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October 27, 2011

Your Opinion: October 27, 2011

Support our kids

What happened to supporting our kids?

We can support  Dreams Park and welcome their kids with open arms but it seems that we are turning our backs on our local kids.

I’m really sad to see that the baseball field is not being built. You took away a great field for parking and now our kids don’t have a place to play baseball. Sports keep our kids out of trouble. Think about it and start supporting the local children!

April Banks

Cooperstown

Gas drilling is big issue for elections

This year, because of the gas hydrofracking issue, we are seeing a strong upsurge in citizens willing to enter political life, often for the first time.

We should consider ourselves lucky. We are fortunate that talented people are willing to work for nominal pay, often at thankless tasks.

I’m writing to support John Kosmer for county representative and Julie Huntsman for Otsego Town Council. Both Kosmer and Huntsman were far out ahead on the hydrofracking issue, educating first themselves and then the public on the dangers of this type of gas drilling and what we could do to stop it. John deserves much of the credit for highlighting fracking as the most critical issue facing us.

Julie Huntsman spent countless hours organizing informational forums and later, volunteers for a large scale opinion poll of our neighbors. She was able to show that by a large majority (more than 80 percent) we did not want hydrofracking in our community. Shortly after, our council voted to ban this type of heavy industry.

I’m also writing to support Bill Michaels in his re-election bid for town council. This was a harder decision for me, only because I think Bennett Sandler would be a valuable addition to our council as well.

But I believe Bill has proved himself to be conscientious and reliable. He’s also come out on the right side of the fracking issue. We need Bill’s experience and he deserves another term.

Bill Schaeffer

Fly Creek

Support Sandler for town council

I have learned a lot from educating my son. As he developed in the science and technology world, I found myself chasing after his talents.

One of his goals today is to get more citizens involved in the town’s decision making process and he is certainly qualified to generate that action.

Another value he has developed is the love of the land, Otsego’s natural resources (University of Michigan, Duke and Stanford University studies taught him to cherish what we have) and as a hobby farmer using these resources, he has grown into this rural area productively after being raised in an urban area.

He also spent a year at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos learning about preservation of our natural resources. Finally, he has spent many years teaching his family a set of values that I appreciate and cherish, teaching me how he works with people on their mutual interests and showing me a patience I wished I had.

I suggest that you will gain a great deal from giving him your vote Nov. 8 for councilman for the town of Otsego.

Oreon Sandler

Cooperstown

Butler a friend to agriculture

I am pleased to announce that New York Farm Bureau has recently named Assemblyman Marc Butler to our annual “Circle of Friends” list. This legislative award is granted based upon his record of legislative support for New York agriculture and the Farm Bureau. New York Farm Bureau is a nonpartisan organization and does not endorse elected officials or political candidates.

Assemblyman Butler joins a  number of other legislators in the Senate and Assembly that have a superior voting record on issues and have shown strong support for the New York farm industry during the 2011 state legislative session.

Each member of the Farm Bureau “Circle of Friends” has demonstrated an understanding of the important issues impacting farmers and the considerable impact the industry has on our economy and quality of life. New York Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm advocacy organization, works closely with the State legislature to strengthen and enhance the agricultural industry in New York State. This year’s legislative session proved to be a challenging one for farmers, but with significant support from key legislators, such as Assemblyman Butler, agriculture will continue to be one of New York’s most important industries.

We are pleased to provide the “Circle of Friends” designation to Assemblyman Marc Butler to thank him for his hard work on behalf of farmers in his district and across New York.

Dean Norton, President

New York Farm Bureau

Elba

Safe Kids say thanks for event

Once again, the Fly Creek Cider Mill and the Michaels family hosted Safe Kids of Otsego County for the third annual Safe Kids Days on Oct. 22 and 23.

Several hundred people had the opportunity to learn more about Safe Kids and, and in particular, Halloween and pedestrian safety, all in a fun and festive venue.

The generosity of our hosts was outstanding and resulted in raising resources that will support the various initiatives of Safe Kids.

Those include safety of motor vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, sports and recreation,all-terrain vehicle, snowmobile, home, other seasonal topics and numerous educational events throughout Otsego County.

This unique partnership is a prime example of the necessary integration of private business and nonprofits in a relationship that is mutually benefiting and impacts residents of the area in a positive way.

We thank the Fly Creek Cider Mill for their commitment to community betterment and for providing this opportunity to showcase Safe Kids.

Safe Kids of Otsego County works to prevent unintentional childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability to children ages 1  o 14 and is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing unintentional injury.

Safe Kids of Otsego County was founded in 2000 and is led by Bassett Healthcare Network.

Rich McCaffery

Community Educator

Bassett Healthcare Network

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