IN THE RUNNING
Meet Vanessa Fajans-Turner, Mike Sigler and Josh Riley — the three local candidates in the congressional race By Ta n n e r H a r di ng
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he road to redistricting in New York State has been anything but smooth. It began with a failed attempt from a bipartisan redistricting commission that was supposed to produce fair maps without gerrymandering. When that couldn’t be done, the commission presented two sets of maps — one that clearly favored Democrats, and one that clearly favored Republicans. With the failure to come to an agreement, the process was left to the state’s majority-Democrat legislature. This led to the new lines announced in February — lines that not-so-subtly benefitted Democrats. Those lines put Ithaca and Tompkins County in the new 22nd congressional district, along with Cortland, Geneva and Syracuse. The redistricting saga has not yet come to an end, as at the end of March, Justice Patrick F. McAllister, a Republican state supreme court justice based in rural Steuben County, ruled the new districts were unconstitutional due to the obvious partisan advantage it afforded the Democrats. He gave the legislature until April 11 to come up with new lines, or he would appoint an independent “master” to draw them. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s attorney general Letitia James said they would appeal the ruling. Regardless of the outcome of this latest bump, it’s unlikely that this year’s election calendar will be suspended. The Democratic primary is slated for June 28. The new district 22 largely combines the old 22, held by Rep. Claudia Tenney, and the old 24, held by Rep. John Katko, both Republicans. Katko retired earlier this year, and Tenney announced she will instead be running for the new District 23 (Tompkins County’s now former district), which includes much of the Southern Tier west of Tompkins County.
Despite the fact Katko and Tenney are Republicans, the new district is solidly Democrat. Ithaca and Syracuse have long been Democratic strongholds, with Tompkins County voting 73.5 % in favor of Joe Biden in the 2020 election (the biggest margin in the state aside from Brooklyn), and Onondaga County voting about 60 % in Biden’s favor. Cortland County went to Donald Trump, but just barely, with results at 49.8 % for Trump and 47.8 % for Biden. However, though Ithaca has long been strongly blue, its former district has not. Ithaca was formerly part of district 23, which included the very rural areas west of the county, stretching along the southern tier. This made the district reliably red, and in fact Republican Rep. Tom Reed, who will not be running for re-election after a sexual misconduct accusation, often made a pastime of speaking poorly of Ithaca. So despite the obvious gerrymandering, the new district does seem to provide an opportunity for more satisfying representation for Ithacans. So with all that said, the field for the 22nd district as it currently stands is crowded. Most of the candidates are Democrats, and most are from Syracuse. But three candidates come from outside Onondaga County and from a little closer to home.
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VANESSA FAJANS-TURNER
An Ithacan through and through, Fajans-Turner is a former student of Beverly J. Martin Elementary School, DeWitt Middle School and Ithaca High School. However, her perspective and work experience has given her a more global perspective. Fajans-Turner worked as a sustainable development professional at the United Nations before beginning work with “James Cameron’s climate and In2 0 2 2
digenous-rights focused Avatar Alliance lot of new technology to build electric Foundation,” according to her website. vehicles and to power our houses. That She then co-launched Investable Oceans, requires larger scale manufacturing for which aims to connect climate-conscious things like renewable batteries, solar investors with climate-friendly ocean panels, heat pumps. This district has one startups. Currently, she serves as the of the richest manufacturing histories in executive director of BankFWD, a not- the country, and it’s very well-suited to for-profit that works to end Wall Street’s lead and be home to manufacturing opexpansion and fiportunities of the nancing for new future.” fossil fuel advanceShe noted ment. that district 22 After years of has lots of land, being “the person students, expertise behind the perin research and son,” Fajans-Turndevelopment, and er said, she’s ready a proximity to to become “the ports. person.” “That re“We have two ally situates this to three years to district and this make big things region optimally happen, and I’m for what will drive running this year much of the green with the goal of economy,” Fajanssitting and voting Turner said. in Congress next She added that year,” she said. “It’s there’s an importhe way I hope and tant agricultural believe I, as an inindustry in the Vanessa Fajans-Turner is a lifelong dividual, can have district, and that Ithacan. (Photo: Provided) in achieving the should she be climate goals I beelected she’d like lieve in.” to sit on the agriculture committee “as a Despite her jobs with the UN and way of ensuring climate and agricultural fighting Wall Street, Fajans-Turner has priorities align.” also been involved in the climate fight in “As well as making sure agriculIthaca as an advisor on the city’s Green tural funding is provided in adequate New Deal. She said the knowledge of amounts to farms of all sorts in this the work that’s being done here has also district to facilitate their ability to transerved as an inspiration to how her goals sition to more sustainable pathways in for the climate and for improving the a way that increases their income and district not only coincide, but support supports them more than they are now,” one another. Fajans-Turner said. “This district has huge opportunities As well as the climate, Fajans-Turner to lead in fighting climate change while said she prioritizes healthcare and the growing its economy,” she said. “Fightoverall emotional and physical welling climate change is going to require a being of residents. To this end, she
