The Tompkins County Health Department announced information on the BA.2 COVID-19 variant, and an update on severity of disease in Tompkins County. While new positive CO- VID-19 cases have increased over the past several weeks in Tompkins County, hospitaliza- tions and severe disease have continued to decrease and there has been no shift in local guidance. The Health Depart- ment continues to recommend masks be worn if you are around people who are ill, who may not be vaccinated against COVID-19, or with those who are at higher risk of severe illness. They also recommend masks be worn by immuno- compromised individuals and seniors who are at higher risk of severe illness from the virus. Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa stated, “We can say with a high degree of confidence that BA is circulating in our communi- ty. It does not appear this vari- ant is driving severe disease or hospitalizations, though we continue to monitor hospital admissions closely.” The Health Department clarified that the majority of cases in Tompkins County still present with the typical COVID-19 symptoms of fever, cough, and respiratory illness. Throughout the pandemic TCHD has seen a small per- centage of COVID-positive individuals present with gastrointestinal symptoms, though there is currently no indication that these symptoms are indicative of BA.2 or any other COVID-19 variant. If you experience any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, including sudden gastrointestinal symptoms, seek a COVID-19 test. Tests are still available for free to Tompkins County residents at the Cayuga Health System test- ing site at the Shops at Ithaca Mall (40 Catherwood Rd.).

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N ews line

VOL.XLII / NO. 32 / March 30, 2022 Serving 47,125 readers weekly

COVID New variant, no guidance change

The Tompkins County Health Department announced information on the BA.2 COVID-19 variant, and an update on severity of disease in Tompkins County.

While new positive COVID-19 cases have increased over the past several weeks in Tompkins County, hospitalizations and severe disease have continued to decrease and there has been no shift in local guidance. The Health Department continues to recommend masks be worn if you are around people who are ill, who may not be vaccinated against COVID-19, or with those who are at higher risk of severe illness. They also recommend masks be worn by immunocompromised individuals and seniors who are at higher risk of severe illness from the virus.

Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa stated, “We can say with a high degree of confidence that BA.2 is circulating in our community. It does not appear this variant is driving severe disease or hospitalizations, though we continue to monitor hospital admissions closely.”

The Health Department clarified that the majority of cases in Tompkins County still present with the typical COVID-19 symptoms of fever, cough, and respiratory illness. Throughout the pandemic TCHD has seen a small percentage of COVID-positive individuals present with gastrointestinal symptoms, though there is currently no indication that these symptoms are indicative of BA.2 or any other COVID-19 variant.

If you experience any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, including sudden gastrointestinal symptoms, seek a COVID-19 test. Tests are still available for free to Tompkins County residents at the Cayuga Health System testing site at the Shops at Ithaca Mall (40 Catherwood Rd.).

Restaurant Moosewood restaurant now open under new ownership

After a few months of renovations that left the restaurant closed, Moosewood is open under the leadership of new owners. Danica Wilcox and her husband Nicholas took over the restaurant at the beginning of the year.

The couple and their son were living in Mallorca, Spain (often spelled Majorca in English) when Wilcox found out from her mother, who is part of the Moosewood collective, that the group was talking about shutting the restaurant down.

“Rather than have them close it, I decided to move back here and take it over with my husband and a business partner,” Wilcox said.

Wynnie Stein, a longtime member of the Moosewood collective, added that members of the collective were looking to step back as they got older, and they had been looking for a successor to the restaurant.

“It was important to us that we find some younger people who would love what we have developed, and bring it to a different level, into the future,” she said. “Luckily, after searching and some false starts with others, we were able to start discussions with Danica.”

Though she might have been on the other side of the ocean, Wilcox is no stranger to Moosewood.

“I grew up in the Moosewood kitchen,” she said. “I worked here. It was my first job and will probably be my last.”

Stein is particularly excited about the ability to “keep it in the family,” so to speak.

“I want people to understand we’re thrilled with her involvement because she was a Moosewood kid,” Stein said. “She grew up on our food. She understands it in a way a new person would not.”

Wilcox grew up in Ithaca but moved away for college when she was 18. Eventually she and her husband moved to Spain, where he worked as a visual artist, and she had a design store and art gallery. She said it wasn’t an easy decision to decide to return to her hometown, but thought that it felt like the right move.

“Home is always home, even though Ithaca hasn’t been my home since I was 18,” she said. “It’s very different but familiar, which is a funny reality. The way you experience things at 18 and 48 are very different.”

Different but familiar is a good way to describe the changes Wilcox has made to Moosewood, too. She said the

Danica Wilcox in the renovated Moosewood dining room. (Photo: Ash Bailot)

continued on page 4

T a k e N o t e

▶ Fundraiser - A GoFundMe has been organized to support the families of two victims of a March 20 car accident in Ithaca. The accident on East Shore Drive killed 19-year-old Vladislav Varetsa, and left his best friend and cousin Timmy Linnik hospitalized with a fractured femur and cracked ribs. They were the two passengers of the car. Varetsa, who was the front passenger, was ejected from the vehicle while Linnik had to be exricated by the fire department. The fundraiser money will go toward both families’ expenses, including memorial/funeral, medical/surgical and legal fees. Find the GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/ linnik-and-varetsa-family?utm_ campaign=p_cp+sharesheet&utm_medium=copy_link_ all&utm_source=customer or by searching Linnik and Varetsa Family on GoFundMe.com.

