By Tom Grace
Edmond Marchi, 53, is in recovery from alcoholism and doesn't mind saying so.
``I've been sober now for more than two years,'' Marchi, Otsego County's nursing home administrator, said Monday. ``February 6, 2007, was the last time I ever had alcohol in my body.''
The day before that, Marchi had come to work after drinking, depressed about being charged with driving while intoxicated a month earlier in the town of Richfield.
The DWI charge was not his first, as Marchi had battled alcoholism for years.
``In the past, I had made all kinds of attempts to control, reduce, contain my drinking habits,'' he said. ``I'd say I was only going to drink beer, only drink on the weekends, stop drinking at this hour or that hour. I even enrolled in a program for a period of time in the '90s, but if you're not ready, it just isn't going to work _ no matter what you're trying to change.''
However, in early February 2007, suspended from coming to work with employees and residents whom he missed, facing a possible DWI trial and knowing he'd let himself and others down, Marchi was ready for radical change.
He checked into Tully Hill Chemical Dependency Treatment Center near Syracuse, whose mission is to ``provide appropriate, cost-effective care, of the highest quality, to alcoholics or other chemically dependent persons and their families in order to achieve and maintain sobriety.''
He enrolled in a 12-step program and faced the first step: acknowledging that he could not control his drinking, no matter what kind of private deal he made with himself.
He had to make a commitment never to drink again.
Not all his bosses _ members of the Otsego County Board of Representatives _ believed Marchi would recover from this illness. Several believed he should be dismissed and another administrator hired.
But Marchi was serious and knowledgeable about his capabilities and rights. He completed his weeks at Tully, then began to see a private addictions counselor in Cooperstown to keep himself on the road to recovery.
He retained one attorney to handle his DWI case in Richfield Town Court and another to assure that he wouldn't lose his job, as he worked to stay sober and positive.
During this period of struggle, Marchi was sustained by a belief in himself and the affection of his staff. Three times, employees of Otsego Manor petitioned the county board to reinstate Marchi as their boss.
Once, they posted the county office building in Cooperstown with notices that read, "Wanted: Ed Marchi. If you see should see him, please return him to Otsego Manor. This request is being made by many dedicated staff members of Otsego Manor."
Marchi said he hasn't forgotten friends that stood by him when he was down.
``That really meant a lot to me,'' he said.
Charlene Higgins, recently retired activities director at Otsego Manor, said employees admire Marchi because he truly cares for them and the residents of the 174-bed nursing home.
``Ed is a special individual; he stands out among the administrators during my 30 years there,'' she said Tuesday. ``He helps out with activities and he's never too busy to stop and talk to someone. Sometimes he even plays his guitar for the residents, and they really love that.''
As part of Marchi's recovery program, he decided to focus on community service beyond his job.
He joined the board of directors of Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties, www.friendsofrecoverydo.org, a group that helps others overcome addictions.
The Friends also strive to enlighten the public on the scope of addiction disabilities, said Marchi, who has succeeded Betty Currier of Cooperstown as the organization's president.
His outreach work has been a window on the addicts' worlds, he said.
``Did you know that 69 out of 100 people are affected by different kinds of addiction? Millions of people.''
Drinking, smoking, gambling, overeating and all kinds of chemical addictions claim people directly, he said _ indirectly when loved ones are battling addiction.
Currier, who has been in recovery for more than 30 years, said Marchi is ideal for his public service role.
``Ed isn't afraid to speak up, and he understands what people are going through because he's been there,'' she said. ``What we have to get everyone to understand is that addiction is a disease, not a crime.''
Marchi said that while there are many roads to recovery, they all begin with honest soul-searching. And in the last two years, he has made time every day for meditation to take stock of himself, where he's been and where he's headed.
``I do feel good now, and I have a strong sense that everything I do has consequences,'' he said.
Step by step, Marchi has worked on problems. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DWI and paid for damaging a cow fence that he hit in Richfield.
He was reinstated in his job and oversees a staff of more than 200 who care for mostly elderly residents. He continues on the road to recovery, and his bosses are pleased with his performance.
Otsego Manor Committee Chairman Donald Lindberg, R-Worcester, said Marchi is doing well at the helm job of the multimillion-dollar operation.
County board Chairman James Powers, R-Butternuts, said he and other board members have learned from observing Marchi's evolution in the last two years.
``I think it's taught me you shouldn't give up on people too easily,'' Powers said. ``Sometimes they change.''
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Tom Grace can be reached at tgrace@thedailystar.com or 847-9806.
