AWARDS DINNER—5:30 p.m. The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce invites the community to celebrate this year’s award winners: Geoffrey Doyle, Eugene Bettiol Jr. Distinguished Citizen of the Year; Casella Waste Systems, Business of the Year Award; Creekside Industries, Breakthrough Award; Connie Herzig, Volunteer of the Year; and Dan Buttermann, Leadership Otsego Distinguished Alumnus. Held at the Alumni Field House, SUNY Oneonta. (607) 432-4500 or visit members.otsegocc.com/events/details/2023-annual-spring-awards-dinner-blooming-with-brilliance-1079
BLOOD DRIVE—9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Save up to three lives with the American Red Cross. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, 31 Elm Street, Cooperstown. Register at redcrossblood.org
Meet the Candidates for Member of Assembly, 122nd District
Publisher’s Note: Last week we sent out an e-mail asking the candidates for the major political races in November to share information about themselves, so our readers can get to know them a little better. We asked them:
A. Please tell us about yourself.
B. If you were elected to office, what are your top priorities and why?
We will run these answers over the next few weeks, in hopes this will help in your decision-making process on Tuesday, November 8. Please get out and vote!
Dan Butterman, DEM
Dan Butterman
A: I live in Oneonta with my wife, Ana Laura, and our three daughters. We have happily participated in many community organizations throughout the years, starting with the community bands—we are both musicians. Ana teaches music at Hartwick College and I work in claims at NYCM Insurance.
The 2019 Bail Reform Bill is probably better called a Criminal Justice Reform Bill. It did much more than just make changes to the bail laws in New York.
We have all heard numerous outcries that many of those changes were too much, and that a new reform bill is required. I agree that parts of the 2019 bill are not improving the system. However, I would not vote to repeal the bill, as many Republicans have called for. Instead, I would act as the governor is doing – introduce changes that will make the bill work better.
The governor has proposed a 10-point plan to change the original criminal justice reform bill. These changes include restoring the court’s ability to apply or not apply bail in some cases, such as certain gun-related cases and repeat offenders of non-violent crimes, modifications to the discovery timeframes, and funding for mental health services and pretrial programs.
I support these three proposals and I want to point out the importance of the discovery changes.
Discovery is the process of exchanging evidence. The original reform law requires a very short timeframe for prosecutors to make the exchange – in most cases fewer than 35 days. The law says that if police have the evidence, then it is assumed the prosecutor does, too.
This is where the problem starts to take shape. This timeframe can be impossible for police agencies to meet in many cases, and the result is fewer arrests and more staff for documents handling (higher costs).
The concept is valid – provide the evidence as soon as possible and by doing so we can forget about the phrase “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
The fixes in the governor’s proposal support our police agencies and make it possible for them to make arrests and deliver the evidence promptly, which means our communities are safer.
Dan Butterman, Oneonta
[Editor’s note: Mr. Butterman is a candidate in the race for the New York State Assembly’s 122nd District.]
The future of agriculture locally may be in the hands of a three-member board. The decision they make will impact our farms immediately.
The decision to be made — should the overtime threshold for farm labor move from 60 hours to 40 hours? The answer — no. According to a study from Cornell’s Dyson School and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (commissioned by New York State) 72 percent of workers stated they would not remain in their current job; 70 percent of guest workers stated they would seek work in other states. Owners of one-half of fruit and vegetable farms and two-thirds of dairy farms would redirect their operations.
TedxOneonta returns for its fourth event in five years, with an evening of presentations beginning at 6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 24, at the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center in Oneonta.
This year’s theme, a holdover from the canceled 2020 event, is “Changing World.”
“We basically have been planning this for two years,” said Dan Buttermann, TedxOneonta co-founder and executive director.
The local version of Ted talks — the x means it is an independent event and not run by the national organization — this year will feature four speakers.
My 12-year-old daughter just got the COVID-19 vaccine. As soon as the guidelines changed to make 12-year-olds eligible, she declared that she wanted the vaccine on her birthday. So, we made it a family excursion, just as though she were getting her ears pierced, and now she’s protected.
She is not the only 12-year-old I know who has stepped up to take that shot. Most of her eligible friends have stepped up as well. Our so-called leaders with their misinformation campaigns have failed to guide our children. I see children willing to do their part to help end this horrific virus. They have done virtual school, missed birthday parties, and distanced themselves from friends and grandparents, and they are tired of all of it.
The widely acclaimed TED talks are coming back to Oneonta with the theme of “Changing World.”
The event will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24 .