FEATURES

Leading the Way����������������������������8

Lisa Holmes makes history as the first woman to serve as Tompkins County administrator. In Full Force���������������������������������13

The theatre scene in Ithaca is back with three inventive, moving shows on stage. Sports..........................................................11 Festival ..................................................... 15 Film ..............................................................16 Dining ........................................................ 19 Times Table................................................20 Classifieds.................................................22

On the Cover: lisa holmes in legislature chambers. (Photo: Ash Bailot)

ON THE WEB

Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000

Tanner H arding , M anaging E ditor , x1224 E ditor @ i thacatim E s . com J aime Cone , E ditor , x1232 s outh r E p ort E r @ flcn . org C H r is i ber T, C al E n dar E ditor , x1217 a rts @ i thacatim E s . com a ndrew s ullivan , S port S E ditor , x1227 s ports @ flcn . org sT e ve l awren C e , S port S Colu M n i S t st E v E s ports d ud E @ gmail . com m ars H a ll H opkins , p rodu C t ion d ir E C t or /d ES i gn E r , x1216 p roduction @ i thacatim E s . com

s H a ron d avis , d i S t ribution Front @i tha C ati M ES . Co M

J im b ilinski , p ubli S h E r , x1210 jbilinski @ i thacatim E s . com l arry H o C H b erger , a SS o C i at E p ubli S h E r , x1214 larry@ i thacatim E s . com F reelancers : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Linda B. Glaser, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Gay Huddle, Austin Lamb, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Lori Sonken, Henry Stark, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE COPYRIGHT © 2022, BY NEWSKI INC. All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable. All copy must be received by Friday at noon. The Ithaca Times is available free of charge from various locations around Ithaca. Additional copies may be purchased from the Ithaca Times offices for $1. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $89 one year. Include check or money order and mail to the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. ADVERTISING: Deadlines are Monday 5 p.m. for display, Tuesday at noon for classified. Advertisers should check their ad on publication. The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The Ithaca Times is published weekly Wednesday mornings. Offices are located at 109 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 607-277-7000, FAX 607-277-1012, MAILING ADDRESS is PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. The Ithaca Times was preceded by the Ithaca New Times (1972-1978) and The Good Times Gazette (1973-1978), combined in 1978. F ounder G ood Times G aze T T e : Tom Newton

INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER

WHERE’S ONE PLACE YOU’VE BEEN THAT YOU SUGGEST EVERYONE CHECKS OUT AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIVES?

“Sedona, Arizona. I could really be myself there!” -Alison W.

“Rome or Alaska.” -Jason & Courtney W.

“This will be controversial, but Times Square!” -Josh & Ari B.

“Hilo, Hawaii. It’s a pretty inexpensive place to visit, and it’s beautiful.” -Kevin R.

“Go hiking at Treman State Park!” -Monita C.

SPRING Garden Club, Cornell and city collaborate for springtime plantings

After enduring two years of a global pandemic — which left many things dull and unknown — the Ithaca Garden Club, the City of Ithaca and Cornell University have joined together to bring color back into the community.

Daff-a-Dazzle, an initiative to beautify Ithaca, kicked off in October 2020 when the Ithaca Garden Club planted 12,000 narcissi and more than 5,000 muscari and crocus along Taughannock Boulevard.

Many of these bulbs were planted right outside the office of Jeanne Grace, the Ithaca City Forester. Upon noticing how attractive the plantings were, Grace knew she’d like to see more of this vibrant color around Ithaca.

“I would look out my window and see people taking pictures of the flowers,” Grace said. “These flowers were exactly what we needed. They bring joy after long, gray Ithaca winters. I got involved as quickly as I could.”

Grace took matters into her own hands by getting Ithaca’s economic development office on board. By combining forces, Grace managed to help the Ithaca Garden Club fund a purchase of 20,500 bulbs, all which were planted in fall 2021.

Grace’s involvement in the project extends to include her research of where to plant new bulbs. She finds land that’s feasible to plant on, safe from underground utility and infertile soil.

The planting process wouldn’t be possible, however, without the efforts of Dr. Bill Miller, a professor of horticulture in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University. On behalf of Cornell, Miller lends a stateof-the-art planting machine to the Daff-a-Dazzle initiative, a machine gifted to the university by A. Geerlings, a Dutch bulb company. With the help of this machine, thousands of bulbs can be planted in minutes, saving time and energy for everyone.

“Daff-a-Dazzle allows us to take a nice place, Ithaca, and make it better,” Miller said. “I’m grateful that the Garden Club has given me a crucial role to play, but it’s their vision and dedication that makes it all possible.”

Grace, Miller, and the Ithaca Garden Club encourage residents and passersby to consider donating to the Daffa-Dazzle project.

“Every single dollar goes into the bulbs,” Elaine Alexander, a member of the Ithaca Garden Club said. “Everyone on the team is donating their time, energy, and resources to make Daff-a-Dazzle a success, but donations from the community go directly into beautifying Ithaca, one bulb at a time.”

