By keeping its veteran population faceless and nameless, the Cooperstown Village Board has actively chosen to widen divisions and isolate an essential part of its own community. To maintain its idyllic façade, Cooperstown will continue to hide the contributions and sacrifices its community members have made in preserving American democracy.…
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This decision has prompted widespread outrage, leaving many questioning the board’s commitment to core American values and the very freedoms our veterans sacrificed to protect.…
I am writing about the impending Lakefront Viewing Platform slated to be built out over the water at the end of Pioneer Street that is now out to bid. Some of us on the block have only just found out about this project moving forward through contractors bidding on it. While I am not in favor of this project in this location, my letter today is about the failure of the village to inform anyone who will be directly impacted by…
Personal courage and a brave stand was exhibited by Village Trustee Hanna Bauer this week with her vote on the controversial banner proposal. Hanna has expressed her reasoning and it is sound, but she could have also decided to vote the other way if her thoughts were of that direction. This was a very complex and emotional issue.…
The Village of Cooperstown continues to offer leaf pickup for residents and property owners this fall, until the snow starts. Village residents can facilitate this process by following these guidelines:…
First, each of us on this board has the title of trustee. We are fiduciaries, sworn to care for the public interest and rule of law, including the safety, health, comfort, and general welfare of Cooperstown’s inhabitants, the protection of their property and businesses, and the preservation of peace and good order in our public spaces.…
As mayor of Cooperstown, it is my honor to be asked to speak every year at our community’s Memorial Day Ceremony. I often note the memorials in our village to honor and remember those who travelled far beyond our small community to defend the principles and freedoms of our nation. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, where the Memorial Day ceremony takes place, was erected in the early 1900s not by the village but by Otsego County in memory of all…
As a Vietnam veteran who has lived in Cooperstown the past 37 years, I, too, do not need or want to purchase—or pay for though taxes—a banner to hang on a pole with my dated photo to acknowledge my service.…
A pillar of Cooperstown’s economy is tourism. People come to visit our museums and experience what life was like in a less complicated past. Simply put, Cooperstown sells nostalgia.…
In summary, I encourage the Village Board of Trustees to carefully review the many positive comments received at the public hearing and approve the proposed change to the current village sign law to allow these Hometown Heroes banners.…
