The Gathering Place Report

Editor’s Note: This article has been particularly difficult to put together for various reasons. The research has been thorough (I currently have 46 pages of my own notes, plus primary documents I’ve found and others provided for me through sources and research). I also know many of the individuals involved in the story personally and have sought a balance of care and sorting truth from opinion and speculation. Where there is my opinion, I clearly state it. Furthermore, several individuals agreed to give me background information as long as they were not identified. I conducted a significant number of interviews in person and on the phone, including with a number of current and past officials both inside and outside county government, local non-profits, and Senior Council leadership and membership. 

Half is being published this week, with the second half, including analysis appearing in next week’s edition.

COBLESKILL — The opening of The Gathering Place 50 Plus Community Center in 2021 was nearly universally seen as a blessing to the residents of Schoharie County. According to the Census Bureau, 24.7% of county residents are above the age of 65, as compared to 18.5% in New York State as a whole. It had been the dream of multiple advocates for senior citizens for decades and the opening came in the aftermath of a loneliness epidemic for older people sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to the culmination of the project, towns in the county operated a senior club, which eventually consolidated resources further in the previous six years under the Schoharie County Council of Senior Citizens, Inc., or shortened to Senior Council, which operates the Gathering Place.

Much of the credit for the opening of the senior center rightfully went to Senior Council Executive Director Kim Witkowski. The opening was lauded in local and national press, including a special appearance on NBC’s The Today Show following letter-writing by a local senior. 

Community organizations and leaders contributed time and money to the opening, including several grants from former Gilboa resident and community philanthropist Nick Juried and the Nicholas J. Juried Family Foundation, as well as Fenimore Asset Management and Sterling Insurance. Local business owner Andre Nadeau sold the building to the organization for a favorable price. Wayfair donated $7,000 for furniture. A grant came from the Today Show appearance. Numerous individuals donated smaller amounts or in-kind services. Various local residents donate their time for music, lectures, or activities alongside a small paid staff.

Membership shot up to more than 1,000 and the Gathering Place quickly became one of the most popular and relied-upon institutions in Schoharie County, which also attracted numerous members from surrounding counties.

Despite the positive exterior of the Gathering Place, a significant controversy has been brewing since July 2024 following the departure of program director Liz Kosier. The personnel change led to a cascade of events, a public dispute over the financial future of the senior center, and radical changes to the Senior Council’s nine-member Board of Directors.

The Gathering Place, while a valuable community asset, is facing a crisis of leadership and financial sustainability due to a combination of alleged mismanagement, perceived lack of oversight, and overambitious expansion.

Among my conversations was with former Senior Council Board of Directors member Tom Slater, who was invited to join the board in 2023 by Witkowski. His initial outreach following Kosier’s departure led to more than three months of research and dozens of interviews. Below I hope to answer some of the major successes and concerns surrounding the Gathering Place with a view of what the potential future might be.

Departure Starts Controversy

The trigger for much of the disagreement between then-members of the Board of Directors centered around the dismissal of Kosier during the summer of 2024. The “anti” side frames the removal as an abuse of power without merit, while Witkowski and the “pro” side assert that Kosier was not living up to her responsibilities.

I had a chance to observe several events on behalf of the paper over the last several years and did believe at the time that Kosier had organized a number of productive events, including one that brought in pets from the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley for seniors to play with. In discussing Kosier’s departure with “pro” and “anti” members of the Gathering Place’s officials and members, I got both sides of the story and entered into research with a positive impression of Kosier and Witkowski.

Kosier described her work at the Gathering Place as her “dream job.” Rather than being due to incompetence, Kosier argued that she “lost [my] job because I know too much.”

She and Witkowski appear to agree on the initial part of Kosier’s employment. She started as a part-time employee and eventually became Director of Events and Activities at the Cobleskill facility. Kosier said that this position would be equal to that of Suzy Barney, who runs significant operations at the Oneonta Gathering Place facility.

Kosier added that she had to give up her Social Security in order to take the job full-time but decided to do so because she loved it so much.

“I was rocking it,” she asserted.

Kosier “could love you no matter what,” said Slater.

Slater and Kosier developed a close working relationship. Slater described it as necessary to expand programs for members of the club. Witkowski argued that Slater micromanaged Kosier in her official duties. She also stated that fellow board member and former Richmondville Town Supervisor Betsy Bernocco had spoken to Slater about this topic prior, which Bernocco later echoed.

There were different versions of where the disagreements started. Kosier said that Witkowski was a hard worker on behalf of the center, but needed “absolute control” and accused her of looking down on some of the members of the club depending if they were likely to donate or not.

The exact circumstances of the departure are still debated. Kosier said that she interviewed for a position with Schoharie County government in the summer of 2024 but had not made a decision on whether or not to take it. She asserts that Witkowski found out about it through business manager Amanda Collins, and both documentation and Witkowski seem to corroborate this.

Among the documents shared with me was an email entitled “Verbal Resignation” from Witkowski to Kosier CCed to Collins on July 16. In the email, Witkowski references a July 12 discussion and stated that “considering the members and staff of the agency, I feel it is best for both of us that we outline an exit transition timeline.”

“I believe the best course of action would be to target July 31st, 2024 as your last day with The Gathering Place,” Witkowski wrote to Kosier.

She tasked Kosier with “completing any outstanding items and begin[ning] putting together an outline of where your projects stand.” Witkowski further added that she would announce Kosier’s departure the week of July 22nd and requested that the change be kept confidential “especially from our members, as it is something that they do not need to be upset about. If you feel this is an issue, we can look at you leaving sooner, and being paid for your vacation time sooner.”

According to Kosier, she was removed from the position on July 26. All of her items had been removed prior, so that participants of a July 23 open art class could not work.

Following Kosier’s departure, Witkowski allegedly sent a cease and desist letter to Kosier and banned her from the grounds of the club. Kosier returned to the facility for a memorial service for a member of the club, where she was allegedly told by Witkowski that she could not enter as a “terminated employee.”

Several individuals asserted that Witkowski told the membership of the club that Kosier had quit while Kosier and her supporters were adamant that she had been fired.

Witkowski’s version of events said that Kosier “put our agency at risk.” She said that there had been consistent issues with Kosier’s job performance and that the board had instructed her to counsel the employee multiple times for more than a year. Slater did not agree with this assessment. Witkowski said that Kosier had gone to board members prior, saying that she was unhappy and told the business manager that she was going to a job interview prior to her being asked to leave.

Witkowski said that she “confronted” Kosier about the interview and told her “I’m sorry to see you go.”

The Executive Director was adamant that Kosier was not fired, and that her leaving date was simply “moved up.” She also stated that Kosier caused club members to be upset by telling them that she was leaving, including some who cried after allegedly receiving text messages from Witkowski saying that Kosier was leaving.

Kosier claimed that she had 83 hours of unpaid comp time, which Witkowski asserted did not exist. While employees could informally use such time, Witkowski said, there was no tracked, paid comp time. Later, Kosier alleged that Witkowski told her that she never had to document her comp time.

Part of the disagreement stemmed from perceived roles between positions within the Senior Council.

According to information from the Senior Council, the Executive Director is “responsible for general charge of day-to-day affairs of the Senior Council, including the hiring, supervision, evaluation, and termination of employees, in conjunction with the Personnel Committee of the Board of Directors.”

In a slide given to board members entitled "What are Not Board Member Responsibilities," board members were not to "micro-manage the Executive Director" or "direct staff or oversee staff." Witkowski was adamant that Slater engaged in such micro-management of Kosier.

Both Witkowski and Slater have accused each other of breaking confidentiality. Slater said in his August letter to Witkowski that she broke confidence by telling individuals something following a meeting “about Liz’s family life that was told to you in confidence.” He further accused one of the employees of the Gathering Place of breaking Kosier’s confidentiality by telling Witkowski she had gone for a job interview, referencing Collins.

Following the dismissal, Slater contacted other members of the Board of Directors seeking a special meeting. There are nine members of the Board, which split into seeming “pro” and “anti” sides. 

Ironically, there is a steep debate over what happened next which will factor significantly later in this article. Slater asserted that he attempted to get members of the Board of Directors together to discuss the employment issue. He asserts that he and four other members of the Board were deeply concerned.

However, there are several mitigating factors at play. First, one of the members of the Board of Directors, Connie Vrooman, died in a tragic car accident last summer right as the board controversy emerged. Slater asserts that Vrooman was concerned about the running of the organization, especially its finances. Records shared with me of Vrooman’s private thoughts prior to her death strongly appear to corroborate Slater’s account.

Secondly, board member Christine Hibbard was one of the individuals called to the meeting. Slater said that Hibbard was deeply concerned, while Witkowski stated that Hibbard came back to her, told her about the attempted meeting, and recanted any prior concern.

Thirdly, Witkowski said that the meeting called by Slater was illegal under the bylaws. I reviewed the bylaws, a portion of which will appear later in this article. In particular, Witkowski accused Slater of having a non-Board Member present at the discussion, which appears to be true. Witkowski argued that this was a violation of the organization’s confidentiality policy.

Slater argued that Witkowski’s justification that Kosier wasn’t doing her job was incorrect.

“If she wasn’t [doing her job,] it was because you had her doing things that were yours or someone else’s job. For instance, most of the bus trips, some overnight. She also was running all or most of the classes. Which in return, the members loved the hands on. The amount of time she spent with them and how kind and caring she was,” Slater wrote to Witkowski.

Slater accused Witkowski in the letter of being “threatened by people that are getting more credit than you are. If you feel that was a reason to replace her then you also consider a few Board Members that do not participate in all the duties required of them.”

He accused the Director of using cameras to spy on members and “sending out nasty emails.”

