I'm not sure I'll be posting about each meeting; I'd rather talk about issues and planning. But this was the first meeting for me, and therefore, significant.
The meeting began with calling the roll. After the Pledge, we were all sworn in by Judge Brian Burns. He began by telling us that he had run across a copy of Board minutes from 1804, and was struck by the similarities he found between that meeting and this. In 1804, it was very probable that the founder of Cooperstown and the driving force behind the creation of Otsego County, Judge William Cooper, was in the room, or nearby, ready to provide his wisdom, influence or experience to the legislators.
As we were sworn in, we faced the folks who had come to speak, and to listen, and I saw the importance of this moment reflected in some of the faces: lighter, vibrant, luminous. This was a moving and significant moment for me – and, I'm sure, for my colleagues – and it seemed that the folks in the back of the room understood that – which made it all the more special.
On to business. After a protracted nomination process and debate, we elected the first female Chair of the Otsego County Board in history. More details in the Daily Star article. Kathy Clark will be a fine Chair; she got a good start on Wednesday.
After dozens of routine approvals, we got to the Home Rule resolution, which is what most of the folks in the back of the room had come for. Earlier in the meeting, there had been a very long public comment period; speakers from both sides of the fracking issues made their cases, without exception, passionately and articulately. Our debate focused more tightly on the details of the resolution before us: it was simply a resolution of support for Senator Seward's legislation empowering each local municipality to determine whether or not to allow hydrofracking within its borders. I voted for the resolution (more detail here), as did all Board members who had run on an anti-fracking platform, and it passed. I still don't quite understand why we should oppose letting our Town Boards make decisions about something this significant.
Next meeting is next week (Wednesday, January 11 at 6:00 PM), when committee assignments are made. This is an important process, and one that highlights the power of the Chair. Here's hoping the assignments are made in a truly bipartisan manner, allowing all Board members to make a difference.
