NEWSLINE

N EWS LINE

New School Board Same Communication Issues

By Matt Dougherty

Three out of four progressive-backed candidates won positions on the Ithaca City Board of Education following the election asco that took place on May 17. A er the certi cation of the contentious election, two new members lled the positions formerly held by long-time board president Rob Ainslie and Kelly Evens.

Ainslie and Evens were replaced by Karen Yearwood and Jill Tripp. Incumbents Erin Croyle, Eldred Harris and Moira Lang all retained their positions as members of the Board of Education. In addition, over the summer Nicole LaFave resigned from her position on the Board — creating a vacancy that has yet to be lled.

Currently, it looks like the board is choosing to keep the position vacant because the alternatives of appointing someone or holding a special election to ll the position aren’t worth the trouble associated with them. For example, some board members said they felt uncomfortable with the prospect of appointing a replacement given the “messiness” of the last election, and holding a special election would cost the district somewhere between $60,000 to $80,000.

Despite the transformational election one of the biggest issues for the board has continued to be communication and transparency. For example, parents in the district have recently complained about a lack of communication around bus schedules, and district retirees have complained about changes made to their healthcare without their approval.

Karen Yearwood is an involved Ithaca parent with years of service as a PTO member and parent advocate. She is also involved in the community through participating in the Equity and Inclusion Leadership Council, Cornell Cooperative Extension and e Village at Ithaca. In addition, Yearwood has also served as the co-lead to the City of Ithaca’s reimagining public safety process, which has been the subject of ethics investigations by the county. e Times reached out to Yearwood multiple times for comment but never received a response.

Jill Tripp is a retired school psychologist who says that she has experience at every level of the district and is also the parent of an Ithaca graduate. Tripp recently told e Times, “I have wanted to be on the school board since my high school years in Conklin, NY. My thirty plus years as a school psychologist in Ithaca have given me a unique perspective on our schools.” She continued saying, “Watching my son go through the school district brought another perspective, and three years a er retirement I am ready to share my experience and energy.”

Yearwood and Tripp got elected on student-centered platforms that also focused on the workers in the district who o en feel overlooked by the Board of Education. Additionally, Erin Croyle — who was elected to the board as a write-in candidate in 2019 — was re-elected to continue her e orts at improving how the board communicates with the public about the district’s policies.

District Administration O cer Daniel Breiman responded to the complaints about the lack of communication about bussing saying that it’s a result of the district adding seven bus routes that will help improve ride times. As a result of these additional routes, the district will see 400 more students riding the bus this year. In response, the district has hired 12 new bus drivers — and 11 more are in training.

e district has apologized for the lack of communication about bussing and has announced that it expects bussing delays “to begin to ease over the next two weeks.” In the meantime, the district will be working on improving communication on transportation updates. e President of the Board of Directors for the Village of Ithaca, Karl Madeo, addressed the Board of Education about the issues retirees have been facing as a result of changes the district made to their health insurance in 2017 and 2021. Madio was representing a group called watchdogs for health insurance in retirement (WHIR).

Madeo told the Board that “the longtime ICSD bene t of being able to remain on the health care plan changed in 2017 when the district decided to move Medicare retirees to a Hartford Medicare supplemental plan.” en e ective January 1 2021, the district made an even more dramatic change to Medicare retiree health coverage by moving all retirees involuntarily o their original Medicare and onto a private Aetna Medicare Advantage plan. Madeo says that retirees did not ask to be removed

Newly-elected Karen Yearwood was looking to effect change on the Ithaca City Board of Election. So far, that change is not yet apparent.

Continued on Page 15

T A K E N O T E

The Ithaca Times made multiple changes to an October 11 article titled “Housing Fund Key To Creation Of A ordable Units.” Errors regarding the county’s Community Housing Development Fund (CHDF) were made. These errors were pointed out by Heather McDaniel, president of Tompkins County Area Development.

First, the article con ated a housing policy by the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) with the CHDF. The article attributed a new housing policy by the IDA to a new policy by the CHDF, which is incorrect. The new housing policy came into e ect in 2019 by the IDA, which says that developments that receive incentives must produce 20% of units as a ordable, or make payments into the CHDF.

Second, the article quoted the 2017 Tompkins County Housing Strategy report, but did not include full context. The report says that the county built 3,200 units during the 2007–09 economic recession, but less than 10% of the units met the a ordability goal while using funds from the CHDF. By not including the stated time period, The Ithaca Times improperly represented the CHDF.