“You are so far behind on your duties (getting the letters together for the Board Members to go out and collect funds, getting together the bills needed for a Board Member National Grid are just a few.[)]” He then accused her of spending a disproportionate amount of time on the Oneonta facility at the neglect of the Cobleskill one.

Finances

Among the chief concerns regarding the operation of the Senior Council and the Gathering Place is the function of the organization’s budget. Below is a broad overview of the organization’s finances, which will help the reader better understand the wider operational cost of the Gathering Place’s facilities in Cobleskill and Oneonta. A large majority of the overall Senior Council budget below does not go to the facilities, but is included for wider context.

According to the organization, the Senior Council is funded through the proceeds from the Everything Shoppes, a 10.5% administrative fee from Schoharie County for operating transportation lines, investments, grants, donations, and fundraising. As of early 2024, the organization employed eighteen bus drivers, nine Medicaid drivers, one dispatcher, one safety supervisor, one Medicaid scheduler, one mobility manager, and one individual for bus maintenance and cleaning.

The Senior Council's budget is publicly available through the annual required IRS 990 form. Since 2024 has just ended, last year's form was not available yet for review. However, a review of the last several years indicates several key trends that could show substantial financial strain. The revenue between 2022 and 2023 represents a significant difference and a possible major marker of stress. 

One note in the following notes: the figures are from the fiscal years ending each September (so for 2023, the fiscal year ran from Oct. 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023).

Under "total grants, contributions, etc.," the 2022 value was $613,009. In 2023 it was $475,534. This represented a decline of 22.4% in one year. Furthermore, there was a substantial increase in program services, which would likely include the transportation contract with the county. This number increased 35.9%, from $820,320 to $1,114,595. Net sales of inventory declined slightly from $152,927 to $151,803. The decision to close the Cobleskill Everything Shoppe location likely meant that the 2024 figures were significantly lower. 

Overall, revenue was up from 2022 to 2023, going from $1.596 million to $1.744 million, or an increase of 9.3%. 

Recent years' filings also possibly indicate difficulty or complexity in recent years. The 2020 and 2021 filings were all sent promptly in April of the following years. 2022's filing came in on May 10, 2023, and 2023's was sent to the IRS on June 12, 2024.

The increase in revenue was more than offset by an increase in expenses. Between 2022 and 2023, gross income increased by $147,657 while gross expenses increased by $192,867. Overall expenses grew from $1.238 million to $1.431 million in that period, or an increase of 15.6%. Witkowski's compensation remained the same at $47,993. Office expenses tripled within that span to $25,460, while interest paid went from zero to $3,991. "All other expenses" had a large jump between $229,239 in 2022 and $316,614 in 2023, or a 38% increase.

I wanted to review the numbers myself rather than relying on any individual’s perspective, especially since memory can be inexact. For example, one individual on the “anti” side believed that Witkowski’s salary was $75,000, rather than the figure I shared above. In addition to speaking to current and past board members, I consulted the last several audit documents and budget statements and interviewed a former Senior Council treasurer who served for seven years who requested not to be named specifically.

Included with the income were $75,011 in administration fees, $856,172 from contracts from Schoharie County, and $183,412 from income from the Gathering Place. Of this, $33,456 came from membership dues. Witkowski estimated that each Gathering Place facility in Cobleskill and Oneonta required $175,000 each to operate annually.

The assets disclosed to the IRS show significant changes. In part, the changes in Cobleskill and Oneonta caused a more than doubling in the value of buildings and equipment (from $484,814 to $1,113,730). However, there was a significant change in liquid assets. The value of investments declined more than 13% to $294,059 in 2023, despite the stock market's relative strength that year. The amount of cash in the organization's account declined from $436,563 to $110,188, or a staggering 74.8% decline. Part of that is a natural consequence of spending grant money from the Juried Family Foundation, as Witkowski later stated. Part could be explained by the recategorization of some assets ("other assets" jumped from $0 in 2022 to $135,595 in 2023.) Overall assets reported increased 32% to $1.696 million between the two years, but overall non-property related assets declined from $795,282 to $442,037, or a drop of $293,230 (44%).

On the other hand, liabilities increased by almost 23% during the same period to a total of $225,110, including an increase of "other liabilities" of zero in 2022 to $131,595 in 2023.

Documents from February 2024 indicate that the Gathering Place's finances were shakier than that of the Senior Council as a whole. That month, total assets were listed as $239,612, including about half of that in investment accounts.

In an August letter to Witkowski, Slater accused the Gathering Place of keeping the money in his club wallet and sought a refund for this money, as well as “for the concert that you stopped me from attending (plus my family that was with me lost their money,” and for the last five months of his membership dues with the club. The wallets were used to bank money at the club to use for various activities (think of it like a debit card).

Separately, he expressed concern about what he described as maxing out the organization's credit cards and that other members could not receive their money back from their club wallets. Slater asserted that the money was not available immediately to members because the money was dedicated for other causes at the Gathering Place.

A report from Witkowski to members of the Board of Directors in early 2024 outlined several efforts to raise money. This included applying for numerous grants. This included $20,000 for a grant to partner with Bassett health services and the Otsego County Senior Council, which was used toward the salary of the program director at the Oneonta facility. Witkowski also secured $128,000 from the Nicholas J. Juried Family Foundation toward paying off a construction loan and toward work on the parking lots added to the Cobleskill facility. Several other grant applications were not approved.

According to the report club membership renewals were “definitely coming in slower than usual.” The total membership renewals as of early 2024 were 1,416 between Cobleskill and Oneonta.

Witkowski’s reports included several successful fundraisers, but the money raised in this manner would not be enough to sustain operations. Outside sources of income, such as grants, were necessary to continue.

However, Kosier and Slater asserted that the fundraisers were limited. Alongside the modestly successful fundraisers were failures, as well. There was a fundraising dinner planned for September 2023 that had to be canceled because Witkowski could not secure state representatives as speakers. 

The former treasurer, who requested that I did not use her name directly, said that operations changed over time. The original position of treasurer was held by widely-respected pastor and senior advocate Carol Coltrain.

Following the decision to open the Gathering Place, the unnamed treasurer grew concerned about a lack of accountability. While multiple people inferred that money could be being stolen, I found no evidence of it. However, included in the concerns were the opening of a credit card that could be potentially used without prior board oversight. In addition, the organization used to spend $20,000 for an outside audit each year. The former treasurer said that these audits were immaculate, but that focus has shifted away and toward a less expensive (and in her opinion, less comprehensive) auditor. The current audit did express concern about oversight of funds similar to the former treasurer’s, but no major flaws.

As an example, the former treasurer said that upon the opening of the Gathering Place, she donated $2,000 in cash for the purchase of a pool table. Witkowski told her to place the cash in a desk drawer, and purchased the pool table. The treasurer said that she received “no receipt, no thank you.”

A former member of the Senior Council board, who asked not to be named explicitly, said that he was concerned that Witkowski changed the method for distributing checks. They now only require one signature (I couldn’t independently verify this, but it seems like it is the case at least for many, if not all of them) rather than the customary two. The need for two signatures is a common method to reduce errors and potential fraud. The former board member also expressed concern that there was allegedly no audit procedure for the board to oversee checks from the organization.

Oneonta as Central Focus

Among the sharpest disagreements between the “pro” and “anti” side of the debate has been the decision to open a new Gathering Place on Route 7 outside of Oneonta. Numerous “anti” members of the board, a former treasurer of the Senior Council, and Kosier all argued it was a significant risk and mistake. Witkowski argued that the Oneonta facility was necessary to keep the entirety of the model of the Gathering Place afloat.

The Senior Council sought $800,000 in capital to purchase the building in which the Oneonta facility is. Among the disagreements was that Witkowski accepted the agreement on the building on the condition that the Senior Council would pay for the property taxes owed by the current private owner. Following a potential completed purchase, the Senior Council would not have to pay such taxes as a non-profit organization. Overall, the lease is for approximately $7,000 per month, alongside $12,000 in taxes per year. This came due around September 2024, which required around $19,000 to $20,000 in payments in a single month.

The effort to buy the Oneonta facility represented considerable risk and disagreement among Board Members regarding whether or not the Schoharie County Senior Council should fund a project in Otsego County. The potential cost to purchase the building also stands in contrast to the generous sale of the Cobleskill building to the organization for a reduced price by former Cobleskill’s Andre Nadeau.

Slater claimed that true approval for the Oneonta facility was backward: that it was done retroactively, a claim that Witkowski sharply denied. Kosier said that the Board of Directors gave Witkowski permission to scout out a potential location in Oneonta, but not yet to sign an agreement.

Kosier alleged that in early 2023, Witkowski said of the Oneonta experiment, “Looks like I have to spend money to make money.”

Part of the expenses were covered by the grant described to cover the Oneonta program manager’s salary. On top of this were expenses for electricity, rent, equipment, and numerous items. Kosier claimed that Witkowski prioritized Oneonta, giving fewer resources to Cobleskill.

Kosier said that Witkowski “doesn’t buy anything but the best” for Oneonta, including new Apple computers. The senior center in Cobleskill, she said, got fruit trays, while Oneonta received hundreds of dollars in cakes. She also said that the Gathering Place spent $15,000 alone for room dividers at its Oneonta facility, which was supported by documentation.

She said that she was unsure how it could be “self-supporting.”

Whether the Oneonta experiment was working is still up for debate. Kosier and Slater claimed that Witkowski expected 2,500 members from the facility, but that the real membership in late 2024 was about 1,000.

Slater said that during the debate about the Oneonta facility, Witkowski said that she “didn’t care if Cobleskill washes or not.” Kosier called the Oneonta location “not sustainable” and argued that the losses incurred by the facility could cause both to fold in the near future.

