torInG I n o m e remot ent m e G a n & ma ices
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Volume 14, No. 06
City of the Hills
We checked our spelling The Freeman’s Journal and Hometown Oneonta send a humble apology to Francesca Zambello, who retires as the head of the annual Glimmerglass Festival at the end of its 2022 season. We inadvertently spelled her last name incorrectly in our print edition published November 4. INSIDE ►NEW TROOP C COMMANDEr New State Police Commander focuses on recruiting locally PAGE A2 ►WHY BUFFALO MATTERS: Big local elections in Buffalo, Long Island, shape upcoming race for governor, Congress. PAGE A3 Follow Breaking News On
AllOTSEGO.com ►2021 artifacts at Albany Airport: Memorabilia from the 2021 World Series was on display at the Albany Airport with its final destination being The Baseball Hall of Fame. ►CANNaBiS UPDATE: Cooperstown Board of Trustees met to vote on drafting opt-out law.
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ONEONTA
Solo canoe journey from west coast to east coast pg. A11 VISIT www.
AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, November 11, 2021
COMPLIMENTARY
Local merchants work hard to deflect supply chain hiccups By Ted Potrikus
Casey Thomas (Badger) performs in the CCS Thespians’ production of “The Wind in the Willows,” opening Friday, November 12, at the N.J. Sterling Auditorium at Cooperstown Central School. See page 14 for more on the show.
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Reports abound nationally that we can’t find the products we want or need, the result of a catastrophic break in the world’s supply chain that moves goods from manufacturer to distributor to retailer to consumer. Otsego County merchants who know their customers’ needs are finding ways to plug the gaps wherever possible. From groceries and adult beverages to hardware, appliances, and cars, business owners are rallying to keep merchandise on hand. Shoppers gearing up for Thanksgiving dinner should have no problem finding the food they want to prepare for their traditional feasts. “This is our 90th year of business,” said Mona Golub, vice president, Public Relations, Consumer and Marketing Service for Price Chopper. Price Chopper’s markets in Cooperstown and Oneonta will be well stocked heading into the holiday season. “We know what our customers are coming in to buy year after year,” she said. “We order our turkeys one year out and we have plenty on hand. We ordered staples in the spring. We’ll have everything that people want — sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, turkey, squash.” “The story on the national level doesn’t always translate to the local markets,” she said. “We’ve built fantastic relationships with our suppliers so we can be sure we have what our customers expect.” Local merchants cite pre-planning and hard work as good insulation against empty shelves. “I’ve been doing this for 32 years,” said Sharon Wilsey, owner of Best Wine & Spirits in Oneonta. “We’re not immune from the supply chain problems, it’s happening everywhere. But we’re way ahead of this in so many ways.” While she faces challenges when manufacturers run short on raw materials such as glass and aluminum, she has been able to keep popular
“It’s higher tech with the computer chips that are tough to source,” Mr. Thompson said. “There’s a steel shortage, and the new ‘fridges take longer to manufacture.” He added that pending regulatory changes at the federal government level will change the composition of certain refrigerants, also slowing the process. Knowing the local customer base arises as a common theme when addressing the supply chain crisis. Steve Munson of Munson True Value said his 56 years in the business keeps him ready for market hiccups. “We’re good at knowing Sharon Wilsey, proprietor of Best Wine & Spirits in what we’re going to need,” Oneonta, has some sparce shelves in the store. he said. “Right now, brands in stock. we’re at about 95 percent of our usual inven“For a long time, we’ve been one of the few tory for everyday items. That has been a big places around where you can get popular items improvement.” like Jim Beam flavored products,” she said. “We “Windows, millwork, lumber — those are the have a very good relationship with our distribu- things that seem to be getting worse,” he said. tors. We know what to suggest to our customers He cited challenges for manufactures — finding if we’re short on their favorites.” employees to make the products and sourcing the John Thompson said he and Advantage Maytag raw materials — as the primary culprits in the co-owner John Elderkin pre-ordered more supply chain slowdown. merchandise than their annual sales projection “It’s taking around three-and-a-half months would otherwise have suggested. The Oneonta for windows,” he said. “Don’t come in tomorrow appliance store has stayed busy as a result. and expect the windows the next day!” “The pandemic kept more people at home, And at Country Club Chevrolet, owner Tom so they wanted and needed new appliances,” Armao said his shop remains busy with customers he said. “We’ve been able to fill those orders for new and used cars. through good planning and good relationships “There are things I can’t control a lot of times,” with our suppliers. Our products come from he said. “But that means we change course and Whirlpool, so around 90 percent of what we sell grow so that we can be here for our customers. is made in America and isn’t getting jammed up We’ve got new cars on our lot and our used at the ports.” inventory is up. We can still fill the transportation Advantage nonetheless faces a longer-than- needs that this area has. It takes hard work every usual wait for refrigerators and freezers. day, but we know how to stay afloat.”
Cooperstown holds virtual information session on cannabis By Kevin Limiti Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh and Deputy Mayor Cindy Falk held a virtual meeting on November 8 to present information about marijuana legalization in New York and how it might affect Cooperstown. There was a PowerPoint presentation during the meeting, which was opened up to comments or questions at the end. However, no public comments or questions were made. This meeting was held two days before a vote is to take place on whether to draft an opt-out law, on Wednesday, November 10. Tillapaugh said the passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act was an “enormous shift in public policy.” The law allows people to possess three ounces of marijuana and 20 ounces of concentrated cannabis oil. It is not yet legal to sell, although the newly formed Cannabis Control Board and Office of Cannabis Management are in the process of creating regulations for retail sale. Ms. Falk said there were “still a lot of unknowns” about how cannabis would be regulated including the number of licenses issued statewide.
One of the slides showed some of the revenue made as a result of legalization in Massachusetts including the town Lee, which made $16 million in its first year, Williamstown, which made $3.7 million in the first six months, and Great Barrington, which made $115 million. Ms. Falk said the numbers were “large, but not necessarily predictable.” Other data showed there were traffic accident spikes in States that had legalized marijuana earlier, including Colorado, but Falk said the study “indicates a correlation but not necessarily causation.” Municipalities, including Cooperstown, have until December 31 to decide whether to opt out of retail sales. If they do, a permissive referendum could be held or the village could call for a public referendum for the March election. MacGuire Benton, village trustee, said he would not be voting to draft the law at the November 10 meeting.
“I’m very open about my support for cannabis,” Mr. Benton said. “Who am I and who are my colleagues to say no to an industry that’s highly regulated?” He said it’s possible Cooperstown could make $15,000 off every $1 million worth of sales which he said is “money that will be put to good use, especially since we’re coming out of a recession and a public health crisis we’ve never seen before.” “$15,000 will go a long way,” Mr. Benton said. “I’ve been going door to door talking to constituents about it and I met no aggressive opposition.” He said the benefits will be “very diverse” who said one elderly person told him how edibles were important to them. “It’s all kinds of people who will benefit from the products right here in our community,” Mr. Benton said. He emphasized how the industry was highly regulated. “If there was opposition against it, we would hear it and we would see it.” There need to be four votes against drafting the law. If it doesn’t pass, Cooperstown likely wouldn’t opt out.
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD