Year in Review 2021-2022

Page 63

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NEWS: GREATER ITHACA COMMUNITY

THACA COMMUNITY REACTS TO M A Y O R S VA N T E M Y R I C K ’ S R E S I G N A T I O N

BY ELIJAH DE CASTRO

Svante Myrick, Ithaca’s youngest and longest-serving mayor, resigned Feb. 6 after 10 years of service. Throughout his tenure, Myrick worked closely with Ithaca College leaders and faculty. Myrick, a Cornell University alum, announced his resignation Jan. 5, saying that he had accepted a leading position at People for the American Way, a major progressive advocacy group in Washington, D.C. Myrick cited the ongoing attacks on democratic norms by Republican Party lawmakers ahead of the 2022 midterm elections as his reason for accepting the position. After stepping down, Myrick was replaced by Ithaca Common Council Representative Laura A. Lewis. “I love Ithaca,” Myrick said in his announcement. “I’ve loved serving this city, and I believe my service has made a difference. It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as the 44th mayor of Ithaca — and the longest-serving mayor in our history.” In a statement to The Ithacan, Ithaca College President La Jerne Cornish praised Myrick’s time as mayor, including his involvement in establishing the college’s new Physician Assistant Studies Program, which is located on The Commons. The Physician Assistant Studies Program was launched in October 2021 and offers a 27-month Master of Science program for 30–50 graduate students. “Just as the City of Ithaca has been graced with Svante’s leadership, Ithaca College has been graced with his friendship, support and advocacy,” Cornish said. “Most recently, Svante was a key partner in establishing the college’s presence on the Ithaca Commons with the opening of our physician assistant program facility — a major moment for this institution.” During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Myrick collaborated with the administrations of both Cornell University and Ithaca College to navigate the pandemic’s economic and academic fallout in Ithaca. Since Ithaca is a collegetown that brings in approximately 30,000 students, the closures of both schools hit Ithaca’s businesses particularly hard. Myrick also oversaw the passage of Ithaca’s Green New Deal, which will transform the city’s energy system to be 100% decarbonized by 2030. “Ithaca is a collegetown and by dint of his service to this community, Svante has enriched the lives and experiences of our students, faculty and staff,” Cornish said. “On behalf of Ithaca College, I offer Svante our deepest gratitude, and I cannot wait to see how he shines in his new role leading People for the American Way.” Senior Jonah Robertson said that while he grew up just outside Ithaca, he had visited the city frequently since he was around 7 years old because both of his parents grew up in the area. After Ithaca elected Myrick as

mayor in 2012, Robertson said that he began to notice the effects of his governance. “I remember when Svante came through and redid the traffic system in places like the Octopus,” Robertson said. The Octopus is a nickname used by Ithacans for a complex intersection of multiple byways in west Ithaca that experiences frequent traffic congestion. Under Myrick’s leadership, the city passed numerous plans for transportation revitalization, some of which address the Octopus. Senior Letícia Guibunda is the vice president of campus affairs for the college’s Student Governance Council (SGC). Guibunda said that as one of the leaders of the SGC, she supports many of Myrick’s efforts to improve the city, like the renovation of The Commons as well as his prioritization of public safety. After former New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order requiring police reform, Myrick’s administration passed legislation to replace the Ithaca Police Department with the Department of Community Solutions and Public Safety. “One thing that was really important to me was the issue of public safety,” Guibunda said. “It’s one of the reasons why I got involved in student government to begin with. One of the things that I was always really impressed with and admired about the mayor is his commitment to public safety in Ithaca.” Guibunda is an international student from Brazil. Guibunda said that when she first visited Ithaca with her mom, they thought Myrick was a vibrant leader and were impressed by his renovations to The Commons. “While it’s a loss for the City of Ithaca to lose somebody who has been such a great leader for a long time now, I do think it’s a great thing that he’s pursuing,” Guibunda said. Robertson said that when he was a child, he went to Sherburne-Earlville Central School District, which is the same school district that Myrick attended when he was growing up. When Robertson was a student, Myrick revisited his school district. Robertson said that he felt connected to Myrick’s life story, as Myrick grew up in poverty and experienced periodic homelessness. “I remember him coming through to our school and giving interviews throughout the hallways and introducing himself,” Robertson said. “He was from the same … kind of background as me, as in coming from nothing to going to something. I felt like ‘Oh, this person came from the same high school and came from the same roots as me.’ That was really good.”