Kosier’s version of the story is that Witkowski told her not to worry about cash inflow. Witkowski allegedly stated that if money was tight, she could “go to the street corner, stripper pole. People love big breasts.”

Slater said that money was “always a topic at board meetings.”

“Money was a problem,” he said. 

One member reportedly gave $20,000 to the facility. Kosier recommended an area for sitting and bird feeding. In Kosier’s retelling of the recommendation, Witkowski allegedly said that “You need to shut the f*** up about it.”

The individual who donated the money refused to donate more funds, allegedly due to poor decision-making by the Gathering Place. Among the money’s uses, Witkowski spent approximately $8,000 on a system of electric blinds.

Among the largest disagreements about the organization's finances were the Everything Shoppes. The popular thrift store locations faced several key changes in recent years. The Middleburgh location expanded dramatically in recent years. A new location was placed in Sharon Springs that struggled. Another location opened next to the Couchman House future town hall and museum in Conesville.

The original Cobleskill location in the Price Chopper plaza closed last year following the agreement to bring Marshall’s nearby. Price Chopper offered $25,000 to the Senior Council as a grant. The change from Cobleskill to Sharon Springs was widely described by all parties as a failure, and the new location on Route 7 in Cobleskill near Sunoco appears to be gaining ground.

Kosier implied that Witkowski would use the $25,000 without telling the board and feared it would be utilized for general expenditures, including at Oneonta. Slater said that when Price Chopper came up during a board meeting, Witkowski allegedly said, “Price Chopper won’t do s*** for you.” 

Significant disagreements over the organization’s budget emerged. Witkowski further stated she would write an introductory letter for fundraising, but no documentation supported that it was ever completed. At the Cobleskill location, an open National Grid bill cited earlier was not observed for months leading to a significant billing discrepancy worth several thousand dollars. For years, the organization sent out paper newsletters at first-class postage of between $2-3 each rather than the bulk mail rate of 84 cents each, which resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars over multiple years. Multiple individuals I spoke to complained that they received the paper copy of the newsletter and that either they hadn’t signed up for it, wanted it but could have simply received it via email rather than the cost and stress of mailing it, or asked to be taken off the list only to continue receiving them.

The Senior Council receives money from Schoharie County through the transportation contract, but not in direct funding. As of October 2024, Kosier argued that Witkowski did not seek county or state funding because she didn’t want “bosses” or oversight from the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors.

In a separate conversation, Witkowski told me that the program was “not county funded. Not county-limited.”

Late in 2024, signs of severe financial stress emerged. Rather than waiting for the new year, the organization sent out requests for members to pay their 2025 membership early. The price of the membership increased from $25 to $35. There was also discussion of expanding the club’s membership from age 50+ to 18 and above.

Furthermore, work at the Cobleskill facility slowed as time went on. Work on the parking lot and accessibility issues had not been completed as of this writing, about a year after the grant was funded.

“She’s starving for money,” Slater said.

The restructuring of the Senior Council in 2019 provided a steady stream of funding. Rather than having 16 separate senior clubs, there was now one. This provided flexibility for a unified senior center, but reduced flexibility for each town’s individual activities.

“I don’t know where the money is coming from,” said the former treasurer.

Multiple individuals expressed severe concern that the seemingly poor financial standing of the locations could lead to one or both closing. There was an assertion by Slater, Kosier, and the former treasurer that Oneonta was draining resources. In a manner of speaking, this did not appear entirely correct for reasons I will discuss shortly.

Witkowski appeared convinced when I spoke to her that the club’s financial future flowed through Oneonta. There were more potential members there, she said. The location there could draw from Otsego, Delaware, and Schoharie Counties. There could be more money because Oneonta is the largest population center in the area.

Slater alleged that at one point, Witkowski said “I don’t give a s*** if Cobleskill folds, I’ll go to Oneonta.”

“I don’t know where the money is coming from,” Slater told me, the exact wording of the former treasurer.

On Oct. 24, Witkowski said that the Oneonta location was “more financially sound” with more members and a larger facility. She said that Oneonta “boomed.” Cobleskill had “plateaued a little bit,” Witkowski said.

The Gathering Place was unable to raise as much money as it sought, Witkowski said, because it was competing with other non-profits in Schoharie County.

“The reality is the donations are slow right now,” she said.

Later, Witkowski said that the animal shelter was “in the paper” every “two seconds.”

One of the issues is that many people assume the Gathering Place is county-funded, said Witkowski. The Gathering Place had separately put in for a $60,000 recurring grant from the county via then-Administrator Korsah Akumfi in June 2024. Witkowski cited annual county funding for the animal shelter of $60,000 per year. However, there was no response from the county at the time. The Senior Council separately requested funds from the state, and received only about $700.

Witkowski said that the original $60,000 request would make the budget “comfortable” and cause her not to have to stay up “every night not sleeping.”

The Executive Director also said that the Gathering Place was seeking donated estates and that individuals “do it for the animal shelter all the time.” Two estates are slated to be given to the Gathering Place after their owners pass away.

The ultimate financial goal would be not to worry about money, she said. Witkowski estimated that the two centers would operate for about $175,000 per year each. This estimate of approximately $350,000 in expenses annually contrasts with the $183,412 in direct income from Gathering Place activities in Fiscal Year 2023.

“We’ve got this down to a science,” she said. However, the “pressure on you is unbelievable.”

“This is everything for seniors,” said Witkowski.

She added that she was disappointed in the reaction of elected officials.

"Even more discouraging," she said, besides for Esperance Supervisor Earl VanWormer and Cobleskill Supervisor Werner Hampel, no other members of the county board had visited through the end of October 2024. 

Schoharie County’s government has “no clue” about the operations of the Senior Council, said Bernocco, who previously served as Richmondville town supervisor. 

“You have to beg.” 

She cited the county giving funds to the Iroquois Museum and the animal shelter.

Witkowski said that she put in calls to Supervisor Hampel but got no return call.

“Weird,” she said.

Bernocco cited a 2007 Office for the Aging report that Schoharie County was “very, very aging.” Witkowski spoke of members joining “crying and thanking us.”

“Why would you not try to help them?” Bernocco asked.

“It’s hard for me,” Witkowski said, because it is “taking away my time and energy” and that she worked seven days a week. She said that she worked to make the Gathering Place successful and financially stable.

“I certainly didn’t do this for myself,” she said. “Where would they go?”

The Oneonta location had a slightly different genesis than other retellings, Witkowski said. She was approached by the Otsego County Office for the Aging to open a Gathering Place location in Oneonta. She had also been approached by another, unspecified county for the same. Witkowski said that she brought the idea back to the board, which approved it. The facility had previously been owned by Bassett and boasted 800,000 square feet and two acres. The health care provider put more than $1 million into the property prior to not having a use for it anymore. Witkowski stated that a capital campaign was needed to buy the building.

Bernocco told me in the same conversation that only a “few members” of the board were “concerned” that the group was “biting off more than we can chew.”

“It’s about people, not about money,” she said and also called it a “no-brainer.” The entire project took six months to get together, including an advisory board of ten to gather relevant information.

Witkowski said that the first phase would be about $200,000, which would cover the down payment. Next would be $800,000 for the remainder of the building.

The Executive Director said that there would be an effort to finish the first phase by March of this year. The organization would be paying property taxes until then. The second phase to raise the $800,000 could take an additional three years.

“Memberships will never pay for the capital campaign,” said Witkowski. “You always have to have donors, businesses to support, and grants.”

“Staffing is always the issue,” she added.

The board members on the line along with Witkowski argued that there were no significant issues in the budget, calling it “simple accounting.” She said that she and the business manager are paid directly, and that 55 total employees are funded through the Senior Council, including through the Schoharie County transportation contract, which Witkowski said was derived from a “very small fee.”

Under a memorandum of understanding between the Senior Council and Schoharie County, the Senior Council operates bus driving and meal delivery. The Senior Council effectively stands in as human resources for the operation. Bernocco said that the decision was made so that employees could receive health insurance. There were 15 total full-time employees, including two for the Everything Shoppes.

“The county got a good deal,” said Bernocco.

The overall picture is one where the county reimburses the Senior Council, which is up to $45,000 for each payroll period each two weeks. The administrative fee roughly covers Witkowski’s salary.

Schoharie County is “happy” with the deal, Witkowski and Bernocco said.

Witkowski and Bernocco asserted that Slater did not understand the implications of his actions over the summer and since. Should the Senior Council close, so would the Everything Shoppes, said Witkowski. She added that there were no plans to open a branch of the Everything Shoppe in Otsego County.

Board member Mike Persons said that he believed that Slater had a “personality problem” and that he “tried to micromanage” the Gathering Place. “Quite frankly, he was a pain in the neck.”

When I spoke with Witkowski and current Treasurer and board member Crickit Rockwell at the Schoharie Presbyterian Church on Oct. 26, I said that multiple individuals asserted that they feared the Cobleskill location could fold. Rockwell said that there would be an effort to save both locations if the organization came under further strain. At that point, Witkowski interrupted and said that if there was any risk of both failing, she would close Cobleskill and keep Oneonta alive.

Oneonta, she said, was the location that would be able to financially support itself.

The underlying stress of the Gathering Place's finances could be seen in late 2023. On Dec. 13, 2023, Witkowski wrote to benefactor Nick Juried about possible funding. Mr. Juried passed away earlier this month at the age of 95. Juried had donated hundreds of thousands of dollars, which allowed for the construction of the Great Room at the facility that bears his name. Witkowski requested funds to pay off a construction loan for the parking area at the Cobleskill facility. She also requested $50,000 for ongoing courses for members. 

