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Volume 18, No. 5
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GOP Retains Otsego County Board Majority by Two Votes in Monday’s Hand Recount By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
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OTSEGO COUNTY fter a hand recount by the Otsego County Board of Elections on Monday, November 24 in the razor-thin 2nd District race for the Otsego County Board of Representatives, incumbent Republican James Powers won re-election by just two votes. He defeated Democratic challenger Jason Cianciotto to fill the seat representing Butternuts, Morris and Pittsfield. Board seats will be split seven to seven. Accounting for the county’s weighted voting system, where some
representatives hold more voting power than others according to district population, Republicans will maintain a slim 55–45 vote majority. To pass legislation without Democratic votes, Republicans on the board will need to be unanimous. Democrats handily picked up three seats earlier this month, putting them in striking distance of a majority. Initial returns for the 2nd District showed Powers ahead by nine votes, a gap closed down to two by latest counts last week. Upon Monday’s hand recount, votes stayed the same: 458 votes for Powers to 456 for Cianciotto. Continued on page 13
CCS Teachers File 16 Labor Grievances; School Board Seeks Treasurer, Positive Audit Results By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
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COOPERSTOWN t the Wednesday, November 19 Cooperstown Central School School Board meeting, representatives of the Cooperstown Faculty Association said its members have filed 16 grievances since the summer over alleged breaches of their contract, adding that this represents unclear and inconsistent policies within the district. Further, the Cooperstown Central School School Board said it continues to seek a new treasurer, but in the interim, Superintendent Sarah Spross said, the district has retained a third-party vendor to handle the work. Alan Walther, partner of the Bonadio Group, presented the district’s annual audit, which offered an “unmodified opinion” on district financial statements. “That is the highest level of assurance,” he said. Walther reported that the district ended the last fiscal year with $7.1 million in its fund balance, “of which 1.4 million was appropriated to 2026” to balance this year’s budget. “Your unassigned fund balance was approximately $136,000.00—that is within the New York State limitation—and your net favorable variance to the budget was approximately $936,000.00 per year,” Walther closed. Walther said the audit is incomplete, however, “because INSIDE ► SHERIFF SIGNS ICE AGREEMENT, page 2
the federal government has not issued its compliance supplement for 2025. There’s been a little bit of chaos at the federal level.” During public comment, two representatives of the Cooperstown Faculty Association, the union representing the district’s teachers, reflected on positive events in the district before sharing concerns about labor grievances. “Over the past six months, the Cooperstown Faculty Association has filed 16 grievances, nine progressing to stage three in requiring board-level review,” elementary school teacher Anne Reis shared. Reis said the volume was “unprecedented,” both at Cooperstown and compared to other schools in the region. “Such a sharp increase is a clear indication that the systems, procedures and expectations guiding our working relationship are not functioning as intended. Grievances of this frequency and seriousness suggest recurring misunderstandings, inconsistencies or breakdowns in how contractual provisions are being interpreted and applied,” Reis said. She called for a “focused, collaborative effort to examine the current procedures and parameters agreed upon by both the school district and the union.” The district’s current contract with the CFA began in July Continued on page 13
Photo provided
Retired Bassett Clinician Receives Major Award COOPERSTOWN—The New York Chapter of the American College of Physicians recently honored Dr. Douglas DeLong (above). Turn to page 11 to learn more.
BVA Names Cassandra Miller as First Full-time Director
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MORRIS utternut Valley ► eCO-yOTTA CHALLENGES Alliance has GROW, page 3 appointed Otsego ► STUDENT REPORTERS ON County native Cassandra THE RISE, page 4 Miller as its first fulltime executive director ► MALONE: GOVERNMENT since the community-led WORKS, page 4 nonprofit’s founding in ► OLA PROTECTS OUR 2008. GLIMMERGLASS, page 5 BVA connects people to place through commu► FRIENDS CELEBRATE nity, conservation, and SUE DRAKE, page 6 creativity—focusing ► RIVERA REVEALS VISION, on four key pillars: page 9 economic development, environmental steward► THINGS TO DO, page 14 ship, arts promotion, and education. A group of engaged volunteers, BVA works 1 98715 21709 4
Photo provided
CASSANDRA MILLER
to enhance quality of life in the Butternut Valley— an area of western Otsego County along the Butternut Creek
Watershed connecting rural towns, hamlets, and villages from its headwaters near Basswood Pond in Burlington south to its confluence with the Unadilla River near Mount Upton. The main community hubs in the region are the villages of Morris and Gilbertsville. Recent BVA initiatives include recruiting Sidney Federal Credit Union to open a full-service branch in Morris to prevent a banking desert after Community Bank NA’s closure in 2024, and leading NY Forward grant applications that
may bring a total of $9 million in revitalization funding to Morris and Gilbertsville. The organization also advances conservation projects that protect the Butternut Creek Watershed and fosters community through events such as the Summer Harvest Festival and Gravel Grinder, On the Trail of Art, the Friendsgiving Fundraiser, and the Fun Creek Float. It also offers educational programs on the environment, history, and culture of the Butternut
Valley; organizes volunteer trail and creek cleanups throughout the year; and sponsors the annual Visionary Scholar Award for high-school seniors living in the Butternut Valley. “BVA has done such important and impactful work in the region, and I’m thrilled to join as the first full-time executive director to help usher in its next chapter,” Miller said. “With everything happening in the world today, ensuring our local communities are vibrant and welcoming is more Continued on page 13
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
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