Mayor Dan Buttermann has nominated Edward May Jr. to fill the vacant Fifth Ward Common Council seat through the end of the year.
The Common Council will have May’s appointment vote as a discussion agenda item at its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 1, Buttermann said Thursday, Aug. 27.
The longtime city resident is the chairperson of the city’s Board of Assessment Review. He also has served on the city’s Airport Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.
A 2025 Future for Oneonta award credited him with “spearheading efforts to revitalize the historic Oneonta Theatre as a leader with the Friends of the Oneonta Theatre.” May manages the local real estate business May Enterprises with his wife, Terri May, according to the announcement.
In his interest letter to Buttermann submitted Friday, Aug. 21, May said that he did not intend to run for the office in November to serve in 2027.
The Common Council’s Finance, Administration, and Strategic Operations Committee asked May questions Thursday, with Buttermann in attendance.
“My first city appointment was 1970,” May said, adding that he has been involved in city service since.
He said he told Buttermann and Scott Harrington, R-Sixth Ward, that he expressed interest in the appointment so that there would be “a neutral party in here, and then have a free and fair election for the seat, which I think made a lot of sense.”
Don Mathisen, D-Eighth Ward, said that the Oneonta Theatre, likely referring to Friends of the Oneonta Theatre, has considered asking the city for a loan. Mathisen asked May whether he would recuse himself from voting if those issues came before the council.
May replied that he did not want to answer a question which had not been asked, but he would not “vote on something that I had a peculiar interest in.” He added that “I’m a big believer in the theater, quite frankly. I think it can be the center of revitalization of our downtown area.”
Buttermann said before the meeting that he chose May following candidate interviews for two reasons: to allow voters to choose a candidate to serve for all of 2027, and because May is a longtime resident and business owner who has served in other roles for the city, making him “well aware” of city operations.
Buttermann said he wanted to “think through how this is going to work” for ward residents.
“This is a good way” for their interests, he said.
He also met with the two other candidates who applied for the temporary appointment, Amun Zo and Valerie Cole. Buttermann said he was “very lucky” to have “three high quality candidates.”
Both Cole and Zo sought the nomination of the Otsego County Democratic Committee; Cole received it and will appear on the Democratic line. Zo successfully petitioned for a new independent ballot line called Oneonta United. No Republican candidate has been announced.
When asked if he had requested May send in a letter of interest and if he was making an endorsement in the November election for the seat, Buttermann said no to both questions.