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new column celebrating america250, page 4 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 218, No. 26
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, June 25, 2026
BACK TO VICE! E SER D I S E L B A T
Mayor Highlights Veterans, Student Successes, and Community Engagement at June Meeting By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
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ONEONTA he June 2 meeting of the City of Oneonta Common Council opened with a broad set of updates from Mayor Daniel Buttermann, who used his comment period to spotlight the city’s veterans, celebrate student achievements, and reflect on growing civic participation. The meeting also featured emotional public comments and a detailed presentation on the city’s nationally recog‑ nized VITA tax‑assistance program, underscoring a theme of community involvement and local pride.
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Mayor Buttermann began by honoring Timothy O’Donnell, the Veterans Outreach Center’s June Veteran of the Month. O’Donnell served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971, including a tour in Vietnam. Buttermann noted O’Donnell’s extensive list of commendations, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters (signi‑ fying that the service member has received the medal three times), the Combat Infantry Badge and the New York State Medal for Valor. “It was very nice to meet him today and talk about his Continued on page 8
Lawyer: Town Rushed Proposal Without Adequate Public Input By DEBRA MOFFITT
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FLY CREEK n attorney representing a Manhattan developer who wants to build 126 homes west of Otsego Lake says Otsego town officials attempted to change land-use rules without following procedures for public notice and open meetings. Among those proposed changes: limiting how large parcels are subdi‑ vided into smaller lots. The town’s amended draft comprehensive plan says parcels of 40 acres or more could be subdivided into no more than three lots (approximately 13 acres). Existing land-use laws in the Town of Otsego permit residential-agricultural lots to be as small as three acres. Landowner Fraydun Manocherian, whose family owns 34 buildings and 3,500 apartments mostly in New York City, launched plans last year to build a large development spanning the Towns of Otsego and Springfield. Area resi‑ dents and elected officials have said INSIDE
► is hartwick united? page 2 ► looking ahead to the year 2076, page 2 ► tradition or transition? page 4 ► helios expanding access, page 5 ► jacob johnson ‘seals’ the deal, page 7 ► hawkeyes soar to new heights, page 7 ► Manocherian: blessing or burden? page 11 Follow Breaking News On
Photo by Debra Moffitt
Inviting public comment, Town of Otsego Councilmember Deb Dalton discusses the Town of Otsego’s proposed changes to its comprehensive plan.
they’re concerned about the devel‑ opment’s impact on the community’s
environment, water supply, roadways and character.
But Manocherian’s attorney, Allyson Phillips, said public outcry alone doesn’t justify land-use changes. “New York courts have routinely reiterated that local land-use deter‑ minations may not be based upon generalized community objections to a proposed development,” she wrote in a four-page letter with footnotes addressed to Otsego Town Supervisor Ted Feury. Phillips and two engineers recently appeared before the Otsego and Springfield planning boards to give an update on Manocherian’s plans, which now include 50 single-family homes in Otsego and 76 dwellings in Springfield, a combination of 30 single family homes and a 46-unit duplex community. “While we are concerned the (comprehensive plan) amendment will have the effect of precluding the Manocherian landowners from produc‑ tively using their property in Otsego, the larger implications for the future Continued on page 9
Welcome Home Cooperstown Wins Law Day Award By ARYA PATEL
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COOPERSTOWN he theme was “The Rule of Law and the American Dream” on Friday, May 8 when the Otsego County Bar Association hosted its annual Law Day celebra‑ tion at the Otsego County Courthouse in Cooperstown. The keynote speaker was the Honorable Joseph A. Zayas, chief administrative judge of the New York State Unified Court System. In the audience were community members, presiding judges, lawyers, and winners of the various awards, including the Ginsburg-Scalia Award, the Liberty Bell Award, and the Martin Tillapaugh Distinguished Advocate Award. The ceremony began with greetings and a welcome by Otsego County Family Court Attorney and Otsego County Bar Association President Sarah E. Cowen, followed by the invo‑ cation by Pastor Paul Messner of the Otsego County Lutheran Parish. Local Girl Scouts led the Pledge of Allegiance, with Law Day comments by Aaron Marcus, New York State assis‑ tant attorney general. The keynote speaker, Zayas, was intro‑ Continued on page 9
Photo provided
In attendance at the Otsego County Bar Association’s Law Day on behalf of Welcome Home Cooperstown were Dr. Anush Patel, Arya Patel, Ann Brown, Polly Messenger, Alan Kozak, Bob Birch, Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh and Karen Katz.
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