Sustainable Otsego to Field Five Candidates for Otsego County Board

Cooperstown–Sustainable Otsego will hold a press conference at noon 9 July 2013 at 21 Railroad Avenue in Cooperstown, NY, to announce that five candidates – Beth Rosenthal, John Kosmer, Gary Koutnik, Stu Anderson, and Dan Buttermann – will run on the independent Sustainable Otsego ballot line in the general election this fall for seats on the Otsego County Board of Representatives. All will also run as Democrats.

Sustainable Otsego – a political committee and social network promoting sustainable practices in Otsego County, NY – hopes to build on its success two years ago, when it ran four candidates for County Board, three of whom won.

“The Otsego County Board of Representatives,” said Sustainable Otsego Moderator Adrian Kuzminski, “has a crucial role to play in steering Otsego County away from destructive economic practices such as fracking for natural gas and towards a sustainable future of local green industries based on clean and renewable local resources.”

Sustainable Otsego will also present its 10 Point Plan for Otsego County, focusing on agriculture, value-added industries, home rule, resource preservation, and net zero-energy practices, as well as financing for local businesses, broadband for all, and an equitable tax burden.

Below is the full text of the Ten Point Plan for Otsego County, followed by short bios of the candidates:

A TEN POINT PLAN FOR OTSEGO COUNTY

SUSTAINABLE OTSEGO, 2013

1. Support Home Rule to protect our communities and the rural lifestyle of Otsego County.

2. Promote farm-to-market agriculture.

3. Preserve Otsego County’s pure water, our most important asset, for residents, businesses, and agriculture.

4. Find low-interest credit for local businesses and homeowners.

5. Aim at net zero-energy practices and renewables to save money and reduce greenhouse gases.

6. Explore joining scores of other NYS communities who have municipalized their electric grids to lower costs for homeowners and businesses.

7. Bring a state-of-the-art broadband internet system to everyone in Otsego County.

8. Establish a county-wide sustainable comprehensive plan.

9. Ensure that local tax policies do not increase income inequality.

10. Support a sustainable Town of Oneonta Southside Municipal Water Project to increase business and tax revenues.

THE CANDIDATES:

Beth Rosenthal (District 7 – Cherry Valley, Middefield, Roseboom): Born and raised in upstate NY, Beth has degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology. She has been Corporate Travel Advisor for SR Travel Service since 1996. Beth was Roseboom Town Clerk before being elected to the Otsego County Board of Representatives in 2011 on an anti-fracking, pro-sustainability agenda. She is a founding member of Sustainable Otsego, and is Secretary of the Roseboom Historical Association and is involved with numerous civic groups.

John Kosmer (District 8 – Otsego): John build a passive solar house in Fly Creek 5 years ago, locally featured as “the greenest house in Otsego County.” He is a founding member of Sustainable Otsego, and has been outspoken in his resistance to fracking in our area and beyond. John won election to the Otsego County Board of Representatives on an anti—fracking, pro-sustainability agenda. A self-described “sustainable conservative,” John stands for transparency in government and a sustainable future for Otsego County.

Gary Koutnik (District 11, City of Oneonta): Gary has lived in the area since the 1970s, with a career as a school psychologist and special education administrator.  He is involved in amateur theater and has directed two plays for the Catskill Players. Gary has a long history of political activism, from opposition to the Vietnam War to working for anti-poverty groups to being a member of the Otsego County Youth Board. Gary strongly believes that government is essential to redressing the social imbalances of our society. He was elected to the County Board of Representatives in 2011.

Stu Anderson (District 3, Laurens, Otego): Stu grew up on a dairy farm in Chautauqua County, and has an agriculture engineering degree from Cornell. He has been involved in marine system design, USDA marketing, international construction management, and industrial management for Fox Hospital and the Cherry Valley-Springfield School System. Stu was also Codes Officer for the Town of Otego and is currently owner of Anderson Boats Works in Otego. He is also an author with five novels published under the name Stuart E. Anderson available at Amazon.com. Stu has been instrument in organizing opposition to fracking in his community.

Dan Buttermann (District 4, Town of Oneonta): Dan was raised in northern Arizona in a family owned and operated business making and selling hand-made candles.  Dan graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in music, and later from Southern Methodist University with a master of business administration degree.  Dan worked at GEICO Insurance in Tucson, Dallas, and New York, and join NYCM Insurance in 2012.  His community service experience includes associations with the Kiwanis Club, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Collin County, Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP), and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC). He lives in Oneonta with his wife, Ana Laura, and his two daughters, Malena (born in Dallas), and Layla (born in Oneonta).

Note: Tom Hohensee and Corinna Franck will also run on the Sustainable Otsego line for Otsego Town Board. Other candidates may also file to run on the Sustainable Otsego line for local offices.