Included in the request was one for "$100,000 to go toward our operating expenses and some of the costs that cannot be covered by other sources."

Witkowski cited an earlier phone conversation with Juried about the potential of purchasing the Oneonta location. 

“As I had mentioned to you, our goal is to buy this beautiful building. It is an 8,000 square foot building that has been completely updated and is move in ready. What we are looking at is the purchase price is $850,000. We would need $150,000 for the down payment and then would mortgage the remaining amount through the current landlord who has offered to carry the mortgage for us (30 year at 8%). This would allow us to not have to pay all the additional costs we are incurring currently such as the property taxes ($12,000 per year) and the monthly lease payment of $4,000 plus the rest of the operating costs,” she wrote to Juried.

“We would also need to cover the closing costs, including attorney fees, which would probably be an additional $30,000.”

“In addition, we have had to purchase room dividers which cost $15,000 for Oneonta, as well as new flooring for the exercise area which we received at a huge discount of $8,000,” she wrote.

“So in summary, if you wanted to help us with this new site, we would very much appreciate a grant in the total amount of $225,000 which would give us a little wiggle room for any unforeseen costs,” Witkowski wrote.

Including the request for Oneonta, the total request came to $428,000.

Juried was hesitant about the request, writing that "I want to remark that I believe it would be a huge financial mistake to consider buying the building you are currently leasing for $4000 per month. To buy it, you would first need to raise $150,000 down payment, and then commit to making a monthly amortized payment of $5136.36 per month, for 360 months, (30 years), with interest totaling $1,149,086! Obviously, I think you are better off paying just $4000 per month and letting the owner be responsible for property tax payments and building maintenance, etc. There are other reasons for not buying the building, but I believe this is sufficient for you [to] give this further thought."

Interestingly, the December 2023 request came after correspondence between Witkowski and Juried from August 2023. She described the goal to purchase the building in Oneonta, to which Juried responded on Aug. 26, 2023 that he was excited about the progress, but "It was only then that I realized Oneonta is in Otsego County, not Schoharie County. That's a problem for me, because my grants are intended for purposes only within Schoharie County, (plus a couple in Delaware and Greene counties).”

“Does the Schoharie County Council on Senior Citizens mission statement allow the Cobleskill Gathering Place to expand funding into other counties? Does Otsego county have its own Council on senior citizens? Can you clarify?” Juried asked.

Witkowski responded that there was an effort to help people from the surrounding area and that "a lot of the Gilboa, Stamford, areas that are actually closer to come to Oneonta then [sic] to Cobleskill. This was one of the big reasons for us expanding into Otsego county is to better serve our members who live in those areas."

Juried responded on Sept. 1 that he commended the effort to aid those from outside the county, "but, at some point when you reach your membership capacity in Cobleskill , why not be happy and say, ."That's lt!".. Do you really have a mission obligation to expand physically with a new location and all of the related infrastructure and management requirements?"

On Sept. 5, Juried wrote to Witkowski that “You are an amazing person, but I just want you to be careful not putting too much on your plate that could affect your stress, and well-being.”

On February 19, 2024, Juried approved $128,000 to pay off the outstanding construction loan and $75,000 for the paving of the parking lot. He did compliment Witkowski's “continued success and exciting growth of the Gathering Place, the Shoppes, and your social and educational activities. I'm proud to play a part in supporting your mission, passion, and amazing energy." 

He did not approve the $100,000 general operating request or for the request for the courses, writing that "this overhead cost is generally more appropriate coming from membership fees, contributions, and fundraising activities. Likewise, the fees for your educational activities are so modest, that I believe any motivated individual can afford it, without subsidy. Just my opinion.”

Late 2024 saw a flurry of activity regarding possible funding sources for the Gathering Place. To recap, in 2023, Witkowski requested $100,000 from the Nicholas J. Juried Family Foundation for general expenses. In mid-2024, the Gathering Place requested a $60,000 per year stipend from Schoharie County that went unanswered. 

At the Nov. 12, 2024 Schoharie County Board of Supervisors meeting, the Senior Council presented a request for a $100,000 subsidy from the county. The discussion occurred during the public hearing regarding the 2025 county budget. 

Witkowski, Bernocco, and Rockwell presented the plan to the board, with Bernocco saying that "We need to have some financial aid coming from the county."

At the meeting, Town of Wright Supervisor Alex Luniewski sought an assurance that the funds would only be spent within Schoharie County. 

Seward Supervisor Earlin Rosa praised the Gathering Place but said that the board must ensure that funding "is being kept here in our county and taking care of our residents." 

Esperance Town Supervisor Earl VanWormer also praised the Gathering Place and recommended aid of some amount. 

Blenheim Town Supervisor Don Airey motioned a statement of support for the Senior Council and that the county would support funding of some sort if it stayed in Schoharie County. The Board approved this motion.

Following the meeting, county officials requested financial records from the Gathering Place, which reportedly were delayed in being turned over. As of December 30, 2024 the audit report requested by the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors had not been received. At a point between the request and its rescinding, Bernocco asked the Board of Supervisors to cover a wide, unspecified amount to cover the Gathering Place’s personnel costs.

On Dec. 23, 2024 Witkowski sent a letter to the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors rescinding the original request for funds.

“This decision comes with heavy hearts, as we have been deeply disheartened by the treatment we have received from the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors. For over 40 years, the Schoharie County Council of Senior Citizens, Inc. has faithfully served this community. We have supplied employees to the County’s Public Transportation, Medicaid, and Office for the Aging Departments, filling critical roles and ensuring essential services continue uninterrupted. Despite our unwavering dedication and proven track record, we find it profoundly disappointing that the Board chose to give weight to hearsay and baseless allegations from a disgruntled and unprofessional former employee and ex-board member. These claims lack any factual proof of mismanagement within our organization,” Witkowski wrote.

“While we will no longer seek financial support from the County, we will continue to serve our community with integrity, resilience, and a commitment to excellence,” the letter read.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to Supervisors Don Airey and Earl VanWormer. Their understanding of our value and their support of our efforts have not gone unnoticed. Their advocacy highlights the positive impact that informed and compassionate leadership can have on our community.”

“Thank you for the time and consideration you have given us thus far. We will continue to persist in our efforts to create a better future for the aging population in Schoharie County and beyond,” Witkowski wrote.

“The Senior Council asked the County for $100,000 for ongoing operations at the Gathering Place, which has since changed to funding two employees that run the Gathering Place,” said County Board Chair and Conesville Town Supervisor Bill Federice.

“Since the request was presented to the County, multiple people with a past affiliation with the Gathering Place and Senior Council have come forward advising us to proceed with caution. At this point, the allegations are unfounded but the County has a fiduciary responsibility to our citizens. As such, many members of the Board of Supervisors, me included, felt it was prudent to ask for the latest financial documents and tax returns which to be honest have not been part of what was provided to the County,” he said.

“Now that they’ve withdrawn their request, there’s nothing more to do,” Blenheim Supervisor Don Airey said during a town meeting this month.

Dueling Personal Accusations

Slater devoted a significant amount of his August letter to issues related to disability. He utilizes a wheelchair. In one instance, Slater said that another member had trouble walking during a bus trip and that Witkowski allegedly told Kosier that the member could not come anymore because, in Slater’s words, “she was a problem.”

He also stated that when he requested to use another bus company that was handicapped accessible with a lift so that he could ride with other members, Witkowski allegedly said that there was “absolutely no way” she was changing carriers. Slater, at his own expense, paid for a ticket for the ride and a tip for the driver while also having to utilize his own personal van.

“You are operating a Center for Elderly people and you refuse to change companies to accommodate these people. I see that as discriminating against the disabled,” he said in the letter.

Slater also criticized Witkowski’s decision not to carry a defibrillator in the center because of liability concerns.

“The liability would be you if one is needed and something bad happens to a member because of your choice.”

The Gathering Place Code of Conduct reads that the “Center welcomes all eligible members, including members with disabilities. Any member or prospective member requiring an accommodation should contact the Executive Director. The Center makes reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities unless such accommodations would be an undue burden to the Center.”

Board Functions

At the core of much of the disagreement since Kosier’s exit from the Gathering Place is the oversight of the Director’s position and how board members enter and exit the governing body. The bylaws of the organization were changed in 2019, with multiple individuals arguing it was to create a system without full oversight for Witkowski and her arguing it was necessary for the function of the Gathering Place in its growth. Official correspondence from the Senior Council states the changes were made “to better reflect the operation and oversight of the organization.”

The topic of Slater’s attempted special meeting following the dismissal of Kosier and Witkowski’s special meeting to dismiss Slater from the board was at the heart of the disagreement over board functions.

In a letter from Aug. 8, 2024, Slater wrote to Witkowski, stating that the board members “have the authority to contact EVERY Board Member and call for a Special Meeting.” Slater accused Witkowski of lying to the board regarding “our powers and our authority as Board Members.”

In particular, Slater challenged Witkowski’s claim that there was a board meeting on Aug. 2, 2024, in which he was barred from the board and from the property of the Gathering Place. He asserted that the Director “did not inform ALL members as required. I know of at least 3 and myself not contact[ed].” He requested a copy of the minutes and did not receive one. If his assertion is correct, such a special meeting would have been illegal under the organization’s bylaws as at least seven members would have had to have requested it.

“As Director you have no vote, so if there was a meeting you didn’t have enough votes to do this and you have never had the Board involved or voting on anything since I have been on the Board. Why now?”

Slater said in the letter that he attempted to call a special meeting and was in the process of contacting each board member to do so. He stated that he was about to call Betsy Bernocco when she [Bernocco], contacted him.

