Following the presentations and committee reports, the board’s consent agenda contained a host of resolutions asking to approve committee decisions on department requests concerning everything from the construction of tiny homes for the unhoused to creating or abolishing county staff positions, to software, technology, or equipment purchases.…
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David Bliss
The Otsego County Board of Representatives elected Edwin Frazier Jr., a Republican from District 1 (Unadilla) as board chair on Wednesday, January 3.…
Early voting began Saturday, October 28 and Election Day itself is just five days away from this paper’s publication date. Benton and his supporters are crying foul after Basile’s announcement, contending this is just a last-minute campaign ploy—that she has not gone through the proper channels to make such a claim, nor have costs associated with the satellite office been included in the county’s 2024 budget.…
Edyn Iteafa Ebikoboere Aiyemo, a 12-year-old student at Oneonta Middle School and the author of the children’s book “The Tale of the World with Four Colors,” held a book signing at the Oneonta Starbucks on Thursday, August 3. The event was sponsored by Starbucks in collaboration with A.T. Socio-Judicial Consulting.…
The Otsego County Board of Representatives authorized the Department of Social Services to contract for 10 additional rooms for emergency housing at Motel 88 in Oneonta at its meeting on Wednesday, August 2. The $621,000.00, 18-month contract doubles the number of rooms at Motel 88 and brings DSS to a total of more than 60 rented rooms at local hotels. The county DSS is required by New York State to provide emergency housing to eligible families.…
What we’ve got here,” said the jail warden in “Cool Hand Luke,” “is failure to communicate.” According to Steve Wilson, Otsego County administrator, this comment aptly describes the present state of affairs resulting in the county’s issuance of the State of Emergency Declaration and Emergency Order No. 1 with regard to housing migrants in Otsego County.…
Letter from Mary Anne Whelan State of Emergency or Xenophobia? The last two issues of “The Freeman’s Journal” have covered David Bliss’ proposed strategies for, in effect, defending ourselves from any proposed influx of immigrants. While it is understandable to raise concerns about a housing shortage as a rationale for this, there is also a flavor of Trump-style xenophobia and a lack of any proposed humane solution to an urgent human problem.…
Otsego County Declares State of Emergency Housing Crisis Executive Order Also Issued OTSEGO COUNTY—Otsego County Board of Representatives Chairman David Bliss has declared a State of Emergency in Otsego County effective May 16, as asylum seekers are expected to arrive in New York now that the federal Title 42 immigration policy has expired. Title 42, issued during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed authorities to turn away migrants at the U.S. borders as a public health measure to prevent the spread…
Letter from Maureen Dill Cannabis Sales Tax Revenues Needed We here in rural Otsego County are facing the crisis of a shortfall in emergency medical services, a problem that is growing not only across our area but also across New York State. There is a documented decline in volunteer EMS workers, and state government must be urged by everyone to seize the opportunity to apply cannabis tax revenues where they are most needed, as is being done in other states…
Otsego Board of Reps WeighsOpposition to State Budget Rules OTSEGO COUNTY Last Wednesday, the Otsego County Board of Representatives heard concerns from three area residents about the threats to home rule posed by Part N of the Article VII Executive Revenue Bill contained in Governor Kathy Hochul’s Budget Proposal. Dan Sullivan of Richfield, Nathan Seamon of Columbia in nearby Herkimer County, and Keith Schue of Cherry Valley all urged the county representatives to oppose Part N.…