MAYORAL RACE PREVIEW

MAYORAL RACE FLYING UNDER THE RADAR

Voters Have Clear Choice And Chance To Reinvent The Office

The race for Mayor of Ithaca isn’t generating the usual public attention. at’s likely because it’s a special election to ll out the term of Svante Myrick, who resigned in January to become executive director the progressive advocacy group People for the American Way. However, the candidates present clearly di erent approaches at a time when the City faces divisive issues, not the least of which is exactly what role Ithaca’s Mayor should play in the future.

Ithaca residents will make their way to the polls on November 8 to cast their ballots in the Mayoral, Congressional, and State Legislative races but also in a public referendum on creating a City Manager, deciding what the role of the mayor will be moving forward.

Advocates of the shi in city government organization believe that creating the City Manager position would allow for more e ciency in city government because it would put a professionally trained individual in charge of administrative duties. It would also provide more consistency to the city government rather than being subject to shi s due to changes in the Mayor position. ese advocates believe that such ef ciency and consistency will, for example, be important in following through on the public safety reimagining plan.

However, some residents and candidates have expressed concern that the City Manager would not be an elected position and would instead be appointed by the Mayor and Common Council—e ectively eliminating the opportunity for residents to directly vote for the chief administrative of cer of the city.

Even Myrick, who introduced the idea of creating the City Manager position before stepping down, admitted concerns saying, “that's the main drawback to this system…that the [City Manager] is not as directly accountable.” He continued saying, “it's a tradeo for sure. I don't want to downplay that. Not being able to directly elect the City’s chief executive is a change, but I think it's a change that's worthwhile.” e Ithaca Times reached out to the three announced candidates for mayor to get their opinions on the issues facing the City, including the City Manager referendum.

By Matt Dougherty

Katie Sims believes Cornell “could provide much more financial support to the City whose infrastructure and community it too often takes for granted.” (Photo: Provided)

Laura Lewis believes the City “needs additional housing at every price point. And we really need more workforce housing… in the downtown area.” (Photo: Provided)

Zachary Winn believes “community pride has decreased while crime, addiction, poverty and homelessness have risen to heartbreaking levels.” (Photo: Provided)

LAURA LEWIS

e current Acting Mayor is Laura Lewis, who also represents the Fi h Ward on the Common Council. Lewis was appointed to the position of Acting Mayor upon the resignation of Myrick. She assumed of ce on February 7, and if elected will complete the mayoral term that ends on December 31, 2023. In addition, Lewis serves as Chair of the City's Planning and Economic Development Committee and Chair of the TCAT Board of Directors.

Lewis has received endorsements from seven of the nine other current members of

the Common Council and says that if elected, she looks forward to moving several key initiatives forward, such as the Reimagining Public Safety Collaborative, the Green New Deal, and the expansion of a ordable housing throughout the city.

Concerning the reimagining public safety process, Lewis recently told e Ithaca Times, “I served on the working group for reimagining public safety and that work is moving forward. e Community Justice Center is responsible for implementation of the joint [County and City] collaborative plans and there is a City committee which I appointed that is looking at the City speci c recommendations.”

According to Lewis, sustainability is another key priority. Lewis recently said, “I was very proud of voting for the Ithaca Green New Deal in 2019. And we knew that was the rst step and that implementation would take a number of years, as indeed it is.” She continued saying, “we knew that we would have to dedicate budgetary resources, which we did by hiring a director of sustainability and a sustainability planner. And we are taking a number of steps to reduce the city's carbon footprint and use of fossil fuels.”

When it comes to the issue of housing Lewis says, “Growing up poor and growing up in a renting family, I have always had a passion for housing issues. Our city really needs additional housing at every price point. And we really need more workforce housing as businesses develop in the downtown area.” She continued saying, “We want people to have the ability to live and work and study in the city.”

Lewis recently told e Ithaca Times, “I have been involved in community service for my entire life. And I have always wanted to contribute whatever I can do to improve the community in which I live.”

Lewis also said that she “enthusiastically supports” the city manager referendum. According to Lewis, “we are preparing something in print to submit to talk about the city manager referendum.”

