By Tom Grace
Cooperstown News Bureau
Floyd "Sam'' Dubben, Jr. said he looks forward to steady progress and reduced partisanship on the Otsego County Board of Representatives this year.
Elected Wednesday to chair the 14-member legislature, Dubben, 65, is in his ninth year as the representative from District 7, which encompasses Cherry Valley, Middlefield and Roseboom.
``As far as I'm concerned, politics should be on the back burner now; we have to work together for the good of the county,'' he said Thursday.
``I want to hear from everyone and consider what they have to
say, regardless of party,'' Dubben, a Republican, said. ``We may not always agree, but we can agree to listen to each other.''
As the year opens, the county faces financial challenges, and the board will have to focus on them, he said.
``I think the budget we have is pretty good, but I am worried about what's happening with New York state,'' said Dubben.
More than half of the county's revenue comes from state and federal sources, and if New York
is unable to pay reimbursement for services it mandates, the county would be in trouble, he said.
``I don't worry too much about the federal government; they seem to print money whenever they need it,'' Dubben said. ``But the state is in trouble, and it's hard to know what's coming next.
``The problem with reimbursement is that first the county has to deliver services, then we get the money,'' he said, adding that if the state were to implode financially, counties _ including Otsego _ would face stark choices.
However, New York state may muddle through, he said, allowing his board to concentrate on other issues, such as whether to continue in MOSA and how to prepare for gas drilling.
One issue unlikely to be decided this year is whether the county should create a manager's office, he said.
``Could I work with a manager? Yes, I could,'' Dubben said. ``But the time to set this up may not be this year.
"First of all, it's not in the budget. Then, we have new people in key positions, and they need to get comfortable with what they're doing."
Daniel Crowell took office Jan. 1 as county treasurer and budget officer, succeeding Myrna Thayne. Ellen Coccoma, took office Wednesday as county attorney and risk manager, succeeding James Konstanty.
``I'm new, too,'' Dubben said, noting that while he's been on the board for years, chairing and serving on various committees, it's different to be at the helm.
In recent months, the risks and benefits of gas drilling have been vigorously debated in this region. Although the state Department of Environmental Conservation is primarily responsible for oversight, municipalities may enact regulations to require responsible parties to pay for any road damage caused by transporting large drilling rigs and other equipment.
Dubben said he thinks the board should investigate what other municipalities have done to see how Otsego County can protect the public interest.
``I'm not in favor of regulations that will force the towns to do anything, but we could share information with the towns and let them decide what to do,'' he said.
One issue the county will wrestle with this year is whether to continue in the Montgomery-Otsego-Schoharie Solid Waste Management Authority, Dubben said. He chaired the county's Solid Waste & Environmental Concerns Committee in 2009.
The 25-year contract binding member counties together is slated to expire in 2014, although Otsego County could possibly extract itself sooner if the contract were rewritten, according to Hans Arnold, the county's solid-waste consultant.
Long considered a liability by many, in recent days, MOSA has defeased its debt, dropped its tipping fee by $20 to $86 a ton and begun to talk of a more-flexible relationship among the counties. The authority is preparing to negotiate new contracts for transportation and disposal this year in an effort to further cut costs, according to MOSA's Executive Director Dennis Heaton.
Will Otsego County opt out or try to work with the revamped MOSA?
``A lot of where we go from here will depend on how the contract is rewritten,'' Dubben said. ``We need all the facts and good advice before we take any action.''
As the year unfolds with Dubben at the front of the board room, two former chairmen, Rep. James Powers, R-Butternuts, and Rep. Donald Lindberg, R-Worcester, will be sitting at the back.
Dubben says he knows he can ask their opinions and get straight answers.
``They've been through it,'' he said.
``My decision to put my name out there for chairman wasn't a reflection on the job Jim was doing,'' he said of Powers. ``I give him a lot of credit for convincing us to hire Hans Arnold, who's done a great job.
``I just thought I'd like to try it, too.''
Dubben, who's married to his Cherry Valley Central School sweetheart, Marge, still lives on the family farm, with their five children, including Middlefield's highway superintendent, Tim Dubben, residing nearby.
``It is nice having the family here, and I'm still farming,'' he said, ``in the barn at 5 a.m. for milking.''
Dubben's name was placed in nomination Wednesday by Rep. Stephen Fournier, R-Milford.
On Thursday, Fournier said he was happy to speak for his colleague.
``I think Sam will do well,'' he said. ``He's very good at communicating with everyone on the board and with the department heads and employees, and he wants to involve everyone in the decisions we make, regardless of party.''
Rep. Katherine Stuligross, D-Oneonta, said she doesn't know Dubben well, but likes him.
When the board went into executive session Wednesday to discuss an appointment, the exchange among peers was not partisan, but agreeable and respectful, a tone that Dubben sets, Stuligross said.
``I think he's off to a good start.''