You can donate to the Daff-a-Dazzle initiative directly using their PayPal link. https://www.paypal.com/ donate/?hosted_button_ id=66CHMBWU5NTFW

“The club works on lots of civic projects, but this one’s something special,” another Ithaca Garden Club member, Wendy Blanchard, said. “The number of bulbs we planted last fall nearly doubled what we had from the previous year. Imagine what we could accomplish next year with community donations. The daffodils should start blooming around the first week of April and they’re bound to mesmerize. What a way to commemorate the Garden Club’s centennial year.”

Be sure to visit Cass Park and the Stewart Park waterfront trail in the upcoming weeks to see these daffodils in bloom.

Flowers blooming at Cass Park in 2021. (Photo: Provided)

MOOSE WOOD

Continued From Page 3

physical changes to the space bring it closer to the way she remembers it looking as a child. Stein said the look will have changed a lot to patrons, but that it’s still a warm and welcoming look, just a bit more updated.

“I do believe the new team is going to continue not just preserving, but enhancing, and that’s really important to us,” Stein said.

Additionally, Wilcox returned to the seasonal, local ethos that first shaped the Moosewood menu.

“When Moosewood started in 1973 they worked a lot with local farmers, making seasonal, locally based dishes,” Wilcox said. “We’re going back to that. It’s kind of more of a return to its roots than a straying away.”

Stein agreed, adding her appreciation for the local touch.

“We’ve got such long-term relationships with cheesemakers and growers and honey suppliers and the wine industry. We were one of the first restaurants to support local wine and beer way back in the ‘70s,” she said. “She’s going to honor that and build it to a different level.”

The menu features beer, wine and cider that are all local to the Finger Lakes, as well as cocktails using local spirits.

“We’re trying to adapt and reimagine Moosewood for this century,” she said.

One thing that isn’t changing is the staff. Wilcox said they have all the same people working in the kitchen, and that nearly everyone who worked there before they took ownership still works there.

“There have been rumors flying around that the staff did not return or we didn’t hire them back, and that’s simply not true,” she said. “We have about 80% of the staff still here, including members of the collective.”

Stein said the Moosewood collective maintains the Moosewood brand and are still very much “in the mix.”

“I’m the brand manager now and representing the collective and that relationship, so we’ll work together to do some really cool things,” she said.

Stein added that Karen Sgambati, a longtime front of house supervisor, is also still there and has proved helpful for the transition.

There is, however, a new manager. Aron Kelly has joined Moosewood after 20 years working at restaurants like Gemma, Soho Grand and The Waverly Inn in New York City.

“He’s bringing a lot of new ideas and sort of a new energy to the front of the house,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox said there are lots of plans for the upcoming months, but the first priority is to get the patio ready, so people can eat outside on warmer spring days. They’re also working on creating takeout options and having ready-made food available, as well as working on a 50th anniversary cookbook.

The restaurant will also host two wine tasting events in April. The first is on April 1 and called “Bubbles,” and attendees will get to compare local sparkling wines to Champagne. The second is April 8 and is called “FLX Wine 101,” and will be a tasting of local wines.

Moosewood is currently open for dinner WednesdaySunday from 5-9 p.m., with plans to open for lunch soon, and Wilcox encourages people to come see the changes. So far, she said the reaction from diners has been pretty positive.

“Moosewood always has been and always will be a big part of the Ithaca community,” she said. “And we’re going to remain loyal to their original ethos — feed people good food.”

For those interested in either wine tasting event, email hello@moosewoodrestaurant. com. -Lyndsey Honor

Public Safety Public questions police plan: Can unarmed responders do the job?

The co-leaders of the Reimagining Public Safety task force had its first public feedback session since the group’s final recommendations for a new department were revealed earlier this month. At the March 22 town hall, individuals were able to directly ask questions of Acting Mayor Laura Lewis and coleads Eric Rosario and Karen Yearwood.

The first question they were asked, and one of the most pressing since the report was published, is how they envision five unarmed responders taking on the level of work outlined. As it currently stands, the division of police would be responsible for 13 call types, while the division of community solutions (the unarmed division) would be responsible for 25 call types. The remaining 17 could go

to either or both, depending on the decisions of the future commissioner. In addition to the discrepancy of the number of call types, the unarmed division is proposed to begin with five responders, as opposed to the 68 funded positions at the Ithaca Police Department.

The answer wasn’t terribly specific, with Yearwood explaining that the implementation would be a gradual process.

“We aren’t under the impression that we can immediately assign five newly hired community responders to the amount of work outlined in the report,” she said. “But we are aware it would need to start slowly.”

It wasn’t clear if that meant some of those calls would be reassigned to the policing division until a higher number of staff at the community solutions level could be achieved, or if there’s another alternative.

There were a couple questions about culture change within policing as well, as it’s been a topic of discussion since the beginning of the Reimagining Public Safety process a year ago.

Yearwood said that she believes the very existence of a civilian commissioner overseeing the Department of Community Safety will “provide a refreshing way to foster a new culture in its own right.”

She acknowledged that culture can’t be mandated, but that a strong leader can

help shift culture. Rosario highlighted Sgt. Mary Orsaio of Ithaca Police Department as someone who has received many compliments from the vulnerable populations they consulted with, proving that these types of behavior can exist within a culture.

“Culture change can also be fostered by transparency and accountability by the things we choose to measure,” Rosario said, emphasizing the importance for more data collection and distribution.

The task force’s recommendations didn’t directly address treating mental health in the community, which some residents questioned. Rosario explained that mental health is a county responsibility, so it was part of the work that would need to be done as part of the 17 collaborative recommendations that are being tackled by the Community Justice Center.

The city’s human resources director, Schelley MichellNunn, addressed the hiring process for the civilian commissioner, and promised there would be community involvement.

“In the city we have, through our city charter, a procedure for hiring department heads,” she said. “There will be opportunities for the community to be involved at some point in that process. We will conduct a national search and at this point in time the commissioner would be appointed by the mayor and voted on by Common Council.”

Resident Camille Tischler asked for clarification about the referendum that will likely need to take place as the new department is implemented. Lewis explained that certain decisions are outlined in the city charter as triggering a referendum, and altering reporting lines is one of them.

The police chief currently reports to the mayor, but once the plan is implemented the police chief would report to the commissioner, which changes the reporting lines. This will automatically trigger a vote, but it’s unclear if any other aspects of the plan will.

“We don’t know at this point if any other decisions […] will require a referendum,” Lewis said.

Resident Alana Byrd, who is with a group called Ithacans for Reimagining Public Safety, asked if there were any other cities that delineated calls in a similar fashion and how successful they had been.

Rosario said they looked at a number of models, one of best known being CAHOOTS out of Eugene, Oregon. He said in 2019, the CAHOOTS program had 24,000 calls and called for backup from police about 1% of the time.

“So that’s inspiring because those are the situations that say this can be done,” he said. “And that’s experience over decades.”

He referenced another similar alternative response program in Denver that is in its pilot phase and has been “very successful.”

“They haven’t had to call for police backup once, and they’re going to expand that [program],” he said.

However, the recommendations for call delineation and the two divisions under one department are unique.

“We’d be the first to try something quite like we’re doing it,” he said. “So we’re looking at successful practices and also developing it with Ithaca flavor.” -Tanner Harding

“We aren’t under the impression that we can immediately assign five newly hired community responders to the amount of work outlined in the report.”

-Karen Yearwood Reimagining task force leaders Eric Rosario and Karen Yearwood. (Photos: Provided) Ups The Ithaca Farmers Market returns to Steamboat Landing this weekend. Woohoo! Downs Cornell has moved to alert level yellow following an uptick in cases shortly after students were allowed to remove masks in most scenarios.

HEARD&SEEN

Heard The Paleontological Research Institution and Museum of Earth have teamed up with Cornell University to exhibit hundreds of insect speciments for its newest exhibit — SixLegged Science: Unlocking the Secrets of the Insect World. Seen A certain former mayor of Ithaca was included in a segment on overdose reduction centers on John Oliver’s show “Last Week Tonight” on HBO. We’ll let you guess who.

IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own praise or blame, write news@ithacatimes. com, with a subject head “U&D.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK Have you recovered from springing ahead?

Next Week’s QuestioN: Where do you stand on the slap heard ‘round the world? (i.e. Will Smith vs Chris Rock)

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

A Legislator’s thoughts on Reimagining Public Safety

By Richard John

Iam writing to provide some thoughts on Reimagining Public Safety (RPS). But before doing so, particularly if you think the project is a waste of time, or has nothing to do with you, I would like to challenge you with a simple question: Do you want to move to Minneapolis?

If you followed the news story out of Minneapolis, then you certainly saw the George Floyd family grieving and the trial of the police officer, Derek Chauvin. What might not have been so apparent but has also occurred is damage to the community. While not easy to quantify, there has been tremendous ongoing cost. In the year after George Floyd died, in the neighborhoods surrounding what is now George

Floyd Square, there was rioting and over a year-long occupation of the area by activists. Local business was down 75%. Shootings and other crimes spiked. Around a quarter of the police force retired or quit, and as a result, the policing model became entirely reactive. While problems existed beforehand, the death of George Floyd Rich John severely depleted exactly the kind of community trust necessary to move forward. The city government essentially froze. There has been little ability to communicate, let continued on page 7

A Kids’ Game

By Stephen Burke

Last time, this column examined the skateboarding scene in Ithaca. The city built the first municipal skate park in central New York more than 20 years ago.

Part of the park is built over what used to be baseball fields, demonstrating concretely the development of skateboarding (non-existent before the 1940s and largely unheralded until the ‘60s) and decline of the 150-year-old national pastime.

Yet one finds exceptions in unexpected places. Last week I was speaking with a local family of some friendly acquaintance. The parents are not of this country originally. They have a son about age 7.

The day we were speaking, the boy was wearing a football t-shirt. I asked if he liked football. He hesitated and shrugged the way thoughtful children will when they have something to say, but are unsure of the process and their willingness to engage in it with someone they don’t know very well. “Or any sport?” I asked.

He nodded and smiled. “I like baseball,” he said.

