K9S TO THE RESCUE
ONEONTA’S ROB TURNER, DIFF AMONG CURRENT TRAINEES/B1
HOMETOWN ONEONTA F
Volume 7, No. 7
City of The Hills
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& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch Complimentary
Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, November 7, 2014
Al Colone holds a program bearing Mayor Miller’s image.
Richard p. miller, jr., 1943-2014
EMEMBERING AN ICON
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Oneonta’s Danielle Simon and daughter Jaidyn fly down Main Street in search of sweet treats on Halloween afternoon. At 7 p.m., the Halloween Parade marched down Main/PHOTOS, B8
Otsego Goes For Astorino Over Cuomo
H
e won statewide, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo (5,677, or 37.9 percent) lost Otsego County to his Republican challenger, Rob Astorino (7,651, or 50.79 percent). As expected, U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-19th, handily defeated the Democratic challenger Sean Eldridge, districtwide, but also in the county, by 10,027 (66.93 percent) to 4,951 (33.05 percent). Assemblyman Bill Magee, D-121st, turned back Republican challenger John Salka district wide and locally, 5,543 (57.37 percent) to 4,103 (42.47 percent) Locally, Trish Riddell Kent kept her seat on the Oneonta Town Board, turning back David Rowley, 1,034 (67.89 percent) to 489 (32.11 percent). EBOLA HOTLINE: Bassett Healthcare Network, which includes Fox Hospital, has established a call in line for patients concerned that they may have been exposed to Ebola. It is (607) 5475555. WEATHER WATCHER: David Mattice has just entered his 32nd year as a National Weather Service observer and Sky Warn Severe Weather adviser. See latest Eye On Weather column/A5
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Every seat was filled in Foothills’ Main Theater Sunday, Nov. 2, for a celebration of Mayor Richard P. Miller Jr.’s life.
By LIBBY CUDMORE
M
ayor Dick Miller would have enjoyed the celebration of his life. “If you knew my dad, you knew he hated funerals,” said his son Jason, head lacrosse coach at St. John’s. “He thought they were morbid necessities, but he wanted Liam with his granddad’s flag.
things to be light, respectful and humorous.” More than 800 citizens, friends and family packed Foothills Performing Arts Sunday, Nov. 2, to standing-room-only capacity to bid farewell to “a vibrant and forceful leader and an extraordinary citizen,” as his long-time friend and Rochester attorney Robert Latella described him.
Among mourners were U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-19, state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, and Oneonta’s first city manager, Mike Long, who retired to Auburn last May. All Oneonta’s former mayors, Sam Nader, David Brenner, Kim Muller and John Nader, were there, their ranks diminished not just by Miller’s sudden passing on SaturPlease See MAYOR, A3
Monument Planned For 9 From OHS Killed In Vietnam Gene Schmidt holds up a rendering of the Vietnam memorial he plans to have ready to be dedicated in Neahwa Park by next Memorial Day.
Veteran Gene Schmidt Hopes Aims For Memorial Day ’14 Dedication By JIM KEVLIN
G
ene Schmidt drove into Sidney after the flood of late summer 2011 devastated that village. From the light at River and Main, he saw the flood’s detritus scattered in all directions.
TO DONATE:
Make checks out to “Oneonta Vietnam Memorial Fund” and mail them to: Gene Schmidt 1715 Hwy. 7 Unadilla, NY 13849
“These people need a break,” the Vietnam-era Marine told his wife, Barb. Gene got moving, soliciting donations from local business people and from Willow Run Foods, Kirkwood, which sent over a dozen cases of fully cooked spareribs, hundreds of foot-long hot dogs, Please See FALLEN, A7
HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD