Otsego County Board of Representatives Discusses Awards, Airports, America 250
By BILL BELLEN
OTSEGO COUNTY
Before the gavel could even be struck to signify the coming to order of the July Otsego County Board of Representatives meeting, there was already business on the floor.
Otsego County Rep. Andrew Marietta (District No. 8, Otsego) and New York State Employee Relations Specialist Tim Moretti came to the front of the room on Wednesday, July 2 to recognize the recipients of the biannual Outstanding Employee Awards for county employees. Moretti’s position allowed him to play a pivotal role in this process, helping to analyze whether department nominations for the award included a commitment to various noble qualities such as outstanding service, high levels of productivity and effective professional relationships.
First to be recognized was Christine Corrigan, an assistant public defender with the county since January 2022. Corrigan was recognized for her dedication to her clients, being a respected member of the legal community, and as a role model for those around her. Also honored was Cheryl Strong, who has worked for the county since 1992, and has been in her current position of business office manager for the Otsego County Department of Health since 2012. Strong’s role as “the heart of the department” was acknowledged, alongside her ability to keep everything running smoothly, and doing so with a positive attitude.
During the proceedings, Marietta commented, “The other thing that’s been great about the nominations, especially more recently, is we’ve had a mix of newer employees and longstanding employees. So it’s been great to be able to recognize today technically a newer employee, as well as a longstanding employee.”
Corrigan and Strong will each receive six months of parking in designated parking spots on county-owned property, certificates signed by the board chair and their respective department heads, and the addition of their names to a plaque recognizing other Outstanding Employee Award winners.
With this celebratory preliminary business completed, Board Chair Edwin Frazier Jr. called the meeting to order. In front of a full house, the meeting moved to the public comment period, during which Edward Dawyot was the only community member to address the board. Dawyot discussed failures of solar fields in California due to low energy output and connected it back to his discontent with Governor Kathy Hochul’s plans to build a new nuclear power plant in New York.
