LETTER  from ANDREW MARIETTA

Bi-Partisanship Moving

Otsego County Forward

To the Editor:

I’ve driven all over New York State and worked with community organizations and their leaders, and there is a commonality that unites them all: an investment in a better future.

The same can be said for Otsego County, where success and momentum are building.

Our county has no shortage of dedicated and committed leaders who put service to their communities first and strive to improve them.

It isn’t politics that prompt people to contribute to their community.  As we look to the future of Otsego County, there is great potential for making our region a draw for business development and new residents.

This future is dependent on strengthening our infrastructure and putting systems and tools in place to make Otsego County competitive and give us a fighting chance.

Our county government is a piece to this puzzle, and we are finally making an investment in county infrastructure, which has been long delayed and ignored.

Part of this process has been two years of due diligence in looking at a county administrator position (and one can’t ignore the many, many years of past discussions and debate on this topic by our predecessors), which culminated recently in the approval of a local law and position by our Administration Committee that will next be considered for approval Nov. 6 by our full county board.

This effort is increasing the momentum pushing Otsego County forward to attract new investment and interest in our towns.  Politics are not what have made this possible, but partnership and unified vision.

With this in mind, I am writing to endorse my fellow county board colleagues Dave Bliss, Meg Kennedy and Peter Oberacker.

I started with them on the county board in 2016, and with their support, we have made strides to work smarter and more effectively.  We may represent different parties, but our effort is a bi-partisan one.

With the upcoming election on Nov. 5, and the emphasis on party, I would ask my fellow community members from across the county to consider making an investment in keeping us on the path of improvement.

Consider not what party we represent, but the future we offer.

In addition to Bliss, Kennedy and Oberacker, I support my colleague Michelle Farwell, who has made a tremendous contribution in her first two years on the Board.  And finally, I am supporting Caitlin Ogden, who is not a political pawn, but an investment in the future success of Otsego County.

ANDREW MARIETTA

County Representative

Town of Otsego/Cooperstown