Lara Murray-Sterzel, Editor-In-Chief
With Mark Drnek stepping down as mayor this next election cycle, interesting candidates have begun their candiancy. On Wednesday, Apr. 23, College Democrats welcomed Dan Buttermann, one of the mayoral candidates, to their meeting. Butterman spoke about his beginnings in the community, why he’s running for mayor, and how his policies will affect college students living in Oneonta.
In 2011, Butterman and his family moved from Dallas to Oneonta after his wife was offered a teaching position at Hartwick College. Kate O’Donnell, a sociology professor at the school, took the family in until they found a new home. It was through O’Donnell that Buttermann was introduced to different people and organizations in the community including the Constitution Pipeline, which was a part of activism for fracking moratoriums being debated in the town at the time.
With a family background of community organizers, Butterman knew he wanted to get involved. A year later, Buttermann met Julian Treibman who was running for congress in the nineteenth congressional district. “I just called the Democratic committee and I just said, ‘Hey, I’d like to volunteer.’ They said, ‘Yeah! Why don’t you come down to the phone bank for Julian?’ So I did that and I really was impressed by him,” said Buttermann. He ended up volunteering on Treibman’s campaign before becoming a member of the Oneonta City Schools Board of Education and the Oneonta Town Planning Board. Buttermann currently works on the Board of Directors of Opportunities for Otsego and the Oneonta Concert Association and was also the past president of the Oneonta Rotary Club.
When Buttermann was asked to consider running for mayor, he wondered what he could accomplish and what goals he could bring to the town. He thought back to his community interactions at the time he led the team organizing TEDxOneonta. Buttermann recalled a woman coming up to him and expressing how glad she was that someone who listened to people with different beliefs could still care about them. “I think that, no matter what party you’re from, that’s what your goal should be. Is to be a representative that people feel that they can connect to. And so, running for mayor is kind of, in a sense, you represent all of the city of Oneonta,” said Buttermann.
If elected as the new mayor, Buttermann will work to continue the bridge between the community and its students through entertainment. Buttermann currently has a student interning at a not-for-profit he’s a member of called the Oneonta Concert Association, who’s going to work to gather students to participate in it. “That way you get people that are at one point in their career. Maybe a seasoned professional, maybe retired, but also a student. I think there’s value in the breadth of ages that go into community work, because that brings a certain amount of experience and perspective,” Buttermann said.
Buttermann also expressed interest in bringing more employment to the community for students through a network figuring out what they want to do and if they’re comfortable working remotely or in-person. He hopes this will be a solution to helping students who are transitioning into the workforce and staying here. Buttermann also plans to add on to Drnek’s current plans involving affordable housing but also wants to add it.
When Butterman was asked what an ideal Oneonta looked like to him at the end of his time as mayor, Buttermann said one that’s growing socially, professionally, and politically. “Since my goal has always been about the people and not so much the party, the run for mayor sort of fits that equation for me because my goal is to serve everyone. Not a segment or a party, but everyone,” said Buttermann. Is Buttermann the candidate for you, Oneonta? Keep up with his candidacy now and see where it goes. Buttermann will be pursuing the Democratic and Independent lines for the November ballot. When the time comes, don’t forget to vote!
Leave a Reply