MOSA Letter

If you were down to the Oneonta MOSA transfer station in March, you might have been handed a letter from the Executive Director of MOSA, Dennis Heaton, listing reasons why he thought Otsego County's plan to depart from MOSA was a bad idea – specifically, because it will cost Otsego County citizens a lot more to dispose of their trash: “In summary, Otsego County citizens will pay substantially more if Otsego departs MOSA.”

I don't know about you, but I don't think this was a good idea – especially since Mr. Heaton didn't inform the MOSA Board that he was going to distribute a one-sided argument on an important and complex topic to whoever showed up at the transfer station. There are better ways to get your point across, in our media-rich world. Worse, it turns out that his facts were cherry-picked and incomplete; he did not mention, in many instances, many of the MOSA expenditures which would occur even if Otsego County remained with the Authority.

Cathy Clark, the Otsego County Board Chair, wrote to Mr. Heaton, outlining the errors in his presentation, and calling his attempt to 'impugn' and 'undermine' a member county of the Authority 'regrettable.' I'd be glad to send you a copy of it if you'd like to read it, especially if you've seen Mr. Heaton's letter.

The truth is, we don't know the details of how everything is going to work out. The County Board decided to leave MOSA well before I arrived, and everything I've heard convinces me that it was a good decision. It's a decision we're going to stick with, and I think it's going to turn out well for the citizens of Otsego County.