this project remains in the conceptual phase of development given that RSS has not yet been approved to purchase the property. Furthermore, we disavow the statements made by a small contingent of residents that characterize our community as being largely opposed to this project.

Supportive and affordable housing have long been framed as “controversial” and “unpopular.” When in reality, substance use disorder and mental illness could one day affect all of us. Oneonta would be lucky to have a space that supports those in need, who could one day be our children, family, and friends. The supportive housing model has also been used to temporarily house survivors of domestic violence, those with chronic health conditions, and others at risk of homelessness due to no fault of their own.

Furthermore, our nation faces a housing and affordability crisis. The cost of living has far outpaced wage growth, displacing many of our hardest working residents. These vitally important members of our community have been ignored and deserve our support. Conceptually, the majority of residents at 27 Market St. would earn between 30-70% of Otsego County’s household median income. Both the 2018 City of Oneonta Comprehensive Plan and its 2022 MU-1 Zoning Code recognize the importance of locating housing of all types in close proximity to our employment centers. Indeed, the City understands that providing housing at an affordable price point will allow individuals to enter our local economy and “filter up” into homeownership as their social circumstances improve.

As the main economic engine of Otsego County and given the city’s proximity to employment centers in Binghamton and Albany, Oneonta represents an ideal location for a housing project that supports young professionals and those in recovery trying to reenter the job market.

This letter is intentionally concise. Unlike those in opposition, we recognize that this project is in the conceptual phase and many key details have not been ironed out. As a collective, we believe that those dealing with substance use disorder and/or mental illness deserve our compassion and a place to recover. We believe that the hardest working Oneontans deserve a convenient residence near employment and critical services. We believe in an organization that has provided these critical services for decades. We believe in our elected officials to express openness and empathy to those in need. And, we believe in each other, no matter what may ail us or how much money we make.

Clark Oliver, Former County Representative, Wards 1 and 2, City of Oneonta

Danny Lapin, Former County Representative, Wards 5 and 6, City of Oneonta

Nora Mendez, Otsego County Representative, Wards 1 and 2, City of Oneonta

Andrew Stammel, City of Oneonta Business Owner, Former County Representative, Town of Oneonta Resident

Kerri Lincoln, Vice President, Otsego Pride Alliance, Ward 1 Resident

James Mcilroy, Main St. Business Owner, Ward 1 Resident

Emily Ward, Otsego County Democratic Committee Member, Ward 1 Resident

Deb Bruce, Ward 1 Resident

Brendan D. Aucoin, Ward 1 Resident

Rita Casassa, Ward 1 Resident

Laura Latora, Ward 1 Resident

Stephanie Rozene, Ward 1 Resident

Alex Fisher, City of.Oneonta Business Owner, Co-Founder, Oneonta Thrives!, Ward 2 Resident

Debra Marcus, J.D., Ward 2 Resident

Dorothy Fee, Business Owner, Ward 3 Resident

Kelly Dutcher, Ward 3 Resident

Aimee Swan, Ward 3 Resident

Brigid Sullivan, Ward 4 Resident

Olivia Burlew, Ward 5 Resident

Valerie Cole, Vice-Chair, Otsego Co. Democratic Committee, Ward 5 Resident

Abigail Gouldin, Ward 5 Resident

Anthony Nicholas, Ward 5 Resident

Jacqueline More, LMSW, Ward 5 Resident

James R. Koury, Former City Clerk, Ward 6 Resident

Zak West, Ward 6 Resident

Harper Hawthorne, Ward 8 Resident

Naomi Roth, Ward 8 Resident

Aaron Sorenson, Ward 8 Resident

Kate Simeon, Town of Oneonta Resident

Rebecca Bonker, Town of Davenport Resident

Rhiannon Ham, Town of Worcester Resident

Elayne Mosher Campoli, Common Council Member, Ward 1, City of Oneonta

Caitlyn Davey, Environmental Board Commissioner, City of Oneonta, Ward 6 Resident

Elizabeth Mcilroy, Main St. Business Owner, Ward 1 Resident

Karen Oliver, Former Main St. Business Owner, Ward 1 Resident

Kathy Tobiassen, Former Co-Coordinator, Catskill Choral Society’s Grand & Glorious Garage Sale (held on Main St.), Board Member, Bigger Dream Productions, Former Board President, Orpheus Theatre, Ward 1 Resident

Fennec Beckmann, Ward 1 Resident

Kathy DeAngelo, Ward 1 Resident

Tara Mosher Campoli, Ward 1 Resident

Elizabeth Voltz, Ward 1 Resident

Jessica Wintringham, LMSW, Former Employee, RSS and Opportunities
for Otsego, Ward 2 Resident

Sarah Schlafer, Ward 2 Resident

Peter Friedman, Resident of Center City for 38 years, Ward 3 Resident

Zanna McKay, Ward 3 Resident

Nathaniel Henry, MSW Candidate, Ward 4 Resident

Gary Burlew, Ward 5 Resident

Joanna Chapman, Ward 5 Resident

Elyse Doyle, Ward 5 Resident

Pathy Leiva, Ward 5 Resident

Jesselton Simpauco, Ward 5 Resident

Mark E. Pawkett, Ward 6 Resident

Gary Flaherty, CSM, Retired, Ward 6 Resident

Darby A. Champion, Ward 8 Resident

Barton Tyler Miller, Ward 8 Resident

Jeff Sloan, Ward 8 Resident

Geoffrey Doyle, Town of Oneonta Resident

Charles Sherrard, Town of Oneonta Resident

Kirsten Foster, Gilbertsville Resident

Amy Pondolfino, Town of Pittsfield Resident