VOL. XLIII / NO. 9 / October 19, 2022 Serving 47,125 readers weekly

ON THE COVER:

Ithaca City School District buses (Cover photo by Josh Baldo)

NEWSLINE ....................................3 SPORTS ..........................................7 WEST END DEVELOPMENT .......8

It has always been the “other side of the tracks.”

OPERA .........................................11 ART ..............................................13 COMEDY .....................................14 MUSIC ..........................................15 TIMES TABLE .............................16 CLASSIFIEDS ..............................18

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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 classi ed. 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 rst 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 AZETTE : TOM N EWTON

IN UIRING PHOTOGR PHERQ A

By Josh Baldo

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME AS A KID?

“One of the Wright brothers with a stick on mustache”. – Reid R.

“Dancing silhouette from the ipod commercial”. – Lauren F.

“A bag of trash”. – Tina D.

“Esmeralda from the Hunch Back of Notre Dame” – Kasey M.

“Kaneda from the lm Akira”. – Jason D.

Coalition for Snow Free Sidewalks and Crosswalks Demand a More Walkable Ithaca in the Winter

By Matt Dougherty

Transportation of any kind can be incredibly di cult for Ithaca residents during the seemingly endless upstate winter season. For pedestrians, bicyclists, and other transportation users, the process of getting around Ithaca a er a snowstorm can be the cause of tremendous anxiety — the problem is even worse for people with disabilities and senior citizens. As a result, the Coalition for Snow-free Sidewalks and Crosswalks has joined with Bike Walk Tompkins, Finger Lakes Independence Center, Tompkins County O ce for the Aging, and a growing number of Ithaca residents, to urge city government to take pedestrian snow clearing seriously. e city’s comprehensive plan — known as PlanIthaca — prioritizes pedestrians and active transportation over motor vehicles. e Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) also requires the city to make walkways accessible. However, according to Coalition for Snow-Free Sidewalks and Crosswalks member, Eric Lerner, “Ithaca’s local law and DPW policy on snow plowing embody di erent priorities.” e City of Ithaca requires property owners to clear snow from sidewalks in front of their property. However, many property owners are unwilling or unable to do so, and properties that are vacant or owned by absentee landlords are routinely le with mountains of snow piling up around them.

Lerner says, “A er storms there are hundreds, if not thousands, of properties not in compliance. When one property on a block is unplowed, the entire block may be impassible.” He continued saying, “Traveling on foot a er snow can mean navigating a complex labyrinth to nd walkable stretches of sidewalk.” ese snow piles are the worst at intersections because street plows routinely leave a ridge of uncleared snow and frozen debris at the ends of crosswalks, blocking pedestrian access to the curb ramp. ese plows dump new snow onto curbs that owners have already cleared. “A er this happens countless times the owners learn not to bother and stop clearing the snow,” said Lerner.

In addition, crosswalks are o en blocked by ridges of ice days a er both the driving lane and the sidewalk are clear because the Department of Public Works (DPW) does not regard it as part of their job to clear crosswalks and make them passable. A survey was conducted in 2019 on pedestrian snow removal in Ithaca and large majorities were not satis ed with Ithaca’s snow clearing policies. In fact, a large majority supported the city government doing more to make the city walkable during winter months.

According to Lerner, “Enforcement of the current law is muddled and ine ectual. e charter creates two separate enforcement mechanisms, one in the Public Works Department Streets & Facilities Division, and another in the Planning Department Building Division. Both are unsuccessful.” He continued saying, “there are about 5,500 properties in Ithaca, so if just 10% are uncleared a er a storm that would be about 550 violations. Even the best enforcement program could only reach a small fraction of those.”

A growing number of residents believe that Ithaca can and should do more to make the city pedestrian friendly during the long winter season. For example, similarly to how Itahca recently shi ed responsibilities for sidewalk repair to the city instead of the property owner, it could do the same for sidewalk snow removal.

Lerner says that Ithaca can learn from policies that have been adopted in other upstate cities such as Rochester and Syracuse. According to Lerner, “ e City of Rochester does citywide sidewalk snow clearing a er 4 inch snowfalls. [ e city uses] short-term contractors to provide additional labor and equipment as needed. Ithaca could do the same thing”. He continued saying, “ e City of Syracuse clears sidewalk snow on priority pedestrian routes and Ithaca could do that as well.”