“This meeting was because a few of the Board Members wanted to hear Liz’s side of the reason she was let go,” he said in the letter. He further accused Witkowski of having “a history of removing [club] members and Board Members when they ask questions or make suggestions.”

Slater asserts that five of the nine board members agreed with his argument that the firing needed to be looked into.

“We [had] the power to remove her, and she knows that,” he argued. He further argued that the current composition of the board is in contrast with Witkowski’s original view of the members. He alleged that Witkowski was suspicious why Bernocco was “up [Tom’s] a**.”

Rockwell said separately that she had been contacted by Slater and refused to be involved in a meeting unless the board properly involved Witkowski.

“Ignorance is not an excuse,” Bernocco later said of the situation.

Particularly alarming to Witkowski was that former board member Peggy Kennison allegedly said at a meeting that she previously sat on three boards that had fired their director without them knowing.

To better understand the situation, I reviewed material distributed to members of the board.

Among the "Board Member Responsibilities" shared with each member of the governing body, board members are expected to "fulfill legal and fiduciary responsibilities," "Advance the organization's mission," and "Hire and Oversee the Executive Director."

Section 1.9 of the organization’s bylaws entitled “Removal and Resignation” states that:

“The Board of Directors may remove any Director of the Board for malfeasance, disregard of duties, or other just and reasonable cause. Removal of such a director shall be by a majority vote of the current Board and voting on such a motion at a regular meeting or a special meeting called for such a purpose. Prior to such a vote, the Board must afford the Director reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard.”

The removal of Slater and several other members of the Board appeared to directly contradict the bylaws. When I spoke to Witkowski about the removals, she stated that she used her authority as Executive Director to revoke Slater’s membership in the club, which would automatically remove him as a member of the Board of Directors. Slater also asserted that he and other members were not given “reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard.”

Slater said that he received a call from Witkowski at 3:32 pm on Aug. 2. In Slater’s retelling, Witkowski told him that she had just finished a meeting with the “whole board” of directors and that he had been removed from the board. He was told that he was not allowed on the property and that if he returned to the Gathering Place, she would have him arrested.

He said that Witkowski told him that she was with the entire remainder of the Senior Council board. However, Witkowski later said that she relieved Slater first, then asked the board to affirm it after.

Upon review of his perspective and that of Witkowski, it does appear that the Aug. 2 special meeting, if it was held in the manner Witkowski asserted, would not have been able to legally remove any members from the Board of Directors under the current bylaws.

Separately, when I spoke to Witkowski, she said that she contacted Bernocco, who served as board president before Kosier’s departure and regarding Slater for allegedly breaking the confidentiality agreement.

“There can’t be rogue members,” she said. “The bylaws are very clear.”

She said that Slater’s attempted meeting was illegal because the Board President had to be informed and needed a quorum of seven. Reviewing the bylaws, Slater claims he was about to contact Bernocco and Bernocco called him. He also had three total members at the attempted summer meeting. It appears that three members attending together was technically legal because it did not constitute a quorum (so it wasn’t a secret meeting), but could not have done anything officially.

Board member Peggy Kennison was removed from the board, in a similar manner Slater was. Witkowski said that she terminated both of their club memberships, then had this affirmed later by the board. Slater argued that Hibbard was removed for participating in the meeting. Slater (and Kennison through him) argued that there was no formal meeting to expel her from the board.

When I met with Witkowski and Rockwell in person with Bernocco on the phone, I got another explanation. According to Bernocco, Kennison had offered to resign. There was a discussion among the members of the organization’s Executive Board that Kennison needed to go. They called Kennison and she resigned, they said. Hibbard was also asked to resign and did, but retained membership in the club and is still active.

Slater also argued that since he hadn’t been removed from the board under the bylaws (which it appears he wasn’t), then he was still technically a member until his term ended at the end of September 2024.

Witkowski and Bernocco argued that the special meeting Slater attempted to hold regarding Kosier was illegal under the bylaws. According to Article VII, Section 1 of the charter, “Special meetings may be called by the President or at the request of seven (7) of the Directors. Notification of special meetings shall be made to all Directors at least seven (7) days prior to the date of the special meeting by mail, email, or telephone.”

At the time I spoke with Witkowski the first time in October, the board had shrunk to five members following Vrooman’s death, the two removals, and the resignation of Hibbard. However, she asserted that this wasn’t a significant issue.

“SCCAP [Schoharie County Community Action Program] does this all the time,” she said, referencing the non-profit that aids families and job-seekers in need.

The wording of the bylaws contradicts both the effort Slater made to have a special meeting regarding Kosier’s dismissal, as well as the alleged special meeting the remaining members of the board used to remove Slater and two other board members. If Slater was correct, and there were five members ready to censure Witkowski, it couldn’t have happened at a special meeting without two more members agreeing, which it appears would not have happened. However, had Slater not been removed from the board, it is possible that five members could have attended the next regular meeting and could have attempted to reverse the dismissal of Kosier or attempted to punish Witkowski.

If Slater’s original assertion was correct, prior to Vrooman’s death, there were five of the nine members of the board with serious concerns about Witkowski’s actions: himself, Vrooman, Hibbard, Kennison, and Najam Razvi. Due to Hibbard’s later resignation and Vrooman’s death there is no way to ascertain what may have happened at a full board meeting.

Regarding actions regarding Kosier and the tumult on the Board, there appears to be a contradiction. Article XI Section 1, “Applicability and Scope,” Directors and officers were indemnified in most cases. However, “In the event that a question arises as to whether or not such a Director or Officer has met the standards of contact set forth in this Article, such question shall be conclusively determined by either (1) the Board of Directors acting by a quorum consisting of Directors who are not involved in such claimed suit or proceeding, or (2) by the written opinion of reputable disinteresting legal counsel selected by the Corporation.”

The versions of events provided by both the “pro” and “anti” sides signal that this procedure was not carried out. In addition, Witkowski's removal of members in the manner she conducted it is susceptible to abuse. If the Executive Director has the ability to remove Directors via revoking their club membership, the Executive Director could, in theory, remove enough members of the Board needed for a meeting to discuss violations of the charter. Or, in other words, by removing members of the Board, the Executive Director could make it so that a quorum to investigate him or her would be impossible.

Several individuals on the “anti” side argued that this was not the first time that Witkowski used authority beyond the organization’s bylaws to remove someone. She allegedly unilaterally removed former Treasurer Lorraine Wood from the board under the previous bylaws, and then asked the board for retroactive permission. Witkowski said that she had only removed memberships from several members in the past three years for security concerns.

A handout to board members made it very clear that the Board of Directors itself was the top authority in the organization, with the Executive Director underneath and under the oversight of the board.

Slater and members of the Gathering Place accused Witkowski and the “pro” side of violating how Directors should be chosen. This includes a section of Article III that states “Seven of the Board of Directors shall be chosen from the general membership of the Gathering Place 50 Plus Community Center. The remaining two Board of Directors shall be chosen from the Professional Community.” As of this writing, a general vote for the seven members of the Board by the general membership of the Gathering Place has not occurred.

County Concerns

Among the discussions regarding the status of the Gathering Place and the Senior Council, I spoke with a number of individuals in and around the transportation contract and related operations with Schoharie County. The contract is essential for the budget of the organization.

However, multiple people described friction due to the contract. In a February 2024 report to the Board of Directors, Witkowski stated that a former member of the Senior Council Board “took it upon himself to speak up at a Transportation Oversight meeting this past month and told the people who were in attendance that the Senior Council does not want to continue the contracts and that we don’t need the money.”

Following the comments, Witkowski described a meeting with county officials. Among the issues discussed, one was about how the county reimburses the Senior Council to cover payroll. In a discussion with Richmondville Supervisor Jeff Haslun, Witkowski said that the “continuing issues with the turnover of personnel and not having discussion was discussed.”

One note mentioned that then-Office for the Aging Director Nancy Dingee would be retiring as of July 1, 2024, followed by a note “(this is a good thing.)”

In discussions with officials in and around county government, a certain tension became apparent. The contract between the Senior Council and Schoharie County has been strained in recent years. 

Much of the day-to-day operation falls between the Senior Council and County Public Transportation, with several individuals arguing that the Senior Council was not holding up their half and that Witkowski struggles with balancing the operations of the Gathering Place with transportation logistics coordination. 

This includes a larger question of why the location of the Gathering Place in Cobleskill was placed where there is not a regular bus line, causing seniors to pay extra for a deviation. When this was brought to Witkowski's attention, she allegedly asserted that Schoharie County Public Transportation should shift its bus route instead. 

There was also a significant conflict between the Senior Council and one county-related agency, which I am obfuscating to protect several sources but could at least partially be corroborated with public records. A significant accounting error was originally made by the Senior Council. When the agency informed Witkowski, she allegedly asked County Administrator Korsah Akumfi to fire the county employee who discovered the error. Following this, Witkowski allegedly threatened to end the transportation contract with the county. The administrative fee for the transportation contract that covers Witkowski's salary is essential in the current budget of the Senior Council in operating the Gathering Place and is crucial to county residents, especially the elderly.

There had been internal negotiations among some county-related officials about ending the transportation contract over what they described as difficulty dealing with Witkowski. If the county or Witkowski pursued such an option, it could cripple the Gathering Place's budget and cause a major issue for Public Transportation logistically and threaten their contracts. Furthermore, the concern about the Gathering Place's long-term stability was shared by every county-related official I spoke to, with a clear intimation that its potential closure could have dramatic downstream effects, including for the Office for the Aging and Public Transportation.