KATIE SIMS

Katie Sims is a grassroots organizer and activist who says that she’s running for Mayor to follow through on the progressive goals the City of Ithaca has set for itself. Sims is a Cornell graduate with a degree in environmental science with a focus on climate change and has worked on the Ithaca Green New Deal since it was rst conceptualized in 2019. She has also worked with the Ithaca Tenants Union to protect tenant rights and was a member of the working group to reimagine public safety.

Sims recently told e Ithaca Times, “In a city as wealthy as Ithaca there's no excuse for an ongoing housing crisis or not following through on the Green New Deal.” According to Sims, she wants to see the City put the needs of residents before pro ts and to make sure the City’s progressive ideals are prioritized.

Sims has explained that one way this can be done is for the City to compel Cornell to provide more nancial support, especially for sustainable and accessible transportation infrastructure, stormwater management, and housing. According to Sims, “Cornell’s non-pro t status obscures a basic fact that informs everything in our City: that it has billions of dollars in wealth, and that it could provide much more nancial support to the City whose infrastructure and community it too o en takes for granted.”

Sims has the endorsements of organizations like the Working Families Party and the Sunrise Movement. According to Sims, “these organizations have real visions for community led change that put people rst. Our campaign is about building that movement for an economy that works for everyone.”

According to Sims, “When I’m elected I will immediately bring the Right to Renew Leases up for a vote, to prevent people from being evicted arbitrarily. I will also work to expand emergency shelter and long-term low-cost housing, because everyone deserves a home, and lower-income residents should not be forced to commute long distances in order to work in Ithaca.”

Additionally, she says that as Mayor she will dra a budget that prioritizes real public safety by working with the Common Council to implement civilian oversight of IPD and a Police Accountability Board.

Regarding the City Manager referendum, Sims said “If the City Manager proposal is passed and I am elected, I will work closely with Council and sta in order to create strong, democratic accountability mechanisms and ensure that a City Manager is chosen who will prioritize the needs of Ithacans.”

ZACHARY WINN

Zach Winn is the Republican choice for Mayor on the ballot. Winn is a local activist who grew up in Ithaca and writes about crime in the city through his website IthacaCrime.com. He previously ran an unsuccessful campaign for Mayor in 2007. Winn recently told e Ithaca Times that he’s running for Mayor “to make it more di cult to ignore me and to give people a choice.”

According to Winn, “well intentioned local policies have bene ted outside interests and outside investors while screwing over the hardworking people who live and work in Ithaca all throughout the year.” He continued saying, “community pride has decreased while crime, addiction, poverty and homelessness have risen to heartbreaking levels.”

Winn says that he will solve these problems by putting an end to the reimagining public safety process and “reversing the policy of non-enforcement of laws on city land.” He also calls for reducing property taxes by at least 50% and creating incentives for property owners to improve existing units and lower rents.

Like Sims, Winn wants Cornell to do more for the City. Winn suggests implementing a tax on Cornell University's endowment and compelling the institution to pay property taxes to the City.

Winn says that he is the best candidate in the mayoral race because he’s the only candidate who is not directly connected to the former mayor, or the reimagining public safety process—which has been the subject of an ethics investigation by Tompkins County. According to Winn “I've been a critic of [reimagining public safety] since it was announced.”

He continued saying, “of the three people on the ballot, I am the only candidate who is not subject to the ethical con icts of interests stemming from ties to the former mayor, and to the reimagining public safety issue.”

When it comes to the City Manager referendum Winn says, “I think it's an acknowledgement of the inability to e ectively govern the city, and I’m opposed to any further expansion of the bureaucracy of city government.” Winn continued saying, while “the Acting Mayor has communicated that [a shi in government structure] would not result in any increase to the taxpayer due to a shi ing of salaries and elimination of the deputy or the assistant, I'm opposed to it in principle.”

The reimagining public safety process, which would create a Public Safety department, is perhaps the biggest issue facing the City in the coming year, and will be at the top of the next Mayor’s agenda. (Photo: egd)