Letter From AL COLONE
With Time On Our Hands,
Let’s Revisit One Oneonta
To the Editor:
During this time of crisis, Governor Cuomo’s daily report on the coronavirus in New York State has brought me a sense of reassurance that we will “beat the beast!”
He regularly talks of making something good come out of bad situations; he speaks of the positive outcomes which have resulted from past crisis.
What will things look like in our lives after the COVID-19 virus has been vanquished? What can we do to make Oneonta a better, more vibrant and a truly innovative place as we move to the future?
Many of us have time on our hands, time that could be productive and beneficial for our community.
Why not take the current down time to craft a referendum to merge the city and town of Oneonta? We all know, bucks were very tight before the pandemic and it’s not hard to imagine that available dollars will be far more restricted afterward.
Let’s produce one Oneonta that can run leaner, more efficiently and one with a better chance of increasing municipal revenue. Coming out of the pandemic, one Oneonta would glow with commercial and social productivity.
We don’t need a study to do this! We already know one Oneonta would be a heck of a lot better than the two flailing Oneontas we currently have.
All we need is for Mayor Herzig and Supervisor Wood to name an 11-member blue ribbon commission, five from the city and six from the town, charged with producing a consolidation referendum in time for
Election Day 2021!
The group will no doubt need the advice and guidance of a professional consultant and they are readily available and likely now, for super competitive fees. Between modest funding from the city and town and perhaps a match from Department of State, funding the initiative would be “a walk in the park!”
Should our key leaders be considering retirement, this would be the opportune time toward establishing a very positive leadership legacy!
If we don’t do this now, you can “bet the ranch” a post-pandemic Oneonta will be far worse than the pre-pandemic Oneonta; please don’t think we’ll make it on future public grants in that they’ll likely go away.
Let’s do it! I’d be glad to volunteer my time, not as a committee member, but perhaps in some type of secretarial role.
ALBERT COLONE
Resident, City of Oneonta
The Soccer Hall of Fame was Al’s idea. When it became successful, the board took it away from him.
I have been a proponent of Al’s city/town merger forever. Don’t take this one away from him.
Al Colone has a great idea. Consolidation should have been done years ago. It is time to make it happen. Having worked with Mr Colone in the past, I can say I really appreciate his drive and tenaciousness in spearheading and carrying through on big projects. He also has a great appreciation for and willingness to work with others who want to make meaningful and unique contributions, such as the great collection of articles on the history of soccer, donated by a generous benefactor, without which the Hall of Fame would be fairly bereft. He is a futurist, able to see not just what needs to happen the immediate realm, but what steps should be taken to ensure that a project will be long term and be a sustaining entity for the community. These traits he has learned from family, ground on up, as the Colone family has a long history of volunteerism and making continuing contributions to the community. Their long recognition that community is made up of individuals, and that nurturing individuals as people and as contributors is what builds strong communities, is part and parcel of the Colone family tradition. Al is to be admired for his tirelessness, creativity, and forthought on behalf of the whole of the Oneonta community. Merging operations for one Oneonta will make the area stronger, more cohesive, and more functional, and a more desirable place for people to live.