Officials also cited the convoluted changes at the Everything Shoppes in recent years, which harmed the Senior Council's budget. The issues compounded as the lost revenue coincided with significantly higher costs due to the opening of the Oneonta location.

County officials expressed concerns over personnel issues at the Gathering Place, including one involving a lack of discipline for an employee not mentioned earlier. A former driver told me that there were severe problems with the Gathering Place but would not speak further until he retained an attorney. There were several references to excessive turnover, including in Witkowski’s own report to the Senior Council board.

"I don't know how an Executive Director can get rid of board members," one official said. "Senior Council puts all their trust in their Executive Directors and they've been burned before." This included seven directors in three years, including several accused of theft. 

"They tend to trust too much," said the official, adding that "I think she [Witkowski] grew too fast. Oneonta was a big mistake." 

"She can't do both."

Furthermore, several individuals described the relationship between the Senior Council and the Office for the Aging as frosty.

There were also disagreements regarding Witkowski’s management style. One individual who worked with her on a project prior to the Gathering Place described her as a positive person who was especially skilled in seeking non-profit grants.

Slater said that Witkowski acted in the way she did because she believes she is “untouchable.”

“A lot of people are afraid of her,” he said. Kosier described her as “territorial.” One county official said that "anytime anyone asks too many questions, there's a problem."

“As far as I know, there’s no checks and balances,” the official said. “It’s just band-aid after band-aid.”

The county official echoed what Witkowski and the former Senior Council treasurer both stated: that Witkowski originally did not seek county funding because of potential county control. The official said that seeking county funds was a sign that the Gathering Place was "desperate."

Another official said that there was significant concern over arbitrary control over employees. At a prior job, Witkowski allegedly attempted to have a former colleague fired immediately after the same employee recommended her for a promotion. 

"It was shocking," the official said.

Another individual involved in county operations gave a balanced perspective on Witkowski, saying that she was not rude but ultimately had trouble balancing the Cobleskill and Oneonta locations as well as the public transit side.

“I think she took on too much,” the person said, “especially when she started one up in Oneonta.”

The individual also added that it was difficult to retain individuals to drive for the Senior Council, but did not blame Witkowski for it directly.

“One person can only do so much,” the individual said, adding in the responsibilities of the Senior Council, including Meals on Wheels.

Furthermore, documentation shows that Witkowski was finance director at SCCAP for about six months and source information indicated that there had been several significant financial errors at the time. Witkowski was accused allegedly of attempting to hide the errors.

Multiple individuals all agreed that there were pure intentions in the start of the Gathering Place. One said that after Witkowski managed personal challenges, she had been “really good at something” with the senior center.

However, the stress of the center and the accolades from the Today Show, the Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce, and the Times Journal appeared to change Witkowski’s focus.

The former treasurer echoed the idea that Witkowski started with good intentions, but that the attention changed her focus.

“Kim’s out for herself,” she said.

The transition from the initial idea to the opening of the facility into daily management and expansion appears to be significantly difficult. Witkowski said the same when I met with her in October.

Slater argued that Witkowski “doesn’t have the skill to keep [the Gathering Place] from collapse.”

Below is part two in our comprehensive report on the situation at the Gathering Place. One editor’s note and correction: I made an error in part one, in which I wrote “local seniors” writing to the Today Show, when it should have been singular, “local senior,” due to the diligent effort of Mary Harmon. I hate being incorrect, even by a letter and the responsibility is mine. I apologize to Mary for how I worded it.

The First Rebuttal

Following the initial meetings with Slater, the former treasurer, and Kosier, I received a bit of a panicked phone call from Kim Witkowski on Thursday, Oct. 24. Slater had received phone calls from multiple individuals concerned about Kosier’s departure, seeking additional information. However, the first effort appeared instead to push them to call Witkowski and warn them. Unfortunately, part of Slater’s actions was to tell what seemed like every other person in Schoharie County that I was working on a longer article.

She argued that the dismissal of Kosier was justified and was noticeably worried about the impact of a potential article.

“If it gets into the papers, it would destroy this place,” she said. “There wouldn’t be any Gathering Place.”

She added that the organization was “already struggling for funding.”

Witkowski argued that Slater “tried to overthrow” the Senior Council and was “trying to put” Kosier in charge. Following the comments, Kosier told upset members at the Presbyterian Church on Oct. 26 that she was not interested in being in charge, with a caveat explained below. Separately, Slater said that he wanted a transition where Kosier was either acting or full Executive Director.

Witkowski called Kosier “unqualified” for such a position.

The Executive Director also pushed back on how Kosier was let go. According to Witkowski, Kosier told the members of the club that she had been terminated. Witkowski argued that she had asked Kosier to leave and hand in her keys. She contended that Kosier have her family come in and grab the materials Kosier had donated to the Gathering Place. Witkowski implied that Kosier’s family took more than just personal belongings. Separately, Witkowski accused Kosier’s family of taking $2,000 worth of supplies and that they had taken “crates of stuff” that required Kosier to reimburse the Gathering Place at a later date.

Witkowski cited Slater’s attempted meeting over the summer. She criticized having another person not on the board present and framed the situation as a “huge vendetta.”

The Executive Director argued that she had “let three people go” due to breach of confidentiality. Two of them (Slater and Kosier) were banned from the grounds of the Gathering Place, while Hibbard retained her club membership.

“I started the Gathering Place,” she said. “They’d have no idea how to run it.”

Later, she said that Slater didn’t understand Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) or non-profit law. He had FOILed for documents from the meeting in which he was allegedly dismissed.

If Slater and Kosier were such bad apples, I asked, why did she ask them to become involved?

“That’s a good question,” Witkowski responded. She said that it was her mistake to ask Slater to join the board. She then implied that the two were having an affair and said that she “had pictures” and video surveillance footage. When I met with her several weeks later Witkowski showed a picture from a Halloween party where Kosier appeared to be wearing a 1920s flapper outfit and draped a leg over Slater’s wheelchair with others nearby. It didn’t appear affair-worthy to me, it just looked like a funny but ultimately innocent pose on Halloween.

Witkowski said that it was “all [her own] fault” for hiring Kosier and argued that Kosier made overreaching programming decisions.

“It’s my fault— I should have seen it coming,” Witkowski said.

Witkowski said that she had a pending lawsuit against Slater (as of October). Separately, Slater said that Witkowski threatened to sue the Times Journal over an article describing the disagreement last year.

She said that she should have “never ever” allowed the situation to “get this far.”

“I could go out and find 100 other jobs,” she said.

“People depend on this place,” she added. “This saves people.”

Witkowski said that she wasn’t “sitting here, like Tom is, and stew[ing].” Instead, she “put heart and soul into this, work seven days a week.”

Later that day, Witkowski called me back with Board President Betsy Bernocco and fellow member Michael Persons.

Bernocco started the conversation by saying that there was a rumor that Witkowski had misappropriated funds, which surprised me. This assertion was not true, she said. Since Witkowski started at the Senior Council it went through a major transformation and was regularly audited, Bernocco said.

She added that Slater’s opinion was informed by his “short period of time on the board.”

“He never questioned anything for a second” about finances, Bernocco said. At the time, she was serving in her third year on the board, in her second term. 

Bernocco backed Witkowski’s version of Kosier’s departure, saying that there were “seven or eight months” of counseling and that Witkowski had been “mentoring” Kosier.

She added that Slater was at the Gathering Place “all the time,” leading to Witkowski being concerned why he was spending so much time with Kosier. Bernocco argued that Slater’s alleged micromanaging was “taking away time” from the organization. He could have been asked to leave the board just for that, she added. However, Slater pointed to his experience putting together much of the furniture at the Oneonta location and assisting Persons in organizing a summer barbecue for the organization.

Bernocco said that she was out of town when Slater called for the special board meeting. She had received a call from Witkowski about the potential meeting. Witkowski had gotten word of the attempted meeting after Slater called board member and Treasurer Cricket Rockwell.

“You’ve got to follow the bylaws,” said Bernocco. There had to be consensus from the board members before such a special meeting could be held. At the time, Bernocco said that Slater told her that he could hold such a meeting. Bernocco also accused Slater of having a non-board member present at the three-person meeting over the summer.

“To me, that was inappropriate,” she said.

The “things he was trying to do to put a monkey wrench into how things are done,” said Bernocco.

Bernocco said that she was not informed of the meeting until it had concluded and that Slater had not called him first. Such a move was “against confidentiality,” she said. Both Slater and board member Peggy Kennison were removed with “cause,” Bernocco said.

“This is serious,” she said.

Bernocco said that at a special meeting, the other members of the board (the “pro” side for clarity) voted unanimously to remove Slater and Kennison from the board.

“The [Executive] Director has authority to remove them” for breaching the Code of Conduct, she said. Bernocco’s timeline was that Slater was removed in August, Kennison was removed in September, and Hibbard resigned in September.

Bernocco argued that Slater had gone to fellow board member Mike Persons, appearing to talk on behalf of the entire board.

Slater “better be careful because if he goes out and says [Witkowski] embezzled, he’s going to have a problem.” Several individuals I spoke to implied there were financial issues that could point to theft of funds, but I encountered no direct evidence of such activity.

The Big Meetings

Slater and Kosier organized several dozen people at the Schoharie Presbyterian Church to discuss Kosier’s departure. Naturally, word got back to the “pro” side and when I arrived on Saturday morning on Oct. 26, Betsy Bernocco and Crickit Rockwell were already there. Rockwell is a member of the church and expressed concern that she felt she was not allowed in the building. I spoke to both and said that I would make time to speak to them after the meeting and that I was there as an observer.

Inside were 23 people who arrived to hear Slater and Kosier speak.

Kosier started, saying, “I want you to know from my heart” that she did not want to harm the Gathering Place.

Her dismissal, Kosier said, “Hurt me on such an intense level.”

“This is not why I went back to work full-time,” she said.

“I do not want to see us lose the Gathering Place,” she said.

“I love this place,” she said. She accused Witkowski of overstepping bounds regarding setting up the Oneonta facility and that the board didn’t “know how far it got.”

“I thought we were exceptionally close friends,” she said. Kosier alleged that she was dismissed for “asking the hard questions.”

Kosier argued that there was “no budget” for significant operations in Cobleskill or Oneonta. She cited what she called “ridiculously stupid spending errors.” She further argued that she and others did not feel that spending funds raised for Schoharie County for an Otsego County facility was appropriate. She said that she would “love” to have a Gathering Place in Oneonta, but funded by residents there.

Next to speak was the former treasurer, who said that it took seven years of painstaking effort to get the Gathering Place open, including wise financial investments.

There was a clear concern among the crowd at this point. Senior Council board member Najam Razvi stood up. He said that the accounts operated by the Senior Council were dwindling, stating that they were previously over $300,000 and that as of that day he wasn’t sure if they were below $100,000. There was an audible gasp in the audience (editor’s note: it happened, I’m not writing it for effect). Considering the trend of the Senior Council’s tax filings from late 2023 and the early 2024 budget report, it appears that his assertion was true.

Following the statement at the meeting, Razvi left the Senior Council Board of Directors. Witkowski told me later that day that Razvi was wrong and had trouble understanding following a stroke.

The former treasurer said that “you can’t run a program and spend haphazardly.” She added that $300,000 was a “drop in the bucket” to run an operation like the Senior Council or Gathering Place. Both Kosier and the former treasurer called for a comprehensive audit.

Kosier also thanked community benefactor Nick Juried for his efforts to open and expand the Gathering Place.

One member of the audience asked Kosier if she would take on the Executive Director position if available. She said that she was not seeking it, but if it did happen she would need a “full board” with proper oversight powers and that seven of the board members be elected by the membership, as outlined by the bylaws, which were further adjusted in 2022.

“It needs to be built from the ground up again if it will survive,” Kosier said.

“You ran it anyway,” said one club member.

Kosier argued that if the majority of the Senior Council board was able to listen to her, they would be concerned. She also alleged that Witkowski stated that money was a major factor in why she was replaced. I could not corroborate this independently. Kosier said that she made $18.50 per hour at the Gathering Place and that she could have made more at the county or state but decided to stay and said that she never used any sick or vacation days.

“I wouldn’t change it for anything,” she said.

Following the meeting, a Gathering Place club member said that they also had money in their wallet and requested it back, only to be told that the request would have to go through the Board of Directors. Three others alleged they asked for their wallet money back and received a similar (but not totally clear) response.

The crowd slowly dispersed after about an hour and a half at the church. Crickit Rockwell found me still in the building and asked to continue our conversation. Shortly after that, Witkowski arrived and put Betsy Bernocco on speakerphone.

Bernocco cited her interaction with Slater earlier that day.

“I found a very, very angry man,” she said. Bernocco restated what she told me on the phone two days prior: there were board minutes that demonstrated that the board asked Witkowski to counsel Kosier prior to her departure.

Witkowski accused Kosier of “switch[ing] jobs several times, that’s what she does.”

The next portion of the conversation highlighted a contradiction I was unable to reconcile. Several individuals on the “anti” side stated that one employee was terminated in recent years after accusing Witkowski of mishandling funds (which does not necessarily mean theft). Witkowski said that the employee left because of poor behavior by Kosier. I was unable to get a hold of this former employee.

Witkowski said that Kosier was originally a good employee who helped with programs and activities and was willing to lose her Social Security to go full time. However, she said that Kosier began to change after the Gathering Place hired its business manager Mandy Collins.

The Executive Director called Kosier “defensive” after this, causing “distractions” and being “emotional.” Following the hiring of the program director Suzy Barny in Oneonta, Witkowski accused Kosier of going to the Oneonta center and engaging in disagreements with her.

“She likes to be in charge,” said Witkowski, “thinks she’s in charge.”

Rockwell said that Kosier is “very good” at teaching classes with seniors. Witkowski said that Kosier was territorial and would not let others do crafts with seniors. She added that during the Dec. 2, 2023 staff meeting Kosier was upset that there was mandatory training. The Executive Director called it the “oddest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“My mistake—” said Witkowski. “Should have fired her on the spot.” She also asserted she attempted to work with Kosier. The Executive Director also accused Kosier of allegedly calling her to complain about Slater being at the Gathering Place too much.

Witkowski said that in January 2024 she worked on a “Refocus Plan” with Kosier, including cutting back on her classes with seniors.

“Is this helping members?” Witkowski asked about the teaching schedule. She cited a craft fair Kosier led in 2023, which “few” members took part of. She also accused Kosier of making decisions “she had no right to make,” calling her a “tyrant” and a “compulsive liar.”

Witkowski argued that the fundamental issue of Kosier working at the Gathering Place was caused by “competition.” She said that Barny had started to “outshine” Kosier and that she had become “nasty” with Barny and Collins.

“We all learn,” said Witkowski.

Consistently, Witkowski asserted that she did not fire Kosier.

Multiple times Witkowski stated that she was not a micromanager, and that she “did not have time to be a micromanager.” She said that she worked in non-profits for 25 years.

“I know what a micromanager looks like,” she said.

The board members present and Witkowski said that the organization’s bylaws are in place in order to prevent overstepping by individual board members. Bernocco said that the other board members would have gladly reviewed the budget with Slater and the “anti” faction. She called Slater’s understanding of the budget “simplistic.” Witkowski also accused Slater of allegedly saying that the organization’s bylaws “didn’t matter.”

“Board members should be helping me,” said Witkowski.

Much of the remainder of my time at the church (if I remember correctly, I was there seven and a half hours that day) was a wider discussion of the viability of the Gathering Place locations, and concerns raised by the “anti” side. I didn’t want to be a participant in the story, but now 30 hours deep into research and interviews my habit (for better or worse) of attempting to bridge gaps from my time as mayor of Middleburgh emerged. 

It was my belief that some sort of a compromise could work out where Slater’s club membership could be reinstated and that since Witkowski planned to retire in the coming years, she could announce it earlier. My thought was that this could help settle the underlying dispute and that the removal from the board likely (in my opinion) was not done by the bylaws. If there was still disagreement about Kosier’s departure, at least there would be some ability for the two sides to speak without the threat of arrest and each save face without the disagreement spilling into the public. I have more thoughts about this below. Rockwell was receptive to the ideas, but Witkowski remained skeptical. To the best of my knowledge, none of the recommendations were accepted and the dispute became increasingly public.

Witkowski said that she removed Slater’s club membership after discussing with the Executive Committee of the board. Bernocco argued that Slater violated the organization’s Code of Conduct.

As our discussion continued, it increasingly involved the viability of the future of the Gathering Place. Witkowski said that the budget had its challenges but that it was manageable. She said that if the situation got bad enough, the organization could simply mortgage the Cobleskill property, which it owned outright. I asked if this was a bad sign, because mortgaging property in this way could indicate financial stress. Witkowski said that she was just using it as an example.

Witkowski did say that there were concerns over funding, mentioning that the Oneonta position Barny had, as well as one other, were partially covered by a grant.

“We don’t have money to cover staff,” she said. Without additional resources (she mentioned a refund from National Grid due to the electricity bill oversight cited above and possible funding from Schoharie County), the Gathering Place “would have to lay off” employees.

She said that another local non-profit used a line of credit.

Toward the end of the conversation, Witkowski reiterated that the Oneonta location would help save the finances for both facilities. She said that there were already 15 estates willed or being willed to the Oneonta location. She said that the Oneonta location “opened doors for funding.”

“We couldn’t survive long-term without expanding,” she said. She also cited an agreement where members of the Oneonta facility could also utilize the Clark Sport Center in Cooperstown.

“My goal is to make sure that this place is sustainable,” she said.

Witkowski also added that there was no need for Otsego County to operate the Gathering Place or to have the Schoharie County Senior Council adjust its name and mission to cover Otsego County. She said that it was unnecessary as the Schoharie County Senior Council as currently configured was not simply limited to the boundaries of Schoharie County.

Analysis

I started the discussion with Tom Slater about the situation with the Gathering Place in September of last year. We had a number of meetings, including with Liz Kosier and with the former treasurer prior to the larger meetings. Tips allowed me to make a number of phone calls to gather more information and get larger context about the Gathering Place and the wider issues at play here.

I found him to be earnest and to be trying to right the ship the best way he knew how. However, it seemed like despite his efforts, he was unable to fully do so. 

From my reading of the situation after giving the “pro” and “anti” sides approximately equal time and attention, patterns started to emerge.

In my opinion, Slater understood the core mission of the Gathering Place and saw in Kosier a person who made a lot of older people happy through her programs. She has a bright personality and takes special care with the elderly. One story that affected me was how she spent time helping a woman who later passed on organize and display her father’s medals from World War II. When Kosier went to the memorial, Witkowski told her to leave or she would be arrested.

“To me, that was one of my breaking points,” Kosier said.

I won’t lie, getting the information for this article was particularly difficult. I started four months ago and I still feel like there’s more to be said. However, I am confident that I can publish something that is truthful and helps to explain the overall situation. I told Tom Slater (and others) repeatedly that I would wait until this was the case. I’ve heard feedback on other articles on this topic and the issues remain the same: they did not take into consideration the ‘big picture’ surrounding the Senior Council and Gathering Place. I found the same thing two years ago with the dismissal of former Schoharie County Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Gildemeister. I waited for the lion’s share of the information, interviewed more than two dozen individuals, and published almost four months after the initial incident. I didn’t have to correct a single sentence and much of the information we published disproved much of what had been printed earlier.

