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Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper
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founded in 1808
LWV observes and reports, page 6 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 217, No. 13
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, March 27, 2025
Newsstand Price $1
Financial Support Reinstated for Muller Plaza Activities By MONICA CALZOLARI
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Photo by Michael Perrino
CCS junior Matthew Perrino with coaches Mike Croft (left) and Trentin Carentz at the New York State Boys Wrestling Championships on Friday, February 28.
ONEONTA nterest in having a voice in local government seems to be on the rise in Oneonta. Ten city residents took the opportunity to be heard at the Common Council meeting on March 18. Four more residents sent the council correspondence that was read aloud by City Clerk Kerri Harrington. The meeting lasted four hours. The packed agenda included a
Perrino Makes Quarterfinals, Upsets Section III Champion By WRILEY NELSON
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ALBANY ooperstown junior Matthew Perrino finished a phenomenal season in the quarterfinal round of the New York State wrestling championships at MVP Arena in Albany on Friday and Saturday, February 28 and March 1. Entering the tournament with a 34-14 record and the 11 seed, Perrino upset the Section III champion and battled the four seed and Section VI runner-up all the way to a hard-fought 4-3 loss. Perrino defeated his first opponent of the tournament, 22 seed Finn Sheridan INSIDE ► same place, different bank, page 2 ► Residents share how they relax in troubled times, page 4 ► Project Prom seeking donations, page 4 ► your nyseg bills clarified, page 6 ► miller, mel’s team up to raise funds, page 6 ► Stein: Don’t dismantle Dept. of Ed., page 9 ► 27 market street: yes or no to rss? page 10 Follow Breaking News On
(21-15) of Trinity, by pinfall. “It’s hard to get into the proper mindset at this high level of competition,” he said. “Everyone is there for a reason. You only have your parents and coaches there as support, but so does everyone else. I felt confident for the first match because it was a slightly worse seed, but still had to take it incredibly seriously to really face the challenge.” The next round was a rematch against Section III Division II champion Christopher Doshna (41-3) of Marcellus/Onondaga, who beat Perrino by pinfall in early December. Perrino Continued on page 11
Photo by Monica Calzolari
FOR-DO’s Kaler Carpenter speaks in favor of funding for Muller Plaza activities and entertainment at the March 18 City of Oneonta Common Council meeting.
lengthy discussion about the need to support downtown businesses and increase foot traffic on Water Street. City Administrator Greg Mattice gave a presentation about parking and the lingering public perception that the lack of convenient parking is negatively affecting downtown. “Since 2020, downtown businesses have taken a beating. Some Water Street businesses are down over 50 percent in revenue,” Len Carson, R-Fifth Ward, said. Carson said businesses in his Fifth Ward are not experiencing the same problems. “Nick’s Diner does well. Sloan’s [New York Grill] does well. Subaru does well,” he said. Questions About the Round-About “Is there a way to postpone the round-about project?” Carson asked. Mattice said he will ask the New York State Department of Transportation. Mattice said the DOT will be presenting its plan to council soon. The intersection of Lettis Highway and Main Street
will become a roundabout. Construction is currently scheduled to start this summer, just as the tourist season begins. Support for Downtown Businesses City of Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek is in favor of reinstating a $60,000.00 budget to support downtown Oneonta which was cut last December during the one council meeting he was not able to attend due to a wedding out-of-state. He added a three-page summary of key points for the council to consider on March 18’s agenda. The Finance/HR Committee meeting discussed the same topic on March 13. Wayne Carrington, owner of the B-Side and Autumn Café, and Jim Seymour, co-owner of Black Oak Tavern and Brew-U, attended that meeting. So did Kaler Carpenter, youth services coordinator for Friends of Recovery Dedicated to Others in Otsego County. A document reviewed by the Finance/HR Committee itemized how the $60,000.00 budget would be allocated: $15,500.00 for enterContinued on page 11
MacLeish To Be LWV Delegate for Annual Conference
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COOPERSTOWN he League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area has announced that Elias MacLeish will be the 2025 delegate to the annual Students Inside Albany conference in Albany. Elias, the son of Padraic and Shelby MacLeish, is a junior at Cooperstown High School and lives Hartwick. “Congratulations to Elias. The SIA program is a fantastic immersive experience for our area students,” said Kristin Pullyblank, co-president of the LWV of the Cooperstown Area. “Civics education is at the forefront of the League’s mission, and we are fortunate to have been able to send at least one student since the inception of the program in 2001.” The League of Women Voters of New York State Education Foundation Inc. sponsors one delegate from each League in New
York to SIA. The program is designed to increase high-school students’ awareness of their responsibility in representative government and provide information about the tools necessary for meeting that responsibility. This year’s SIA Conference will take place May 18-21 and will bring 40-some students from across the state to Albany. Students will participate in a series of interactive lectures on topics such as the state budget process, the role of lobbyists in the legislative process, citizen rights to access government information, the role of media in politics, and the move to reform state government. Shadowing their senator and their assemblymember for an afternoon and attending a session on the Chamber floors are two of the highlights of SIA. At Cooperstown High School, Elias is involved in mock trial, Envirothon, yearContinued on page 11
Photo provided
ELIAS MacLEISH
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD