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Support Businesses in Special supplement inside this newspaper

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THINK LOCAL FIRST

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HOMETOWN ONEONTA E!

E FR Volume 6, No. 27

City of The Hills

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch

Must City Dissolve To Survive? Mayor Miller is sworn in Jan. 1 for a second term.

Mayor: Costs Continue To Outpace Revenues By JIM KEVLIN

T

he City of Oneonta is headed toward extinction, perhaps in five years, Mayor HOMETOWN ONEONTA Dick Miller has concluded after

Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

“Mr. Liberty” Zack Star echoes a replica of the Statue of Liberty that pupils built for the Oneonta Christian School’s “History Day” Wednesday, March 19.

Complimentary

Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, March 28, 2014

T

preparing

ext of Mayor Millhis fifth er’s op-ed on the budget. city’s future/A4

“At the end of the day,” he said in an interview, “when you get through examin-

ing the city’s financial circumstances, everything remains the same.” Expenses are growing, he said, but “revenues are not growing.” Further, Common Council, Please See CITY, A7

NEPTUNE RAZED

Mike Gillette of Burrell’s Excavating, Norwich, drops part of the beloved Neptune Diner’s aluminum shell into the parking lot Monday, March 24. The inset photo is the shambles that used to be the diner’s spotless interior. The Southside diner will be replaced by a five-unit strip mall this summer.

Chamber Will Honor Lawyer, Brewery 3/28

B

rewery Ommegang and attorney John Scarzafava will be honored when the Otsego County Chamber convenes its annual Dinner & Celebration of Business Friday, March 28, at SUNY Oneonta’s Hunt Union Ballroom. Ommegang will be cited as NBT Bank Distinguished Business and Scarzafava as Eugene A. Bettiol Jr. Distinguished Citizen. See photos afterwards at WWW.ALLOTSEGO.COM BACKS GIBSON: Mayor Miller, endorsed by both parties when he ran for a second term last fall, announced he is endorsing U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-19, in this fall’s election. GROW GARDEN: Applications for Community Gardens plots at River and Wilcox streets will be accepted – from city residents only – beginning Friday, April 4. Plots are located at Swart-Wilcox Park near the corner of River and Wilcox Streets. Resident fee $25. Applications at recreation office or at www.oneonta. ny.us/recreation. Info 4320680. CAN IT BE? A high of 53 is predicted Monday, March 31.

Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Strip Mall’s Construction Expected To Start In May By LIBBY CUDMORE

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ith the diesel groan of the backhoe in the early morning mist, The Neptune Diner was suddenly no more. “What a waste of a building,” said Wendell

Repentant Abramoff: Don’t Do What I Did

Abramoff’s Monday, March 24, visit to the SUNY Close, Oneonta, as he Campus, proclaiming “You watched the razing begin. an Kenyon wants to Don’t Know Jack.” Demolition of Oneonta’s make sure you know “I’ve met a lot of politionly 24/7 eatery, a comJack – the formerly nocians, but he had a certain munity mainstay for 28 torious, now repentant Jack warmth that other politiyears before its closing at Abramoff, that is. cians don’t,” said Kenyon. midnight Sunday, Dec. 28, Kenyon, a senior po“I didn’t expect it to be like began Monday, March 24. litical science major from that.” Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA “They’ll salvage the Cooperstown, designed Kenyon spent the day Abramoff and his host, scrap metal and glass, promotional fliers, T-shirts SUNY Young Republican escorting Abramoff around Please See DINER, A3 and cups ahead of Jack Please See JACK, A7 chair Ian Kenyon. By LIBBY CUDMORE

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HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD