On Monday, August 25, the Village of Cooperstown Board of Trustees approved Resolution No. 4 of 2025, regarding the federal government’s policies on immigrant seizure, detention and deportation.…
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As chairs of the city’s Budget Review and Finance committees, respectively, we are dismayed by recent comments provided by our colleague on the state of city finances and budget, the role of the finance director and mischaracterization of the role of the Common Council in city budgetary decision-making.…
While the miracle of childbirth comes with a decade or two of existential preparation before any contribution to the tax base, immigration bypasses this waiting period entirely. New arrivals, fluent in spreadsheets and the language of quarterly earnings, begin filing their returns with an immediacy that borders on the virtuous.…
Council Rock is a group of self-advocates with intellectual disabilities who volunteer at community events in the Otsego County area. The group encourages community engagement and helps raise awareness of the abilities of people with Down syndrome and other disabilities.…
As much as I enjoyed my daily coffee routine, it was the community within the village that struck me most. Athletes of all abilities and backgrounds mingled as equals, moving between the dining hall, lounge areas, and even the laundry room. In this space, the idea of “typical” didn’t exist. It was a beautiful reminder that being different was not unusual here—it was the norm. There was a sense of unity in this diversity, a powerful statement that excellence comes…
Letter from Jim Havener An Open Letter to the Community I am Jim Havener, the proud owner of the Green Toad Bookstore. Recently, we have faced some unfortunate bias regarding the selection of books we offer. I want to take this opportunity to directly address these concerns and reaffirm our commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and understanding. At the Green Toad, we celebrate the richness of human identity through the diverse range of books we carry. Our mission is to provide…
Letter from Tim Wormuth Please Rethink This This plea is in response to Mr. Dan Maskin and Opportunities for Otsego: Please, rethink your decision to build “a strategic plan that is centered on social justice”. You provide a wonderful service to our community, there is no need to politicize that work by pursuing “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”. These are simply inoffensive words used to divert attention from what it really is, Critical Race Theory. As the old saying goes, “You…
Social Justice and Strategic Planning at OFO This year, Opportunities for Otsego (OFO) committed to building a strategic plan that is centered on social justice. The process with any strategic plan involves analyzing data, setting measurable goals and putting those goals into action. Setting goals to impact conditions of society is more challenging. “We begin by looking inside our own house with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion assessments for the board of directors, management and all 140 employees. Then, based on…
Coop alum, Schaeffer, releases book about school lunch By Chad G. Welch • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Cooperstown Central School 1994 graduate Lucy Schaeffer’s first book, “School Lunch-Unpacking Our Shared Stories,” released Tuesday, Aug. 3. The book pairs Schaeffer’s photographs with 70 different lunch stories “from people age six to 93; hailing from 25 different countries and all across the United States,” Schaeffer said in the book’s introduction. Schaeffer’s subjects include family members, friends, celebrities and strangers. Schaeffer said all of…
HAPPENIN’ OTSEGO for SATURDAY, JULY 3 ‘Here Comes The Sun’ Boat Parade BOAT PARADE – 3 p.m. Get out for the annual decorated boat parade. This years theme ‘Here Comes The Sun’ song by the beatles. All boats welcome from human powered to motor powered and all in between, decorated or undecorated. Covid protocols will be in effect. Parade assembles at 3 Mile Point and proceeds on West Side of the Lake to Lakefront Park, Cooperstown. Rain or Shine. 518-542-6630…
