Let The Facts Decide

2-19-10

It’s a shame the Oneonta town board didn’t want to enter the conversation at this point about consolidating with the city.
There is great potential benefit to both entities – and, more important, to their citizens – of the Oneontas becoming administratively what they are in fact: one big family.
There may also be costs, and updating the in-depth 1996 study that recommended consolidation is the best first step, as Common Council has voted to do.
There’s been talk that FoI requests would be submitted to obtain data from the town, but there’s no reason for that.  It’s public information, and no doubt Town Supervisor Bob Wood or Town Clerk Cheryl Shackleton would provide the data needed to make an accurate study complete without raising any unnecessary obstacles.

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The town board was rattled when 40 people showed up at the Tuesday, Feb. 9, meeting to object, no way, no how, to even any talk of merger.
Democracy works, the crowd erroneously concluded:  40 people are not 13,791, or even a majority.
There’s no need to make a decision now.  But when the time comes and the study is complete, town and city officials should be guided by the facts.
Let’s wait and see what they are.