I suppose I was less surprised than if he had said “water polo,” but not much. If I’d had to bet, I would have guessed soccer, which is played almost everywhere in the world, while baseball is played hardly anywhere.

“Really?” I said. “Me too. I can switchhit,” I said, pantomiming it, avid to go on a bit longer (his parents were smiling).

“You can?” he exclaimed with an enthusiasm that was either simply genuine or artfully contrived.

“Yes,” I said, “but not very well,” and he giggled.

Maybe baseball’s status as a team sport, thus providing camaraderie, combined with its inherent simplicity appeals to children.

Soccer is fairly straightforward, but there’s a lot of running, which can be distracting to kids. I once coached soccer to very young kids and would emphasize the importance of running in the direction of the ball. Often the path was toward a friend on the other team, to lock arms and spin around.

Football and basketball are rather complex to master. There’s a lot of strategy and movement of bodies and the ball.

Baseball has only sporadic action, and it’s quite linear. The ball goes from the pitcher to the batter to a fielder. The action, such as it is, is easy to follow.

In soccer, football, basketball and hockey, players speed around trying to be the one to get the ball (or puck) and score. Baseball is unique, one might say quizzical, as the only sport where the team that doesn’t have the ball scores the points. Baseball is not just linear but deliberate, i.e. slow, which makes it a poor fit for television, thus mass media audiences. The speed, grace and action (and occasional violence) of the other sports make them perfect for a visual medium with dozens of camera angles and slow motion and replay capacities for seeing the action you couldn’t follow when it actually happened. That suitability has rendered football, especially, with its more than occasional violence, far more popular

than baseball.

But baseball is good for conversing, which can be nice between people. One never knows where talking might lead and delight might occur.

A few times each season I go to games in Binghamton and Syracuse, which each have a minor league team affiliated with the major league New York Mets. The games are well played and entertaining. The ballparks are clean and comfortable. The crowds are pleasant. Admission costs about the same as a movie. It’s outside. It’s a great place for casual outings with family and friends.

A few years ago I was meeting a friend from Ithaca at a game in Binghamton. He was bringing his 5-year-old son, who had never been to a game. They got there early.

When I met them at our seats, the son was straining a little as adult greetings passed. After a well-mannered number of minutes he touched his father’s arm. “Papa, can we go find the mascot?” he said.

Oversized mascots are a big entertainment feature of ball games these days, especially the striving minor leagues. In Binghamton the mascot is a big-headed horse with a perpetual smile and a certain zest for social interaction.

I looked at my friend. “He knows the word ‘mascot’?” I asked.

“He does now,” he said.

Continued From Page 6

alone reach any consensus across the deep divides. This is a city trying to develop new, better policy through a fog of rage and exhaustion. It is difficult to imagine the economic impact to the vibrancy that Minneapolis (and any city) is supposed to have. Perhaps pain is necessary for Minneapolis to reach a true reckoning, and there are undoubtedly people committed to getting there, but the community will need to endure this for years to come; and with no certainty that what comes next will be any better. Is this a place you would choose to live right now?

Because we all live in a community here as well, thinking that this issue has nothing to do with you is just not true. Thankfully, while getting the echoes, we have not experienced this level of community trauma here. Whatever you think about Minneapolis, the point remains that we never want to have such a thing happen in our community. But it could, particularly if we do nothing to ensure that our present practices are working. Any incident, even if accidental, could trigger community upheaval. With this danger in mind, taking a proactive approach to look at what we want in our community makes great good sense to me.

Unfortunately, at present, for certain segments of our community they do not believe that the system is set up to help them. At the most basic level, the point of the RPS effort is to address trust between the policing agencies and the whole community. We want everyone to feel they can call for help when they need help. And we want the community to help the emergency responders when they show up. Even if you think it is unfair to judge local policing on what happened in Minneapolis (and elsewhere), people still feel as they feel. This lack of trust makes policing harder, less safe, and less effective. We can argue about what has caused this breakdown in trust, but there should be no disagreement that trying to get to a better place is smart. The RPS effort is a possible way to get there.

On the flip side of skepticism or indifference, I have certainly seen easy certainty. To be clear, RPS is not about defunding or even eliminating our police agencies, as some advocate. I note that we recently saw a series of criminal events in the county involving guns. I bring it up here to make the point that as a basic principle, we need our police. The people who are firing guns in our community need to be identified, caught, and arrested. I have heard no credible response to this type of violence or other dangerous situations as an alternative to a trained, organized and professional police force. We, as elected officials, need to be as clear as possible that we understand the importance of building a total public safety model, with our police officers filling a crucial role in our larger criminal justice system. But we also need clarity around the vision of a system with better bonds of trust between our emergency responders and all community members.

And, in fact, as a part of RPS, both the City and County will be investing more, not less, in public safety. Simply, RPS is about addition, not subtraction. We are starting to build a more comprehensive approach that allows an emergency response appropriate to the nature of the problem, whether it is violence, addiction or mental illness. We are building a system to capture data and use it to help us better learn and understand. We will have a more organized and accessible system to reach out to members of the community so you can see what we are doing and express your views about it. I am hopeful that we will be able to better support our police, mental health professionals and addiction treatment providers as they serve our public safety.

