th anniversary
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remembering those who served, pages 2-3
nd IT Setech.net a r e t u p Com www.isd VISIT www.
Volume 15, No. 31
AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE COMPLIMENTARY
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, May 25, 2023
Otsego Issues Executive Order
Cooperstown Hosts 1st Pride Weekend
Bliss: County Must Regulate, Oversee Any Housing of Migrants
Oneonta Site of Block Party, Parade on Saturday, June 3 By WRILEY NELSON
By CASPAR EWIG OTSEGO COUNTY n May 16, Otsego County joined the growing list of municipalities that have instituted limitations and conditions on the housing of migrants and asylum seekers entering the United States at its southern border. By adopting the declaration of an emergency set out in New York State’s Executive Order #28, and by issuing its own State of Emergency Declaration, Otsego County officials were empowered to issue Emergency Order #1, regulating the terms under which municipalities within the county could agree to house migrants. Since Texas, Arizona and Florida began alleviating their own overcrowding by busing migrants to other states, metropolitan areas including New York City have been faced with the realization that housing the influx of migrants is overtaxing their capabilities to render social services. Governor Kathy Hochul, in her Executive Order, noted that New York City was housing more than 36,000 migrants as of May 9, and that this number was increasing with no end in sight. Similarly, Mayor Eric Adams noted New York City is having trouble finding sufficient shelter within the city limits, resulting in having to look for housing in surrounding counties. The opposition by Rockland and Orange counties to the north, and Suffolk County to the east, was immediate. Some declared a state of emergency and used that authority to block hotels and motels from accepting migrants sent to them by New York City. Other counties actually applied for and were granted judicial restraining orders prohibiting certain lodging places from being converted into homeless shelters. Otsego County has not, to date, been asked to house migrants. “But inquiries have already been made to lodging places and municipalities in Broome and Oneida counties, and so the board really had no choice but to deal with the issue so that it could at least regulate and oversee the migrant housing Continued on page 8
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ONEONTA tsego Pride Alliance and local businesses will present Cooperstown’s first-ever Pride Weekend at the beginning of Pride Month. The festivities will start at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, June 1 with a Pride flag raising at Village Hall. Former Cooperstown Trustee MacGuire Benton will attend to kick off the weekend with a special performance by Cooperstown Central School’s Identity Alliance. Stagecoach Coffee will offer complimentary hot chocolate and coffee. On June 2, Brewery Ommegang will present a special Pride Month Fire Pit Friday from 710 p.m. The all-ages event will feature food, drinks, a bonfire, an address by Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh and a live DJ set by DJ TRUMASTR. There will also be a firework display. Local businesses will sell Cooperstown Pride Weekend merchandise. The main Otsego Pridefest Block Party will begin with a parade at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center in Oneonta at 2 p.m. on June 3. The parade lines up at 1 p.m. It will lead to Main Street, where the block party will feature live music, family-friendly drag shows, kids’ activities, vendors, speakers, yoga, community and volunteer resources, and more. The Landmark Inn and Barnyard Swing have partnered to present Family Pride Day from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 4. It will feature face painting, spin art, fossil safari, mini golf, music by DJ Raphael and a special appearance by Rapunzel. The Susquehanna SPCA will be in attendance with pets available for adoption. A portion of the proceeds from Family Pride Day Continued on page 8
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INSIDE ► dani seamon headed to st. john fisher, page 2 ► businesses recognized for inclusivity, page 3 ► b assett lookS TO FUTURE SURVIVAL, page 4 ► sailing and dance classes, shows AND SALES, page 6 ► sports snippets: sectional SCORES and more, page 7 ► jamie zvirzdin examines the placebo effect, page 7 ► people and businesses in the news, page 10 ► YOUNG EQUESTRIAN WINS AWARD, page 11 Follow Breaking News On
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Coop Resident Interviewed by NBC NEW YORK CITY—The Commissioning Ceremony of the USS Cooperstown in New York City on Saturday, May 6 brought together many people. It was estimated that about 1,000 attended the ceremony, with roughly 300 in the VIP seating at the front of the stage. Attendees ranged from the Secretary of the Navy and the New York State governor to the ship’s crew and their families. One of those attending the commissioning was Bill Waller, husband to former Cooperstown Mayor Carol Waller. Bill attended as a guest of one of the members of the Cooperstown Board of Continued on page 8
New Pastor Appointed to First United Methodist Church By MARCIA KOZUBEK ONEONTA he Rev. Casey Bradley of Richfield Springs has been named pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Oneonta. He will begin July 2, filling the spot held for five years by the Rev. Marti Swords-Horrell, who is retiring. Bishop Hector Burgos appointed Bradley, 36, after the local staffparish committee interviewed him and gave a positive review. Bradley holds a bachelor’s degree in social work received in 2009 from SUNY Plattsburgh. He graduated from the Boston University School of Theology in 2012. Bradley then went on to serve various churches over the next decade, including Lake Luzerne Methodist Church, South Corinth Methodist Church and, most recently, the Richfield Springs Methodist
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THE REV. CASEY BRADLEY
Church. Bradley will be ordained at the Upper New York Conference session on June 2 in Syracuse. “I am very excited to serve a church that is open to the community, a very
affirming church. I want to take time to see what’s working and see how I can have an impact on the church and community,” he said. Past experience with technology should serve Bradley well in his new position. “I have had a computer in my house since I was born. I am happy to see this church has embraced it,” he said. In fact, in his former job in Richfield Springs he had to work hard to get the church streaming. “Closing the church [during the pandemic] helped convince people that technology is an important part of ministry,” he added. Rev. Bradley will move to Oneonta with his wife, Heather, a clinical social worker, and their dog Cyder, a beagle mix. Rev. Swords-Horrell arrived in Oneonta on July 21, 2018. She became the pastor of the First United
Methodist Church in Oneonta and her spouse, the Rev. Dana Horrell, became pastor of the United Methodist Church in Cooperstown. The couple previously served small churches in Albany and Troy. Rev. Marti, as she is known, said she became the “pandemic pastor.” When the church closed for eight months, she began live-streaming Sunday services from home. “I am proud of the way we responded, using our gifts, graces and talents. Just like libraries and hospitals, we joined the digital generation. We are in a new world and we have to adapt,” she said, noting the church will continue to Zoom services. “I want to give thanks to our staff. They did 110 percent all the time,” she continued. Swords-Horrell also praised the church’s team of nurses, who helped members register on-line for Continued on page 8
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
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