During a recent Common Council meeting, Ithaca resident Joanne Vicki said, “I have personally been a ected by the mounds of compressed snow and ice especially at the corners of virtually every block in my neighborhood a er snowstorms.” She continued saying, “I’m 76. I walk for exercise and to get places and I walk between a half a mile and a mile and a half almost every day. However, over the past few years, walking during winter has become increasingly stressful given the accumulation of ice and snow, especially at the end of each block.” ere are many serious repairs, maintenance issues and sta ng shortages facing the Department of Public Works so expanding snow clearing responsibilities might seem like a lesser priority. However, the dangers of falling on icy walkways limit the activities that residents can

Accumulation of snow and slush blocking curb ramp Coalition for Snow-free Sidewalks and Crosswalks member Eric Lerner

Workers Center Continues Fight to Make Minimum Wage a Living Wage

By Matt Dougherty

The Tompkins County Workers Center is continuing its ght to make the minimum wage in the county equal to its living wage. In upstate New York, minimum wages increased from $9.60 to $13.20 between 2016 and 2021. However, the living wage for a single person living in Tompkins County is currently estimated at $16.61 an hour — and the living wage for a family with children is much higher.

A living wage calculation is made by Alternatives Federal Credit Union every two years based on cost of living data such as prices for rent, food, transportation, communication, recreation and savings. According to data from the workers center, “For full-time employees between 2015 and 2022, AFCU’s headline gure rose from $13.77 to $16.61” However, they say that it’s lower for workers whose employers provide health insurance. e statewide minimum wage for New York is currently set at $14.20 an hour and is not calculated in relation to any cost of living standard. In fact, the statewide minimum wage actually drives people into poverty and forces them to depend on social services to survive.

A study published by Drexel University said that if the federal minimum wage kept pace with the average cost of living, the minimum wage would be more than $20 per hour. According to the study, “a true living wage that supports a basic standard of living without food and housing insecurity would be between $20 and $26 or more per hour depending on the state.”

As a result of means-testing social services people are required to maintain poverty level incomes in order to be eligible for receiving assistance. In a means-tested system there’s always a cut o point, so many people living paycheck to paycheck who may seem nancially stable but would genuinely bene t from receiving assistance are excluded.

In addition, it has long been known that large numbers of needy people tend to miss out on assistance programs because they either don’t know about the programs, don’t realise they are eligible for them, or they’re reluctant to claim them.

For example, social services like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are dramatically underutilized in Tompkins County. e Executive Summary of the Tompkins County Food System Plan explains that of the “Tompkins residents who are eligible for SNAP, only 30–40% are enrolled.” e summary continued saying that programs like SNAP don’t cover all food costs and their enrollment processes are challenging to navigate. For example, “one-third of food insecure residents earn too much to qualify for public food assistance programs yet struggle to stretch a limited food budget.”

While the state’s periodic increases in the minimum wage are a step in the right direction, it continues to fall short of a Living Wage. According to the Tompkins County Workers Center, “That is the difference between a basic but secure living standard and a living standard defined by impoverishment, insecurity, periodic family crisis and dependence on social services.” The working group commissioned by the county to look into the feasibility of passing a law to require businesses to pay a minimum wage that is equal to the living wage has found that most businesses in the county are supportive of the plan. According to the working group’s study, “63% of employers surveyed were in favor of living wage legislation in 2019, and that number had climbed to 78% when surveyed in 2021.” e group also found that the county’s largest employers are in education services, food services, healthcare and retail. All of those businesses employ workers who make less than the living wage in Tompkins County.

If living wage legislation is implemented it would lead to pay increases for “up to 40% of all workers, and up to 75% of Black workers.” e working group also found that an estimated 3% of workers would lose access to means-tested social services as a result of increased income due to the living wage legislation. However, the vast majority of workers would be able to continue receiving assistance. Those who are skeptical about the feasibility of making the minimum wage a living wage want to continue looking into whether or not jobs would be destroyed or unemployment would increase as a result of living wage legislation. e Ithaca Times reached out to the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce to get their perspective on the topic but they have failed to respond to comment at the time of publication.

Tompkins County Workers Center members protest for Living wage

“...between 2015 and 2022, AFCU’s (Ithaca living wage estimate) rose from $13.77 to $16.61” —Tompkins County Workers Center UPS DOWNS &

Ups

Great news: We learned we were mistaken last week and Not My Dad’s isn’t closing for good and will be returning again next summer. Our soft serve jones are relieved.

Downs

Antisemitic gra ti and hate symbols have appeared this semester at Beebe Lake at Cornell last month, at multiple buiIdings thaca College last week, and most recently at a Commons business.

HEARD SEEN &

Heard

An Ithaca resident was arrested with over 100 grams of cocaine laced with Fentanyl in Schuyler County a few days ago.

Seen

The Tompkins County COVID index has been moved from Low to Medium by the Tompkins County Health Department following an uptick in cases and hospitalizations.