Finally, you may disagree with some or all of what I have said here. That is fine, but in all events I encourage you to speak up. We really need a big local community conversation. This cannot be a spectator sport to see what the government does. And I say a local conversation because I am dubious about people who are not really part of our community, but hold a paid job to try to tell us what to do. I really believe the utility of these paid lobbyists and consultants is at an end, particularly when they suggest that some people within our community should be excluded from the discussion, or start by questioning someone else’s good faith. If we are to exclude anyone, it probably should be those who are paid to support a particular agenda.

There must be seats for people of color and the comfort and support for them to speak openly about their experiences. But there must also be room for our line officers who interact and deal with the public every day for them to participate and be heard. And, again, your voice matters too. Doing anything less will likely fail.

So, I encourage you to stay. Do not move to Minneapolis, or anywhere else. Instead, let’s see what we can do here to make our community stronger and safer for everyone. If you are still skeptical or indifferent, I suggest this is a poor stance, an option that may well lead to our own Minneapolis. But if that is where you are at, I offer some homework. It is often hard to talk about the issues involved. And it is often the case that, like many issues in our country, we only speak with people that agree with us. But I still ask you to reach out to someone that you may not typically talk with on this subject and see if you can listen for a bit. You might be surprised at how far we can go without even leaving home.

Richard John is the district four (City of Ithaca) representative on the Tompkins County Legislature. He is also the chair of the county’s Public Safety Committee. We need support for New York’s emergency food programs

It is no secret that our communities are experiencing economic hardship. On top of wage stagnation, food prices are the highest in 11 years and are projected to increase up to 5% next year.

We are calling on Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature to ensure full funding for three key anti-hunger programs:

NYS Department of Health’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) allows food banks to distribute hundreds of millions of pounds of food annually. The governor has proposed flat funding for HPNAP for the fifth year in a row, despite rising costs. Increased HPNAP funding is required to address this crisis.

Nourish New York connects NY farmers with emergency food providers and has distributed over 35 million pounds since April 2020. It is a common-sense policy that supports farmers and reduces food insecurity and we call on our elected officials to adequately fund this initiative.

A New York State Food Bank Capital Fund should be established to help our state’s food banks invest in their physical infrastructure and improve their food storage and distribution.

The realities of increasing hardship being faced by NY residents cannot be addressed with flat funding. We call on Governor Hochul and the Legislature to lead on this issue through robust support for New York’s emergency food programs. -Food Bank of the Southern Tier Re: Fifth graders at BJM call for eco friendly drinking water options after lead scare

What a great example of allowing students an insight into how to keep their bodies healthy (fresh water), how to write persuasively, how to use scientific inquiry, and build their sense of agency. All the things that we strive for as educators, parents and citizens who want to have our budding citizens know how to think critically and take needed actions. Kudos to the teachers who strive to bring a great educational environment to a school community. BJM has not been resourced in the same way as other elementary schools in Ithaca. That’s a problem. But for today, let’s celebrate those young scholars and their hardworking teachers who are engaging their students to build their understanding of the world. Let’s also build a better BJM with the classrooms and infrastructure needed for 21st century learners. -Mary Cohen, via Ithaca.com Re: Uyghur graduate student raises brother’s detention at Cornell event, Chinese students walk out

They remind us how harmful it is when conversation devolves into derogatory anti-Asian expression.” Complete and utter nonsense. There was no anti-Asian expression in this instance at all. It was an Asian woman standing up for an oppressed people. If that makes 80 Chinese students feel it is a “hostile environment” well tough, welcome to America. Maybe our corporations, Hollywood, media and the NBA will sell out to China, but a lone free voice can still be heard. Until big tech finds a way to silence her.

-Eddie Coyle, via Ithaca.com Governor Kathy Hochul should join the NYS Senate and Assembly by backing Fair Pay for Home Care

New York’s population is aging rapidly — but the state is facing an urgent crisis: we don’t have enough home care workers to care for older adults and disabled people. In fact, New York currently faces the worst home care shortage in the nation. And the shortage is only growing worse as our population keeps aging, and older adults increasingly search for nursing home alternatives.

We need more home care workers to care for the state’s older adults and disabled community, but the state pays home care workers poverty wages — as little as $13.20 an hour in many counties — and prioritizes institutional settings. Home care workers who love their job are leaving the sector in droves to find better paying jobs.

We need to combat the state’s dangerous home care shortage to keep older adults and disabled people safe — and the way to do it is by including Fair Pay for Home Care in this year’s budget - which would raise home care wages to at least $35,000 a year on average.

Fair Pay for Home Care Act would wipe out the home care workforce shortage in less than five years, keep older adults and disabled people safe and out of nursing homes, and bring 200,000 new home care workers into the field.

In all, the state would see over $1 billion in net state economic benefits through job creation and moving home care workers off of social assistance — putting this budget priority on track to be one of the most successful economic development programs in the state’s history.

And the home care sector is overwhelmingly women, immigrants and people of color — so fair wages would create new jobs for historically underpaid communities.

More and more New Yorkers are joining together to say: It’s time for New York to care for older adults and disabled people — by investing in home care that will keep us and our loved ones safe and at home.

Can we count on the governor to stand up and fight for Fair Pay for Home Care in this year’s budget? - Larry Roberts, Systems Advocate at Finger Lakes Independence Center, Ithaca, NY

LEADING THE WAY

Lisa Holmes made history as the first woman to serve as Tompkins County administrator when she was appointed earlier this month.

Newly appointed Tompkins County Administrator Lisa Holmes hopes to shepherd the county toward an economic bounceback following a couple of years of financial uncertainty ushered in by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Holmes made history in mid March when she was permanently selected by the County Legislature as the county administrator. She had previously served as the county’s top budget officer in the last year on an interim basis and is the first woman in county history to serve as county administrator.

“I couldn’t be more delighted to be offered the opportunity to be able to lead the county and work with our great departmental leaders, staff and the County Legislature on the priorities that lie ahead for the county and help to advance them,” Holmes said.

Some of those priorities include continuing to craft annual budgets that reflect zero tax increases for local residents, responsibly maximizing increased influxes of sales tax revenue, and overseeing the finances of Tompkins County’s capital plan. The county’s five-year roadmap is a portfolio of projects such as the decarbonization of county buildings, infrastructure overhauls, remediation of roads and bridges, as well as upgrades to the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport.

Her tenure also overlaps with initiatives that have the potential to transform Tompkins County and Ithaca for years to come, such as the Reimagining Public Safety plan, as well as the consolidation of the County Mental Health and Public Health Departments.

The county administrator will look to draw from her 23 years of experience in local government to aid her in this new role. Holmes has had a long career serving in county government, having started in 1998 at the Tompkins County Office for the Aging, eventually becoming the department’s leader, and later becoming deputy county administrator in 2018.

Even with her extensive experience, Holmes has already had to wade through uncharted fiscal waters in her short time in charge of the county’s finances following former administrator Jason Molino’s departure.

“When I was first appointed as interim county administrator (in May 2021) we were still in the middle of the pandemic. We had that response going on and we were in the early, but still full-blown phases of the annual county budget process,” she said, reflecting on a 2022 county budget she said she feels “very proud of.”

“It involved a lot of hands-on learning, and learning as you go,” she said. “It was a sink-or-swim sort of thing.”

There have been encouraging signs of economic recovery for a county that at one point in 2020 was projected by the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) to lose out on close to 30% of its total taxable sales compared to 2019. NYSAC’s analysis grouped the counties of Tompkins and Orange, as well as New York and its outer boroughs, as those facing the worst financial hardship because of the pandemic.

“When students returned to the city in the fall of 2020 and we started opening back up, we saw our sales tax increase beyond our best years prior to the pandemic,” Holmes said. “We’ve been very strong in that realm, in terms of local revenue generation. That really helps us during the budget process.”

For the 2021 budget year, the county had estimated raking in approximately $34.8 million in sales tax. Last month, County Finance Director Rick Snyder told the Legislature the county had collected close to $41.6 million in sales tax revenue for the year. Some of these figures, however, also correlate with an increase in the price of certain goods and an overall increase in cost of living.

“The pent up consumer demand that came out of the pandemic, along with workforce shortages have led to supply chain shortages,” Holmes said. “There is certainly concern about inflation, its long term effects, and the impact that may have on us going forward.”

Holmes sees the surprising sales tax figures and an ever-tighter and ballooning real estate market in the county as both having positive and negative consequences.

“Housing prices are less affordable for people and that is certainly a concern of ours,” she said.

As of 2020, County Planning and Sustainability Department officials estimate that, according to U.S. Census Data, a household would need to earn $42,880 per year to afford the median rent for a onebedroom unit in Tompkins County without becoming rent-burdened. Rent-burdened is a status defined by federal officials and designated for households where at least 30% of the total income goes toward covering rent.

The median sales price for a home in the county — recorded in 2020 at $250,000 — increased by about 11%, or close to $20,000 from 2019 to 2020, according to the Tompkins County 2020 Housing Snapshot report.

The county, Holmes said, can protect homeowners from market volatility and uncertain world events affecting the global economy with flexible budgeting.

“For the 2022 budget, the Legislature opted to have a zero percent increase in the tax levy to try to assist taxpayers in that way. That’s one small way that we could try to help the average homeowner to keep things steady,” she said.

Federal funding from Tompkins County’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) $19.8 million can also help the county cover the cost of economic recovery, Holmes added.

“We could claim all of those funds as revenue lost and put them toward county expenses that would make sense for one time use,” she said.

As an example, Holmes pointed to the nearly $15 million in ARP funds used by the county to fund projects found in the approximately $128 million capital plan.

“This would reduce debt service over the long term and would be another stabilizing factor for the local economy,” she said.

By Eddie Velazquez

“It involved a lot of handson learning. It was a sinkor-swim kind of thing. -Lisa Holmes

Lisa Holmes in County Legislature chambers. (Photo: Ash Bailot)

Even with the economic volatility of the current moment, Holmes said she expects projects such as the Green Facilities Capital Project to stay on financial track. County officials have said at several public meetings that the $28 million project — with an expected completion in 2026 — will target all county-owned buildings with the ultimate goal of reducing the estimated 1,373 metric tons of carbon emissions generated by these structures.