Rebecca Ahmed speaking about the need to eliminate bias in zoom office culture.
Rachel Kornhauser will be giving a talk called “Climate Change and Sustainability in the Age of COVID.”
Gohar Petrossian will be speaking on “Why Justice for Wildlife Affects You.”
The final speaker will be Rosalia Rivera giving a talk on ending rape culture.
“We are thrilled to have TEDx back in Oneonta in 2021. We had to postpone our event for 2020, but we are back with four wonderful speakers ready to inspire us with new ideas,” Dan Butterman, co-founder and executive producer of TEDxOneonta, said in a media release. “We have amazing community support, and can’t wait to share these speakers and ideas with everyone.”
Tickets are $25 until Aug. 27 and $30 afterwards. Go to www.tedxoneonta.com for more information.
COOPERSTOWN – Democratic Assembly candidates Daniel Buttermann of Oneonta and Corey Mosher of Hamilton will debate via Zoom 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, in an event sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oneonta and Cooperstown.
The Democratic primary in the 121st District is planned Tuesday, June 23. The winner will challenge Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield on Nov. 3.
CURATOR SPOTLIGHT – 2 p.m. Virtual program highlights ‘Taking The Field’ exhibit on amateur baseball, evolution of pro-Ball and equipment. Featuring interview with Baseball Hall of Fame curator on baseball’s origins. Visit baseballhall.org/events/virtual-taking-the-field-20?date=0
TOURNAMENT – Noon. Have fun with epic Smash Bros. Tournament from the comfort of home. No entry fee, total of $1,500 in cash prizes available. Hosted by Leaf Play or spectate from Twitch. Visit coinoplegends.com/tournament for info.
HISTORY – 6:30 p.m. Learn how our memory of the First US President has changed over time in ‘The Property of the Nation: George Washington’s Tomb, Mount Vernon, and the Memory of the First President’ presented by author Matthew R. Costello, Senior Historian White House Historical Association. Fort Plain Museum, 389 Canal St., Fort Plain. 518-993-2527 or visit www.fortplainmuseum.com/viewevent.aspx?ID=1053
ONEONTA – Dan Buttermann made it official today: The Oneonta Democrat plans to challenge Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield, for the 121st Assembly District seat, although he first may face a Democratic primary next June.
The 121st includes the bulk of Otsego County, including Oneonta and Cooperstown, all of Madison County and part of Oneida. The 2020 election will be Nov. 3.
“I am deeply concerned about the future of our district, state and country,” Buttermann said in a press release. “I fear that failure to invest in the future of our economy today means that our next generation of Upstate New Yorkers will find it harder and harder to stay.”
Assemblyman John Salka, R-121, fields a questions from the audience as part of a Town Hall held tonight in Council Chambers. (Jennifer Hill/AllOTSEGO.com)
By JENNIFER HILL • Special to ALLOTSEGO.com
ONEONTA – Ask and you may receive.
“Cities like mine have maintained taxes at the state-mandated cap of two percent – even at zero percent, but state aid to municipalities have not increased in 10 years,” said Mayor Gary Herzig during a Town Hall with Oneonta’s Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield, in Council chambers this evening. “Why won’t the legislature not step up to and provide aid to cities who are fighting to renew their infrastructure, economic development, maintain services, attract new people and prevent people from leaving?”
Salka began his answer suggesting the lack of state aid increases to cities was because the legislature was controlled by “downstate interests,” legislators did not understand what Upstate New York needed, and the governor thought “there were too many towns and cities” and “wanted things big.”
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – 7 – 9 p.m. Join panel to discuss Economic development, renewable energy possibilities, existing conservation/renewable energy programs, more with Karl Seeley professor of economics at Hartwick, Dan Butterman candidate for NYS Assembly district 121, Leslie Orzetti executive director Otsego County Conservation Association. Followed by Q&A session. Elm Park Methodist Church, 401 Chestnut St., Oneonta. Visit www.facebook.com/Concerned-Citizens-of-Oneonta-196346611258936/
ONEONTA – An Otsego County candidate today announced he will run against veteran Assemblyman Bill Magee, D-Nelson.
Dan Buttermann, the Oneonta City school board member and former candidate for county board, declared his candidacy for the 121st District, challenging fellow Democrat Magee in a June primary. If he wins, he will face John Salka, the former Brookfield town supervisor and Madison County board chair, in November.
“As your representative,” said the candidate, who is an NYCM claims manager, “I will use my knowledge and experiences in business and community service to lead on the issues of education, economic development, infrastructure, environmental protection and sustainability.”
