Oneonta Common Council has contentious vote on housing commission appointment, confirms new fire chief By KEVIN LIMITI • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA — In a two and a half hour meeting, the issue of housing was forefront as the Common Council struggled to come to agree on the choice of an out-of-city resident as part of the housing commission on Tuesday, July 20. This appointment was narrowly approved, 4-3, with Kaytee Lipari Shue, Len Carson and Scott Harrington being the…
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politics - Page 6
LETTER from DOUGLAS GEERTGENS Writer explains ‘what schools should teach’ In a previous essay, I asked; Why Do We Have Schools? Parents and other family members took on the major responsibility for teaching children whatever it was they thought they should know. As in much of the animal kingdom, the adults play a very important role in teaching their young what they need to know to survive. We are born and eventually we die. Those who best learn how to…
LETTER from DAN BUTTERMANN Reform Marijuana laws on principles, not politics To the Editor: New York is now the 17th state in the union to legalize marijuana. The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA, Senate Bill S854A; Assembly Bill A1248) passed with only Democratic votes – no Republicans voted for it. The Republicans claim their opposition was because the bill was badly written, and that it will serve as a kind of gateway for marijuana into our state. Marijuana is…
LETTER from SAL FURNARI More Trump Flags On The Way To the Editor: This is a reaction to Consuelo Kraham Velez’s letter in the March 18 edition. And I write this for some of those that are fearful of being canceled because they worry about expressing their beliefs that may not be popular with their employer, their neighbor, or their governing body in their community. Of course we will accept a portion of our money back. Let’s call it a…
Campaigns Off To Fast Start In ’21 Revised Calendar Requires 6-Month Campaign Season By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Election Day is still six months away, but in the past few days it’s been off to the races, the local races. With Oneonta Mayor Gary Herzig’s announcing his retirement last week, three candidates immediately emerged to succeed him, a Democrat and two Republicans. Leading up to Tuesday, March 2, the first day nominating petitions can be circulated, a similar…
LETTER from GERRY WELCH Is ‘Stop The Steal’ Just A Beginning To the Editor: “Stop The Steal.” Buccaneers didn’t win the Super Bowl! Stage a coup at the NFL headquarters. Take it to the Supreme Court. Day of infamy! If none of these contemptuous acts work, wallow in disdain. GERRY WELCH Cooperstown…
Local Governments Should Tend Our Roads, Not Our Minds Do we really expect our local elected officials to tell us what to think? Quite the opposite, probably. And yet instead of focusing on paving streets, keeping tax at a reasonable level, and providing whatever might be considered essential services, they seem increasingly determined to do just that. Three examples popped up in the past few days that suggest this may be spinning out of control, including at the February meeting…
OTHER VIEWS Both Love, Justice Required In Dealing With Capitol Mob By Rev. SERENA JONES • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Editor’s Note: Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, Union Theological Seminary president, was stricken with COVID-19 and missed speaking at the installation of the First Presbyterian Church’s new pastor, Faith Gay, on Nov. 29. Instead, she delivered her sermon Sunday, Jan. 10, when the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol was fresh in everyone’s minds. This is an excerpt. No one watching the…
Day of Decision Nears on Gun-Sanctuary Vote Legal Opinion Expected; Resolution In Hand By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Pending a legal opinion on proposed gun-sanctuary status for Otsego County, members of the county board’s Public Safety & Legal Affairs Committee are expected to consider a resolution on the matter when it meets at noon Thursday, Dec. 10. “I haven’t seen that opinion,” county Rep. Andrew Stammel, D-Oneonta, a PSLA member and an attorney, said Monday, Dec. 7. “The…
Democrats Back Away From Coup Control At Hand, But ‘It Wouldn’t Be Fair’ By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Democratic county reps this week were one vote away from shared control of Otsego County’s $120 million government for the next 14 months. They could have shared fully in who becomes the board’s chair and vice chair. They could have split committee chairmanships. They could have required consensus on every important decision as the county emerges from the COVID-19 threat.…
