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nEW ‘COMMUNITY CLASSROOOM’ AT CGP, page 10 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 218, No. 7
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, February 12, 2026
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County Reps Hear Anti-ICE Concerns; Talk Monument Restoration, Staffing Challenges By BILL BELLEN
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OTSEGO COUNTY rior to the Otsego County Board of Representatives meeting last Wednesday, February 4, there were brief special meetings of the Public Safety and Legal Affairs and Administration committees. PS&LAbriefly convened to approve a few minor contract
modifications before adjourning to make way for Administration. Administration Committee Chair Margaret Kennedy began by passing the agenda to Personnel Officer Penny Gentile. Gentile presented the county’s new and hastily-created gender-based violence in the workplace policy for the county. She stated that the proposal took into account new requirements of public
entities in New York State that must now be met in order to “bid on competitive state contracts and certain grants.” Gentile noted that the Solid Waste Department’s annual hazardous waste event relied on one of the grants in question, sparking the urgency in getting the legislation passed before the February 27 funding deadline. Continued on page 11
Bassett CEO Talks Financial Turnaround By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL COOPERSTOWN fter what Bassett Healthcare Network has described as a turnaround from a $60 million negative margin in 2023 to a projected positive margin for 2025, President and Chief Executive Officer Staci Thompson sat for a wide-ranging interview with AllOtsego about what went into making it happen, and what to expect in the future. Thompson, who took on the job in 2024, attributed the turnaround to “a lot of discipline and a lot of the organization coming together to really understand that no opportunity was too small to address.” She said it involved standardizing certain supplies, ensuring appropriate reimbursement to the organization, receipt of grants and donations. “When we looked at [it], we had to kind of do an $80 million turnaround,” Thompson said. Around half of that “came from the growth revenue, making sure we’re getting paid for what we’re doing, getting more patients in. And then the other half came from things like expense improvement.” She also cited a “last resort” “modest reduction in force” of around 100 non-bedside employees in October 2024, of which she said approximately 20 percent have been rehired. Thompson said it was
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something “I would not reach to again, because we don’t cut our way to success.” With six hospitals and more than 30 regional health centers across an eight-county region, Bassett is a critical component of local healthcare infrastructure. “The whole point of being a not-for-profit is to make money to reinvest in the organization,” Thompson said. “So any money that we make really goes into, and will go into, being able to provide capital equipment, to be able to upgrade our IT, to be able to invest in our facilities.” Multiple recent letters to the editor in “The Freeman’s Journal” and “Hometown Oneonta” newspapers have expressed concern about the organization’s financial health. A Bassett spokesperson said the latest financial documents projecting the positive margin were not yet available for public review, but would be accessible following an ongoing audit. Thompson said one of the largest growing expenses was wages. “The cost of hiring people to come work at Bassett compared to, say, 10 years ago, has grown really exponentially,” she pointed out. Previously, Thompson said, Bassett had a wide range of vendors for agency staffing, employees who are contracted out. Now, moving toward “more of an Continued on page 2
Photo by Katelyn Dwyer
Frosty Winter Fun
COOPERSTOWN—In spite of the frigid temperatures, the 58th annual Cooperstown Winter Carnival kicked off without a hitch on Thursday, February 5 with hot cocoa at The Otesaga Resort Hotel, followed by fireworks over Otsego Lake.
Ice Fishers Brave Cold and Wind on Lake Otsego By ERIC SANTOMAUROSTENZEL
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SPRINGFIELD few hundred feet from the shores of Glimmerglass State Park, three bundled-up old college friends prepare for an evening of ice fishing on Otsego Lake. They may or may not catch something from the dark depths beneath the blinding snow-covered ice, and that’s all part of the journey. “First time ice has been safe for us to get out,” Mike Seymour says while preparing a hole to fish from. “Some days you may have a good day, get a good perch and a walleye or
Photo by Eric Santomauro-Stenzel
Jim Cohen, left, drives his snowdog on Otsego Lake as Rob Serowski, right, moves equipment.
two. Some days, you go home and nothing.” To be safe to walk on, the ice
needs to be at least four inches thick. Today, January 31, amidst a cold snap bringing tempera-
tures well below freezing and even 0℉ in much of the Northeast and Midwest U.S., the trio estimates it’s as much as eight inches in certain places. The group is one of several on the ice. “We usually fish like four hours at a time,” Seymour says. “That’s about all these 65-yearold bodies can take,” he adds with a chuckle. “I need to be outdoors,” Rob Serowski answers to what draws him to ice fishing, adding that the sunlight keeps his mood high during the winter months. Using a snowdog, a vehicle of sorts, Jim Cohen pulls equipment across the ice, including Continued on page 11
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD