County Representative, District Michelle Catan (REP, CON)

HOMETOWN Views

A-4 HOMETOWN ONEONTA THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

EDITORIaL

An ‘off-year’ election? Not by a longshot

All politics is local, Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill famously said in the 1980s.

So it’s a mystery that we call it an “off-year” election when local races fill our ballot, and an even greater mystery that biennial apathy replaces voter interest. We are voting to fill the offices that affect the fundamentals of our county, towns, and villages, choosing the people to whom we’ll entrust our local tax dollars as they weigh the merits of differing projects and priorities.

Granted, these local issues might not be as headlinegrabbing as global warming or foreign policy. But they’re often the things we complain about when we’re talking with our friends and neighbors about the state of affairs on our streets. These races are all about local direction, development, public safety, road repair. We’re voting for people who build local relationships with state and federal officials who, in turn, exert certain measures of control over available resources.

It’s so much more than behind-the-scenes minutiae and — without detracting from their importance as issues significant to all, far more immediate to us than global warming or foreign policy. Consider the extent to which COVID-19 thrust our local government officials into the spotlight. The people whom we elected in “off-year” contests were suddenly indispensable crisis managers, deciphering constantly-changing guidance from Albany and Washington and balancing normal civic responsibilities against what we’ve all come to know as a “new normal.”

These local officials were nothing less than lifelines for their constituents. And they were elected in an “offyear,” when not too many of us bothered to show up to vote because it was “just a local race.”

Tip O’Neill was right, too, when it came to the politics. There’s no question that local elections can come custompacked with a sharp political edge that can cut deeply into the tenor of local, regional, state, and even national policy-making. Major and minor political parties use these local races to test mettle and build their benches, so to speak — finding the candidates who show the moxie to move up to county- and state-wide races, on to higherprofile offices. Today’s town supervisor is tomorrow’s candidate for the state Legislature.

Remember that in this “off-year” election, we’re voting for the people we will expect to pick up the phone or return our e-mail when this-or-that goes wrong on our street, when we’re looking for a building permit, when we’re concerned about local traffic patterns, or when we have no idea where to turn for help when we have any question about our government.

Don’t forget that this year’s ballot includes five proposals to change the state’s constitution — ● Amend the state’s political redistricting process and permanently fix the size of the state Senate at 63 members; ● Establish for every New Yorker a right ‘to clean air and water and a healthful environment;’ ● Allow same-day registration for voting; ● Authorize no-excuse absentee ballot voting; and ● Increase the jurisdiction of the New York City Civil Court.

We’ll lean hard into the cliché, then, and say ‘local elections matter,’ because they do. We urge every resident eligible to vote to head to the ballot box on or before Election Day, November 2.

Thanks to the League of Women Voters, this week’s paper highlights the candidates and issues calling us to the ballot box on or before Election Day. We hope you’ll take a few moments to study the candidates and the issues and be ready to cast your ballot.

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HOMETOWN ONEONTA

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch Tara Barnwell Publisher

Larissa Ryan Kathleen Peters Business Manager Graphics & Production Kevin Limiti Danielle Crocco Staff Writer Marketing Consultant Ivan Potocnik Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Web Architect Historian Editorial Board Elinor Vincent, Michael Moffat, Tara Barnwell, Greg Klein

RICHaRD STERNBERG, M.D.

Long COVID

The concept of Long COVID has become a hot topic, especially since people are finally becoming aware that having COVID–19 is not just an acute respiratory syndrome that may or may not lead up to death but a very complicated potentially lifelong debilitating disease process. While there is a general agreement on what Long COVID is, there is no uniform definition internationally and it is not clear that some long-term post COVID complications such as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MISC) should be classed as Long COVID or in a separate category. At this time, it is really a matter of semantics. The term Long COVID is probably a patient created term first cited in May 2020. Other names for this syndrome include post-COVID-19 syndrome, post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), and chronic COVID syndrome.

The term Long COVID, or whichever one you like, generally means long term sequelae following resolution of an acute COVID-19 infection. There are many manifestations of this syndrome. In reviewing for this column, I found greater than 50 symptoms listed. Among those are included fatigue, cough, brain fog, memory lapses, mood changes, deep vein and lung blood clots, kidney diseases, heart diseases, diabetes, any pulmonary symptom, loss or change in sense of smell, high blood pressure, and many more. It seems that if one has any new and usually uncommon new problem following the infection or positive testing of COVID-19, whether or not there have been acute illnesses, we would lump it in under the term Long COVID. While some new syndromes may not be related, I believe the probability of that is small who were recently positive for COVID.

The hypothesized causes are also multiple and include toxicity in tissues infected by the virus especially the lungs, continuing inflammation due to either continuing insult or dysfunction of the immune system, vascular injuries, impaired hormone regulation especially those that involve ACE receptor bearing tissues, permanent damage to lungs and heart, post-intensive care syndrome, post viral fatigue, continuing active infection beyond the usual range, reinfection, deconditioning due to inactivity, post-traumatic stress, and others. Any combination of these can be the cause in any individual patient.

In children there is also MIS-C. Take your pick whether to include it with Long COVID or define it separately. Again, this is an issue of semantics and doesn’t matter where we classify it. While so far there appears to be only a 2-3% risk of fatality in children with proper care, with MIS-C we do know that there is damage to critical organ systems in the body; heart, lungs, vascular, kidneys, liver, etc. These can lead to permanent impairment of these organs such as in the case of many other infectious diseases in children in which initial symptoms appear to fully resolve, for example scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, Lyme disease, and viral cardiomyopathy. Frequently there is no recognition of the initial COVID infection.

MIS-C sympstoms include prolonged fever, difficulty feeding, eating, or drinking fluids, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, changes in skin color, trouble breathing, racing heart, chest pain, decreased frequency of urination, lethargy, irritability, and confusion. Early evaluation and treatment by a physician are critical to initiate treatment and decrease the risk of short- and long-term complications.

Bottom line: While the acute risk of death from COVID is approximately 2% in the US, risk of long term and possibly permanent problems is much higher. Additionally, only very long-term studies will tell what the decrease in life expectancy to expect due to the problems of Long COVID.

LETTERS

Elections

I am writing to support Tim Gibson for Oneonta Town Justice.

I have known Tim for many years as a friend, an honest and caring man, and an active Democrat.

As a registered nurse, Tim served 33 years in Fox Hospital’s Operating Room.

Tim has cared for thousands of local area residents in their critical times of need with professional, confident, and compassionate care.

I can think of no better man to serve the Oneonta local area people again with fairness, honesty, and compassionate understanding and judgment during their difficult times, as Tim Gibson for Oneonta Town Justice.

Tim is a kind and pleasant person who always puts people first.

I encourage Town of Oneonta residents to vote for Tim Gibson for Oneonta Town Justice.

James R Dean Cooperstown

I am writing to endorse Kim Fierke for the position of council member, Oneonta Town Board. Kim’s role as an educator and her strong community ties will be a valuable asset to our Town. She is fiscally conservative, with years of budget and grant experience. Kim is running a grassroots campaign, financially independent from special interests. Her integrity and commitment to the people of this community make her an ideal candidate for the Town of Oneonta board. She pledges to protect the environment and promote our business community. Please vote for Kim Fierke on November 2, 2021.

Patricia Jacob, FNP

Town of Oneonta Council Member

Arthur Weinstock, candidate for Middlefield Town Clerk, has years of experience working with budgets and contracts. It is knowledge that will bring fresh outlook to the job and will serve the town well. But also important is that Arthur works cooperatively with people and is a responsive resource.

Arthur pledges that he will be available to constituents and open to their concerns. This is something the community needs! He has been active in the community ever since he moved to Middlefield. He volunteers weekly at the Food Pantry, is on the board of the Cooperstown Concert Series, and is a member of the Cooperstown Lions Club. He is employed as a customer service representative at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Arthur Weinstock deserves our vote. Please elect him Middlefield Town Clerk.

Elmer Luke Michael Stein

Middlefield

Though many of us may be lifelong independent or democratic voters in state and national elections, it is a time-honored thing in our rural communities to be partyblind and truth-focused in local elections: we can get to know our officials for who they are - and can at least keep things decent in our own back yard. To that end, whatever your party, please consider on election day that Dave Bliss has been a deeply committed, consensus building, truth telling member of our community and municipal governments for around a half century. I had the happy experience of working closely with Dave for several decades when he was in the town government in Middlefield - and every single day he lived up to near-perfection in great rural stewardship: phenomenal work ethic and dependability, attentive unbiased listening, and definitive action, always based on trying to figure out the right thing to do and then doing it.

It would be a good thing if Dave would live long enough to serve ten more terms as Otsego County’s lead representative — but let’s at least make sure we snag him again for this next one!

Henry Weil Middlefield

I wish to support the candidacies of Andrew Marietta for County Representative, Ben Bauer for Supervisor, and Tom Hohensee and Chris Kjolhede for Town Council, all in the Town of Otsego.

Andrew has been a thoughtful, moderate, bipartisan voice on the county board for six years while also pushing for more of the taxes we generate for the county such as sales tax to flow back to our community.Tom has served nine years on the council while it has successfully continued to maintain our services and has supported the protection of the character of the town. Ben was born and raised in Cooperstown and after college and becoming established in his career as a software engineer for Google chose to move back here to live and work. Chris Kjolhede has practiced pediatric medicine here for over 27 years and is the founder and director of the regional School-Based Health program of Bassett Healthcare. He will further serve the community that he has already done so much for, by being on the council.

Above all, vote. There are also five propositions on the ballot, four of which affect us, and a judgeship. Voting is a privilege and a responsibility of every citizen. Whether this year is what is called an off-year election or the Presidential one, we should always vote when given the chance.

Richard Sternberg

Cooperstown

Arthur Weinstock is running for Middlefield Town Clerk. He will do an outstanding job. He is experienced, reliable, responsible, dedicated, accessible and personable. We know him to be community-minded and detailoriented, key qualities.

We urge Middlefield voters to vote for him on Nov 2.

Christine Heller

Middlefield

Jim Hill

Cooperstown

Frank Miosek

Cooperstown

Don Raddatz

Cooperstown

Bill Streck

Cooperstown

Re-elect Farrell & Liddell for Town of Oneonta Justices

I write this letter to ask for your support of my friend, Sean Farrell, for Town of Oneonta Justice on election day. Sean has served the Town of Oneonta as a Justice for the past eight years and brings fair but compassionate rule of law to the bench. Sean’s experience as a father, business owner, and longtime Oneonta community member makes him an asset to the Town of Oneonta.

Please take the time this November to vote for Sean Farrell and his co justice Karen Liddell for Town of Oneonta Justices. They are great team and need your support.

Chad A. Burrows

Oneonta