“There are a few phases to the Green Facilities Project. We are in the first phase right now and that encompasses the ‘low hanging fruit’ within our facilities to reduce energy consumption,” she said. “I have not heard that any of those projects have come in overbid.”

Improvements expected within this first phase, Holmes said, include insulation and other weatherization efficiency measures, LED lighting enhancements and upgrades to the county’s information technology infrastructure.

The three phases of the project, county officials have said, could save the county close to $422,000 every year.

As for other capital projects, Holmes said “you have to take each one of these projects one by one.”

“In the realm of highway remediation, there has recently been a project that has gone overbid due to the cost of materials,” she said. “I would expect that we may be seeing more of that as the year goes on.”

Holmes attributed these expected higher price tags to the rising costs of construction materials. When asked if the county would request additional financing sources or to raise public funds to shore up the costs of overbid projects, Holmes noted that has not been necessary yet.

“I think we would need to look at what the project is and consider it carefully,” she said. “We need to look at what stage the project is in, or if it can be delayed, but we haven’t crossed that bridge yet. We would need to consider those factors and determine what the best options are moving forward.”

On the Reimagining Public Safety Initiative, Holmes said the desired outcome is community safety for all.

“The reasoning behind the initiative was to look at the disparate outcomes and disproportionate treatment of minority communities by law enforcement,” she said. “We want to see a process that is transparent and includes community input. I think the stated goal is really important, but the process and how we get there is equally important.”

Holmes also spoke on the merger of the County Mental Health and Public Health Departments, a project that has suffered delays due to the COVID-19 epidemic. She noted the process is very much in the works at the moment.

“Staff from both departments are in the process of jointly working on the services they will offer to the community,” Holmes said. “They are looking to streamline the process, so that when an individual or a family comes through the system they can be seamlessly served with wraparound services under one department, and really looking at holistic care.”

In terms of public and mental health and how they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic , Holmes noted the county is also looking at transitioning from a model of acute response to one of recovery.

“We want to address some of the longerterm impacts that the pandemic has had in our communities, mental health, and supportive services,” she said.

The county is also looking to execute an analysis of its salary grade structure in order to improve employee hiring and retention, Holmes said. The study would include a market review of comparable positions at other counties in the region and in the private sector for county workers across all bargaining units, including management and management confidential employees.

“We released a request for proposal for those services and are in the process of selecting a vendor to begin that study in the near future,” she said. “We are very aware that we want to keep our salaries at a competitive level so that we can attract and retain the best talent that we can to provide county services.”

The 2021 living wage calculated by the Alternatives Credit Union and supported by the Tompkins County Workers

Shooting victim dies from gunshot wounds

On Monday, March 28, the victim of the shooting that occurred on March 20 near the intersection of W. State Street and S. Plain Street died from the injuries sustained from the shooting. According to police, he was shot multiple times shortly before 3 a.m.

The victim, Teheran Forest, 43, of Ithaca, died at a regional trauma center as a direct result of the shooting, making the case a homicide investigation. At the time of the shooting, the suspects were described as two Black males, both tall, thin and wearing hooded sweatshirts. One of the men’s sweatshirts was all black while the other’s was black with red sleeves.

This is the first homicide in 2022, and it comes just weeks after police announced the arrest of William L. Marshall, 40, of Ithaca for the murder of Alan Godfrey in July 2021. Godfrey was shot and killed in the 200 block of Taughannock Boulevard.

At this time an investigation into this matter is active and ongoing and as a result no further information will be released. The IPD is investigating this incident with assistance from the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police Major Crimes Unit.

Anyone who may have information or who may have witnessed any part of this incident is encouraged to contact the Ithaca Police Department. Residents with doorbell cameras or other home surveillance systems are also encouraged to review their footage around the date and time of this incident.

Those who wish to provide information may do so anonymously if desired. -Staff Report

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Center is set at $15.32 per hour. The living wage issupposed to cover the minimum standard of living for a single person, including the cost of a onebedroom apartment, health insurance through the state’s health marketplace, and taxes. “Information aide” is the only county position to earn less per hour than the 2021 living wage standard, according to 2020 county pay scales. These positions start with a hire rate of $14.68 per hour. Ultimately, Holmes believes the county is doing a good job balancing important projects. The incoming budget season, she added, will be a test to the solid leadership she sees at the county level. “In the short term, we’re looking at another budget season where we are going to be trying to put together a budget that’s both fiscally responsible, but also pays wages that attract and retain an excellent workforce,” she said. “We are at the point where we would like to have fully current contracts with all of our bargaining units.” County Legislature Chair Shawna Black has praised the county administrator’s work thus far. “I’m delighted that Lisa Holmes will be taking on this role, she is a thoughtful and compassionate leader who has proven her commitment to our organization and community during her career here with Tompkins County,” she said in a press statement. “(Holmes) has the full support of the Tompkins County Legislature. Looking forward, we have incredible opportunities for the county, and Holmes has the institutional knowledge, respect of our staff, and a clear vision to lead the organization moving forward.” As for Holmes, her position is all about service. “(All our county departments) really exist to serve our community, and I look forward to doing that the best way possible,” she concluded.

430 West State Street, Ithaca