I’m telling you this, in part, because I think that this article and where it’s headed won’t make everyone happy. There’s no clear-cut answer here and I entered in with sympathy for Liz Kosier, empathy for Kim Witkowski in trying to hold together a well-intentioned but challenging organization, and admiration for Tom Slater in trying to make it right.

What I found is a combination of factors: Witkowski argued that Slater was a micromanager who spent too much time at the Gathering Place. This was probably partially true. I think he saw the value in the programs for seniors and had trouble pulling away during his tenure. Not to offend the newspaper’s primary demographic, but this does sometimes happen with retired people. I get the impression that Kosier was well-meaning and that Witkowski didn’t understand why Kosier tried to assert authority over aspects of the decision-making regarding finances and Oneonta. Perhaps Kosier shouldn’t have quite gone that far, but for a middle-management position with direct contact with club members, it would make sense why she did so.

I believe that Slater did struggle with understanding all of the bylaws and had a bad habit of having his heart in the right place but did not have the organizational skills to try to ‘save’ the organization during the crisis that developed after Kosier’s dismissal. He pushed in different directions all at once, which gave Witkowski clear notice of what was happening. My advice was steady: wait until everything is settled. I wanted to take my time and acquire information behind the scenes before anyone recognized the depth of the investigation. The same worked for me when I investigated SALT and the dismissal of Dr. Gildemeister. My original idea was to have Witkowski and the “pro” side interviewed after I had organized my information quietly: to be prepared with specific facts and figures and give both sides equal time gradually.

The rushing of the information, especially the meeting at the Presbyterian Church caused a significant rupture in the investigation and significantly delayed my work. Slater was eager for revenge for Kosier but that only told a portion of the story and represented an earnest but undisciplined and sloppy approach that added a lot of strain on my plate during a particularly stressful time.

I think that the over-eagerness did several different things: for one, I believe it played a major role in scuttling a potential compromise that could have prevented any significant press coverage. I said at the church that day that the best thing for the newspaper is a juicy scandal to sell copies but I would rather have a compromise that guaranteed the future of the Gathering Place. Secondly, it played a role in Witkowski and the Senior Council approaching the Board of Supervisors for the subsidy. Thirdly, it helped to expose how deep the issues at the Gathering Place are. It is a great idea that has great difficulty in sustaining itself. There are many stories in history of a figure starting a great company or empire and not knowing when to step back. This often results from changing the original set of confidants (like the pre-Gathering Place Senior Council board) with what amounts to what could become yes-men and women.

While Slater struggled with the finer detail of organizational procedure, my opinion was the opposite for Witkowski. She had played the decisive role in rewriting the bylaws, yet when the organization faced a personnel and financial crisis, she ignored the rules that she helped set. It appeared to me that the stepping around the rules was too consistent to be completely by accident. The club did not elect its own members. If the argument is that the club is too new to put the provisions in the charter into effect, then it still should have been done after the wave of dismissals caused vacancies over the summer. Witkowski had, in my opinion, placed a board around her to support her mission for the Gathering Place. This isn’t inherently bad, but it also meant that the board was not selected to oversee the Executive Director, which the bylaws clearly state.

In a manner of speaking, the board started to answer to Witkowski and not the other way around. Slater tried to hold the special meeting to potentially censure Witkowski but, in my opinion, didn’t have the skill to do it cleanly and the information got back to Witkowski. He also made the error in allowing a non-board member to be present. Had the members there decided to take some action without following special meeting rules as set by the bylaws, it is reasonable to assume that Witkowski could have appealed it to an arbiter or local court and had it overturned. I recognize that Slater wanted a full special meeting via the terms of the bylaws, but even if had five members (a quorum) called for it without proper procedure, the subsequent meeting would have likely been illegal.

On the flip side, Witkowski almost certainly abused her power in dismissing multiple board members in the way she did. She stated both that she had removed Kennison and Slater from the board unilaterally through her authority as Executive Director (to remove members of the club) and later through the power of the Board of Directors. This may be technically correct, but goes against the whole principle of oversight from the board. If a future Executive Director was doing something criminal, there is no circumstance in which they should be able to remove members and prevent a quorum from investigating him or her. The retroactive nature of the dismissals, coupled with the fact that similar occurred prior with the former treasurer and after with board member Najam Razvi is a significant red flag. There were also significant contradictions over time of how the members were removed and in what sequence it happened. Ethics and financial auditors would recognize that the selective use of such power prevents proper oversight.

I will add this: my conversations with past and present Senior Council and County officials underscores one of the big fears I had about the future of the Gathering Place. In my opinion, it appeared that the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors would not accept the idea of a $100,000 a year subsidy to the Gathering Place without proper oversight, which may have included Witkowski stepping down. The fact that the request was rescinded by the Gathering Place prior to a vote by the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors is, in my opinion, one of the clearest markers that the organization’s finances are under severe strain. It’s also an indication that the issues currently facing the club are structural, and not circumstantial.

Kim Witkowski pulled off what generations of senior advocates considered a miracle: opening a full senior center in Schoharie County. She received assistance from many well-meaning individuals who truly believed in the mission. The project, in my opinion, was too difficult to operate and not financially sustainable enough in Cobleskill alone. 

The move toward Oneonta may not actually be a bad idea if managed correctly, but the concept of co-mingling Schoharie and Otsego County funds and donations under the Schoharie County Senior Council’s banner is an auditor’s nightmare. It doesn’t mean that a penny has to be stolen or even misspent, but that the blurred lines and overtaxing on Witkowski herself unnecessarily threatened the future of both the Cobleskill and Oneonta facilities.

To attempt to purchase the building and take on a large tax liability as a non-profit organization is difficult to justify. I don’t think it’s inherently wrong and in some ways it’s a ‘steal’ for the value added, but the expenses just don’t add up, as Nick Juried stated. The idea of paying more than a million dollars in interest alone for the building would probably make it a non-starter in my experience with non-profit and municipal budgeting. It is certainly possible that private backers may assist in paying for the cost of the building, but that would again likely undermine the original justification. If a family from Oneonta or Cooperstown leaves an estate to pay off much of the cost of the building, then shouldn’t that facility be managed by an Otsego County-specific organization?

The idea of having the Schoharie County Senior Council operating both facilities will, in time, upset people from both counties who feel that they’re losing control. And considering that Cobleskill was the first facility and that Otsego County is larger and relatively wealthier, the idea of an indirect wealth transfer there would be seen as insulting to many Schoharie County residents.

In my US History I course at SUNY Oneonta I show a video about George Washington in which a historian says that “There is grace in knowing when to leave.” I believe in it wholeheartedly in my own life. And I think the idea of trying to balance two organizations without the needed infrastructure or staff is noble, in a sense. 

However, I am also aware that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. You have an individual in Kim Witkowski, who I believed worked hard for what she has and what she accomplished and went through a lot. The Gathering Place was a gem that she leveraged many resources to open. The opening led to massive praise and Witkowski’s connection through the former Gilboa Senior Council allowed the contact with Nick Juried, who played a key role in the Gathering Place’s expansion. This was sustainable to that point, but attempting to more than double operational capacity was difficult and the tone of the emails from Witkowski to Juried appear to me to indicate that she hoped there was a bottomless well of money that could be used to cover general operating expenditures and at least part of the purchase of the Oneonta facility. This hope, while well-intentioned, was foolish and unrealistic. The opening there was kind of like the dog who caught his own tail. If you follow baseball, the ability to achieve astonishing initial success but struggle afterward may elicit comparisons to multiple-time Yankee manager Billy Martin.

The rapid praise for the center’s opening and rapid expansion also led to the risk of believing your own hype. Someone who had to work hard like Witkowski may have been susceptible to believing that there was a certain amount of invincibility following the opening. How could you not develop some self-assurance after going on the Today Show or being named person of the year by the Times Journal? This caused a disconnect that, at least partially, led to the current crisis.

As a result, the Senior Council has this group of big-hearted individuals like Crickit Rockwell and Betsy Bernocco who want to see the organization succeed but ceded too much control to Witkowski as the wunderkind who brought the original Gathering Place to life. With the attempted opening of Oneonta, issues that could have been solved gradually or papered over became too large to ignore and spilled over following the departure of Liz Kosier. 

If you’ve made it this far, here’s the bottom line: unless significant outside funding comes to the Senior Council in the next year or two, I believe that the Cobleskill location runs a serious risk of closure. Oneonta would probably continue, based on Witkowski’s comments and more resources in a larger county (plus being able to draw from nearby Delaware County). The closure of the Cobleskill center would be a catastrophe for our area’s seniors and a personal issue for me since many of my friends are members. Closing the facility would also slam the door shut on the idea of a senior center reopening for decades as it would be seen as unsustainable. The trust of many members, former members of the Senior Council board, of the county board of supervisors, and other local organizations has been irreparably harmed by events over the last year and without a significant change, these divisions will not heal. 

As far as I’ve heard, Kim Witkowski has blamed the current controversy on Tom Slater and Liz Kosier and would likely (in my opinion) blame them for the closure. It is entirely plausible that she might blame the newspaper for airing dirty laundry and use it as a fig leaf to close or threaten to close the facility. While they or we may receive some of the blame, the public perception of shame for allowing the Gathering Place to close after its initial success would far, far outweigh the initial praise of its opening. 

In many ways, the center’s founder controls not only its future, but also how she is remembered for years and decades to come.

Special thanks to Lei Pollard, Wildert Marte, and my father David for assisting me in editing this very long article.