The LWV Oneonta and the Hartwick Institute of Public Service at Hartwick College are inviting  county residents to  “Challenges Facing Otsego County Take Action Locally” on Tuesday, April 9, at 6pm. The event will feature Dr. Alexander Thomas, professor of Sociology at SUNY Oneonta and the Executive Director of the SUNY PLACES Institute. Institute. Dr. Thomas will discuss regional demographic and economic changes, such as deindustrialization and rural out migration and how to address these challenges. Edward Frazier, newly elected chair of the Otsego County Board of Representatives will take part in the discussion following Dr. Thomas’s presentation.

The Hartwick Institute of Public Service I a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization institute,  seeks to educate the next generation of public servants and inspire legal professionals and government officials to meaningfully engage in our democracy through three supporting areas: Local and State Government, Civic Engagement, and Legal Education.

PLACES is short for “Program for Local Area Community and Environmental Science” and is an official research center of SUNY Oneonta charged with coordinating and conducting research as a service to the Greater Oneonta region. Since its inception, the institute has sought to build internal and external linkages between faculty and organizations relevant to our efforts. 

“The Oneonta League is very pleased to be a partner in this event," says LWV Oneonta Team Leader Stephanie Bauer. “These are issues that will affect this area for generations to come, and have indeed already affected the lives of many who would like to continue to live and work in this area. Coming together as a community to dig deeper into the “whys” of what is happening to our community is the first step to a real solution.”

The event will take place at Shineman Chapel House on the Hartwick College campus. A reception will follow.

What is The Love Your Oneonta League (LYOL) Project?

Three or four years ago the leadership of the Oneonta Area League was struggling in the face of a decreasing and aging membership. As they considered options for the future, they informally approached our Board and asked if we might be open to considering a merger. We recalled that in the early 1970s, when the Cooperstown League was first being formed, the older and well-established Oneonta League was a valuable source of support.
Although the Oneonta League has continued to offer some services, they also continued to decline both in numbers and strength. Sadly, in February 2021, they formally approached us and requested that we merge, as they saw no path back to independent viability. Nonetheless the consensus emerged that our League was not attracted to the idea of merging.
The truth is, this is a tough question for our League. So, we invited all our Cooperstown members to something called "Conversation Circles" where the question of merging with the Oneonta League was posed. About three dozen of you participated.
In sum, your comments were:

•  "I don't think Oneonta League should end. It's important for the League to serve that part of the county"
• "I'm not sure how we would or could assist. I don't want to overextend Coop League."
• "I'm not crazy about traveling to Oneonta for meetings"
• "I don't want Cooperstown League to lose its history, legacy, name"

With all this in mind, the Board formed a task force to look into this further. Board member Maureen Murray was appointed to lead the task force and she recruited Stephanie Bauer and Rosalind Thomas.
The task force began to imagine some reality around what it would look like if we were to join forces with the Oneonta League – where we'd meet, how would we get the good work of the League done, etc. At our first meeting, Stephanie, a retired teacher ( as well as former President of our League) came with a very different idea. She proposed a phased plan of support that could last two years or so and, if successful, would end with a vibrant and independent League in Oneonta. The plan would have three phases, not necessarily linked to a calendar, but more linked with progress made by the Oneonta League.
We called this campaign to strengthen the Oneonta League "Love Your Oneonta League" – LYOL for short.
The Cooperstown and Oneonta Leagues would be partners for a few two or so years. There would be no merger; we'd still have two distinct Leagues.

• Phase One involves "importing" LWVCA members into all the essential work of the Oneonta League - meetings, studies, program planning, Vote 411, elections, voter registration (likely working with the colleges), membership reporting, and treasurer duties, and likely, a review and update of the Bylaws to match current activities. The Cooperstown League would add content about the Oneonta League to LWVCA newsletter and send to members of both Leagues. All the while, the LYOL project would nurture potential Oneonta leaders, who could take this project into Phase Two
• Phase Two involves strengthening the Oneonta League structure looking for new or renewed Oneonta members to serve with LWVCA volunteers in planning and executing Oneonta League activities. This would essentially be shadowing for leadership development.
• Phase Three involves turning back to the Oneonta League the leadership, programming, and accountability as the now larger and enthusiastic Oneonta League receives continuing support, guidance, and conversation at regular intervals.

The LYOL Project group is planning a kickoff event  for April 21, from 7-9 p.m. in the atrium of the Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta. This event is designed to generate interest and recruit new and lapsed members to the League of Women Voters of the Oneonta Area. We'll have a panel of cross-party Otsego County Representatives, light refreshments, and giveaways such as a $100 gift card. And, to get kickstart this revitalization, we will offer reduced membership fees for people in the Oneonta area who join at the event.
A second key to the success of the above plan is where you, members of the Cooperstown League, come in. We are looking for some of our own members who are willing to help with the "Love Your Oneonta League" plan.
Some might recall that our own LWVCA, not too long ago, was in a similar situation and considered terminating. Then, good, committed people stepped up and a group of members built our structure back up to where we are now.
It's important to tell you that the NYS League is very much in favor of this plan and has given up a $1,000 grant to support the work. And the Oneonta folks accept this plan as a most generous gift from the Cooperstown League. This Love Your Oneonta League Project is a very special opportunity for our League to do the right thing and share the gifts and talents we have in abundance to set the the LWV of Oneonta back on its feet.
If successful, the result would be an active and revitalized Oneonta League working with us to deepen our impact across Otsego County.

Your Role  We need your help, and we are looking for a dozen or more of you to say yes to this opportunity.
We would like to "import" some of our members to conduct the essentials of running the Oneonta League. Both Liane Hirabayashi and Stephanie Bauer have already volunteered. We are looking for Cooperstown members to organize and hold meetings, maintain member lists and dues payments, organize and conduct voter registration events and candidates' nights, pick up mail delivered to the Oneonta post office box, etc. LYOL volunteers would still be Cooperstown League members but temporarily helping out the Oneonta League.

If you are interested, you could sign on with a friend or buddy for support. If you're ready to step up or to find a buddy and step up, or want to ask more questions, contact lyol [at] lwvcooperstownarea.org . The LYOL task force and Board members will follow up this message with phone calls to as many members as possible recruiting for the Love Your Oneonta League effort. Thank you very much for your being a member of the Cooperstown League and making this such a vibrant and active League.

Contact me at lyol [at] lwvcooperstownarea.org, if you have questions or to let us know that you want to join this wonderful project to keep the League of Women Voters vital for our entire county!
Maureen Murray
LYOL Team Leader