Reps Hear Continued ICE Outcry, Discuss America 250 Grants

By BILL BELLEN
OTSEGO COUNTY

Prior to the regularly-scheduled March 4 meeting of the Otsego County Board of Representatives, there were three brief special meetings of various committees.

The Intergovernmental Affairs Committee met to approve Planning Department Director Tammie Harris’ request to purchase two new buses for the OPT-Cooperstown route at a cost not to exceed $1,299,204.00. The buses will replace two older vehicles purchased in 2019. Harris clarified that 80 percent of the cost will be covered by federal funds, with the remaining 20 percent being provided by the state.

Following IGA’s meeting, quorum was not met at a special session of the Human Services Committee, so no action was taken on any items. The Administration Committee met to approve a few last-minute resolutions to be presented to the board at-large before adjourning to make way for the primary meeting of the day.

A sizable portion of the board was not present for the March meeting, with Reps. Andrew Marietta, Nora Mendez, Adrienne Martini and Jill Basile all being noted as absent.

Rep. Daniel Wilber presented a resolution from the floor in appreciation of retiring Otsego County IT Director Brian Pokorny. Pokorny worked for the county for more than 30 years and has been director of his department since January of 2000. Wilber thanked him for building the digital infrastructure needed for county functions, including those of emergency services. Chairman Edwin Frazier Jr. commended Pokorny for always being “ahead of the curve” and doing his utmost to serve the needs of the county. Pokorny received a round of applause and well wishes in retirement from the board.

The meeting then shifted to privilege of the floor, with Frazier reminding a very full audience of the rules of order before proceeding. Ten individuals spoke to the board in what amounted to nearly 25 minutes of separate addresses to their representatives.

Among the many who spoke, Virginia Kennedy opened by citing various federal and legal officials—primarily from Trump-appointed positions—criticizing ICE for their misconduct and violation of court orders. She also questioned why her recent FOIL request regarding the 287(g) was initially denied on the basis of intra-and-interagency communications, wondering how this was the case based on her understanding that Sheriff Richard Devlin had unilaterally signed the 287(g) agreement.

Bill Hayes, who noted he had spoken during the December 3 meeting on the same matter, questioned why Otsego County has continued to partner with ICE despite New York Attorney General Letitia James’ advisory against such agreements due to their “inherent risks to county personnel as well as the public.”

Teresa Winchester reflected on the efforts of county citizens in making their voices heard, making a plea to the board that months of outcry warrant some sort of direct board-sheriff communication.

“It’s incumbent upon people of conscience to, at every opportunity, signal to the current chaotic and cruel administration that we will not support its agenda,” Winchester stated. “This board has an opportunity to send this message by demanding that Sheriff Devlin cancel the 287(g) contract he signed with ICE…and to do this immediately.”

Marielle Ainsworth brought the ICE discussion to a more personal level, speaking about her adopted daughter’s fears regarding the agency’s actions. Her daughter has Chinese heritage and is a U.S. citizen.

“She’s afraid,” Ainsworth said emotionally. “She’s afraid that she’s going to be snatched off the streets. Not because she’s done anything wrong—she’s a child—but because she’s Chinese. And I have had to show her her immigration records and her certificate of naturalization and she said ‘Yeah, but it doesn’t matter.’”

Other speakers echoed the thoughts of one another, calling for an end to the 287(g) agreement and for the ceasing of any cooperation with ICE.

Amidst the ICE discussion, Stacie Haynes, on behalf of the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, shared that the shelter has acquired a new cargo van that will allow the organization to take services into neighborhoods. Haynes said vaccine clinics, wellness clinics, rabies vaccinations, blood tests and more should be able to reach people who otherwise cannot get to a veterinarian. The services will ideally be free, but if no significant sponsor is found, the SQSPCA will exercise a low-cost model. Haynes called on representatives to reach out if they have neighborhoods in their districts that they think can benefit from the new program.

Moving to committee reports, Rep. Keith McCarty began by speaking for the Public Works Committee, sharing that County Highway Superintendent Rich Brimmer requested approval to amend the resolution allocating funding for the County Route 59 bridge project, noting the revised figure will not exceed $1.6 million and includes all phases of construction.

McCarty also talked about the Civil War monument restoration in the Village of Cooperstown, sharing that Brimmer agreed to take down a couple trees by the monument and suggested exploring grants and other funding opportunities. He also said a local historian reached out to write grants in order to help fund the restoration, an endeavor that received unanimous board support.

Rep. Margaret Kennedy represented the Administration Committee, noting that County Attorney Denise Hollis had a discussion with the group about the county’s current social media policy and some proposed changes. Hollis said she would bring the proposed policy back to the committee for further review in the future. Kennedy shared some updates regarding the upcoming second property auction of the year, which will be held on Wednesday, March 25. Minutes from the Administration Committee meeting detail that there are currently 19 properties, of which four recently exited bankruptcy and are authorized to pay before the auction date.

Rep. Richard Brockway spoke for the Technology and Strategic Planning Committee. He explained that Harris gave a brief overview of what a countywide comprehensive plan could look like, noting that it is different from the existing strategic plan. Harris clarified that “a comprehensive plan is designed to guide the future actions of a community and [its] long-term goals and objectives.”

Rep. Eamonn Hinchey commented on the comprehensive plan proposal, approving of its mission and sharing that Harris would be coming in at the next regular board meeting for a special presentation on the matter.

“A lot of people see it sometimes as more regulation, and it’s really not,” Hinchey remarked. “It’s a stakeholder plan for the vision of the community as opposed to being strategic within [a] department.”

Hinchey went on to talk about how the various trails of Otsego County seem to be struggling to adopt a cohesive network, and posited that it may be in the county’s interest to play a role in such planning. He pointed to the “Paddle the 607” water trail not receiving enough public traction and Otsego Outdoors discussing the possibility of decreasing the number of trails involved in its annual octet as examples of why county assistance could help turn trail planning around.

County Administrator Steve Wilson said 15 percent of the 2026 budget has been spent so far. He then shifted to discussing the slow progress of the America 250 Commission and how they have reconstituted the group, establishing former board representative Michelle Catan as the new chair. The commission is seeking to reach out to historians and museums to make them aware of the tentative $15,000.00 in grants that the commission will be able to award, following the model of the existing community event grants. Frazier said that the window for the grant funding will be very tight and requested board members make sure relevant officials in their districts are made aware of the opportunity. Interested parties that believe they may qualify for a grant can reach out to Wilson or Catan for more details.

Wilson went on to highlight the continued vacancy in the position of Otsego County historian and said they are looking for a new volunteer for the position. Wilber floated the idea of creating an official paid position for the role due to its potential implications on tourism.

“This area is so rich in history, both national, state and local,” Wilber stated. “I think if we gave a list of places for people to go, it’d really tie into the people that are already here.”

Wilson also shared that the department head meeting structure will be changing to adopt a model more akin to that of years past. A department chair will now host each meeting in order to make it easier to discuss common issues that affect them all instead of the meetings being a “topdown information channel.” Departments will also be working to redefine their priority outcomes in advance of the budget process in order to put dollar amounts on major priorities.

With committee reports concluded, the meeting moved to the consent agenda, which then passed by unanimous vote of the present board members. There were a plethora of late resolutions, including final approval of the bus purchase, authorization of the purchase of two new ambulances and their respective EMS equipment, and slight funding modifications in various departments. After this lengthy slew of additional votes, the board concluded its business and adjourned.

The next Otsego County Board of Representatives meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 1 at 10 a.m. The March 4 meeting can be viewed in its entirety on the Otsego County New York Youtube page.