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Articles inside

Football Head Coach Leaves

4min
page 146

New Football Head Coach

3min
pages 147-151

Women’s Cross Country Captain 144–145 Equestrian Club

10min
pages 143-145

Gender Equity Gap

5min
page 142

Club Sports

5min
page 140

Editorial: Limited Club Sports Funding

4min
page 141

Basketball Guard 1,000 Career Points

3min
page 136

Sprinter Breaks 60-Meter Dash Record

4min
page 135

Football Kicker Travels Country

6min
page 134

All-Americans

5min
page 133

Editorial: 63rd Cortaca Jug Sparks Concerns

5min
page 131

IC Athletes Attend NCAA Convention

4min
page 132

Shang-Chi

3min
page 116

Cortaca Jug 2022 Venue

3min
page 130

Tick, Tick ... Boom

3min
page 115

Dune

3min
page 114

Super Hearts Day Nerf Event 104–105 State and National Parks

17min
pages 103-107

Encanto

3min
page 113

Editorial: Cons of NFTs

4min
page 111

NFT Trend

3min
page 110

The Milkstand

5min
pages 108-109

Campus Hip-Hop Culture

4min
page 102

Astrology

5min
page 96

School of Music Mental Health Group 98–99 Via’s Cookies

10min
pages 97-101

Pellet Gun Shootings

5min
pages 91-95

Shots-Fired Incident

3min
page 89

Pandemic Budget Cuts 86–91 SAFETY

5min
pages 85-86

Spring Semester Reopening

4min
page 84

Two Swastikas Discovered

5min
page 87

Testing Options

4min
page 83

Surveillance Testing

3min
page 82

Editorial: Mask Mandate Removal

4min
page 81

Indoor Mask Mandate Dropped

4min
page 80

Quarantine Regulations

4min
page 79

Booster Shots

4min
page 78

Synagogue Hostage Crisis Response

5min
page 72

In-Person Fall Classes

4min
page 77

Afghan Refugees

9min
pages 73-76

Reproductive Rights Rally 68–69 Ithaca Decarbonization Plan

20min
pages 67-71

Trader K’s Closing

4min
page 66

Acting Mayor Laura Lewis

4min
page 65

Gentrifcation

4min
page 64

Day of Learning: Grappling with Antisemitism

5min
pages 61-62

Mayor Svante Myrick Resigns

4min
page 63

Campus Climate Initiative

5min
page 60

Commentary: College Fails Students of Color

6min
page 59

Understaffng

5min
page 57

Health Support & Services

4min
page 58

Mouse Sightings

4min
page 56

Commentary: Free Public Transportation

5min
page 55

Inflation

2min
page 54

Center for IDEAS Director

8min
pages 48-50

Zine Addresses Rape Culture

4min
page 52

Student Veteran Support

4min
page 51

Presidential Search

3min
page 44

President La Jerne Cornish

4min
page 46

AAUP Calls for Transparency

5min
page 45

Reaction to 10th President

5min
page 47

Dean Searches

12min
pages 41-43

Editorial: Music Theater School Merger

5min
page 35

Alumni Donations

5min
page 31

Opera Director Program

4min
page 33

Commentary: Course Registration

10min
pages 37-40

Tuition Increase

3min
page 36

Sakai to Canvas

4min
page 32

August & September

2min
page 11

Academic Program Prioritization Phase Two

4min
page 34
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