A special committee selected by the Otsego County Chamber has made two excellent decisions regarding the organization's annual awards for service to our communities.
Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller will receive the Eugene A. Bettiol Jr. Distinguished Citizen award, and Springbrook will be honored as the NBT Bank Distinguished Business.
We are delighted with both selections.
The recipients will be honored at the chamber's annual dinner and Celebration of Business on March 24. The event will be at 7 p.m. in the Hunt Union Ballroom of the State University College at Oneonta.
Miller is on something of an awards roll, having shared the 2012 Thurgood Marshall Unity Award _ the Oneonta NAACP's highest honor _ with Professor Caridad Souza-Watkins last month.
Miller has steered his city through several challenging episodes, including an investigation of Oneonta's police department that has led to a much-needed reorganization.
When it appeared that the Foothills Performing Arts Center was destined to go under, it was Miller who took a leadership role in getting the community to invest time and money in its future.
Miller has been active in trying to revitalize Oneonta's downtown and is holding meetings to seek solutions to Oneonta's housing problem.
In addition, he shepherded through a revision to the city charter, which included voter approval of a city manager, and has drawn plaudits for the way he has dealt with what can be a fractious Common Council.
The mayor most certainly has his detractors, but that's something that comes with the territory.
"When there are disagreements, he likes to discuss them," then-Eighth Ward Alderman Kevin Hodne told the Daily Star about a year ago. "He's really good at helping people with different points of view come to an agreement. In conflicts, he doesn't take things personally."
Miller also has been omnipresent at all kinds of ceremonial events in which a proclamation or short speech is appropriate, and has been open about communicating city issues with the news media and the public.
Perhaps most importantly, Miller has sounded the alarm that the city must get its financial act together before its reserve funds run out.
Springbrook, an educational and residential institution for people with disabilities, employs about 980 people.
And is destined to grow.
The nonprofit agency with headquarters near Portlandville last week announced plans to buy the former St. Mary's School building on state Route 7 in the town of Oneonta.
Otsego County Chamber Board Chairwoman Roxana Hurlburt said Springbrook provides a vital service to the county.
"We thank them for their commitment to making the difference for people with disabilities for a lifetime," she said.
We applaud the recipients and wish them continued success.
Opinion
Chamber made excellent choices on service awards
- Opinion
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In Memoriam
This message appears each Memorial Day weekend in The Daily Star.
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Letters to the Editor: May 26, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 25, 2012
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Facebook’s fizzle was no surprise
Facebook’s IPO last week was supposed to be a moment of triumph for the social network, but the event quickly devolved into an ugly tale of duplicity, hubris and greed, as the stock lost 18 percent of its value in the first two days of trading.
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Letters to the Editor: May 24, 2012
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Heegan must show vision for Chamber
In selecting Barbara Ann Heegan as its executive director last week, the Otsego County Chamber would seem to have chosen a safe rather than a bold path for its immediate future.
- Wednesday, May 23, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 23, 2012
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Can't have a third party without a candidate
What if they gave a party ... and nobody came?
- Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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Cheers
To Bike to Work Day, Cooperstown Quiz Team, Arts Field Day, the SUNY Delhi Centennial.
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Letters to the Editor: May 22, 2012
- Monday, May 21, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 21, 2012
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The world does move
To look at a newspaper from 1912, 1937, 1962 or 1987, it can seem as though positively everything has changed.
- Saturday, May 19, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 19, 2012
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Graduates, take acquired skills, set sail on job voyage
This weekend, many colleges and universities -- including SUNY Delhi and SUNY Oneonta -- will bestow degrees of various levels and types upon their students.
- Friday, May 18, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 18, 2012
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'Whale' failure shows how little has changed
One positive development resulting from JPMorgan's recent $2 billion trading blunder is increased scrutiny of the regulations put in place since 2008 to prevent a repeat of that year's financial collapse.
- Thursday, May 17, 2012
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Taxes spoke louder than sentiment in voting
It has become a virtually immutable fact of modern-day industry and politics. Given the choice between financial interest and sentiment, money always wins.
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Letters to the Editor: May 17, 2012
- Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 16, 2012
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Gas companies need to play nice with residents
"You need to assure me that you are going to talk to the towns." This was Rep. Chris Gibson's plea to the gas companies that are seeking to lay natural gas pipelines through the local area.
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In Memoriam