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 What are you most looking forward to about fall?

67.6% Apple cider donuts. 13.5% Pumpkin spiced everything. 18.9% Snow...noreally. I love it.

NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION: Should Tompkins County mandate a minimum wage that is equal to a living wage?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

The Rest of the Best Of

By Charley Githler

Everyone knows that Awards Season kicks o with the most coveted of accolades—the Ithaca Times’ Best Of Ithaca contest. Last week, there was a nasty email from Oslo in the editor’s inbox, as once again the announcement of the Best Of winners totally stole the Nobel committee’s thunder. Inevitably, due to limited space, some of the categories in the Best of Ithaca 2022 results were omitted, so now that some of the dust has settled, we publish them here for the very rst time.

Best place to open your NYSEG bill—

Someplace with a lot of pillows on the ground, maybe a mattress. It’s embarrassing as hell, as they’re evidently burning hundred-dollar bills to generate electricity and need us all to pitch in, but I let out an involuntary, girlish scream before fainting every billing cycle now.

Best place to get run over by a college

student—Trader Joe’s parking lot. It’s well-known that a pedestrian’s best shot at surviving an encounter with a studentoperated vehicle is to get the hell out of the way in the four seconds between ignition and when they start texting. I’m told it’s unintentional, but I swear there were three silhouettes of townies stenciled on the side of the Mercedes SUV that almost pancaked me yesterday.

Best place to run over a college

student—Cornell Campus. You want a target-rich environment? Nowhere on the planet earth do so many (16,000) obey so few (zero) tra c control indices. Why look up? You’re texting! e world will stop while you randomly walk into the road…

Best urine stains on a building—State Street/MLK Street walls of the Chanticleer. ese are actually so varied and suggestive that local psychiatrists have been known to bring patients and engage in Rorschachstyle shape identi cation exercises.

Best place to hear artistically-hurled

obscenities— e Commons in front of the Ithaca Visitor Center. Weekday evenings the competition for most creative use of the F-bomb can be so intense that the facades of nearby buildings can literally begin to ake o . Bring the kids and make an outing of it.

Best place to get the stink eye for having a TRUMP 2024 bumper sticker— e stop sign at the corner of Cascadilla and Cayuga when Gimme! is open. Best to

Continued on Page 7

Colter Nemechek: Caring For The Ark

By Marjorie Olds

Local Hero Colter Nemechek, with the help of terri c volunteers and sta , is renovating the intake building at the SPCA. Originally an old house, the SPCA decades ago retro tted it into an area for receiving helpless animals delivered or rescued by the SPCA’s Animal Control. is sturdy, humble building was the point of entry which promised medical care and loving, healthy shelter for homeless animals. And families seeking their lost pets and new pets came through the same door. Now so many years later this well-known shelter is in desperate need of more dog runs, so that sheltered dogs can be outdoors as much as possible.

Colter Nemechek is the facilities manager of both the attractive, spacious main SPCA building where animals are sheltered and cared for and also the intake building. And despite his youthful appearance and high energy, he actually previously served for 14 years as the head of Animal Control, on call and on duty throughout the years.

Municipalities are required to provide minimal funding for stray dogs. Cat care on the other hand, does not generate municipal funding, yet much of the SPCA population consists of homeless or recovering cats. Since Animal Control is privately funded by small municipal contracts and private funding from generous individuals, much of current renovation work and much of the routine maintenance is done with the help of volunteers. Snowplowing, eld, and grounds mowing (where dogs are walked) and now architectural work as well are made possible through the generosity of the community. “Gerald amm is our mainstay,” explains Nemechek. “For several years he has been showing up 25-30 hours a week. He knows all the sta , all the critters, and all the buildings. With his architectural and electrical construction background, he has provided invaluable professional expertise for our construction projects. When we apply for municipal permits, we have blueprints and drawings in hand for projects that will meet our needs.”

Nemechek adds that “Norm Paterson keeps our ve acres of lawn and elds mowed. is cuts down on the weeds and bugs and provides safe and attractive access for our devoted volunteer dog walkers to our trails, all the way down to the junction with Cornell’s Monkey Run trails. Dogs and their human buddies love those trails.”

“We are always in need of walkers,” Nemechek notes. “It’s a great way to comfort homeless dogs a er a short Dog Walkers’ training program. Loyal dog lovers showed up and went outdoors with their fans through Covid. Never missing a shi . is really made a di erence during stressful times.”

Continuing his role call of thanks, Nemechek says that “Rob Swarthout (of the local Swarthout Buses) is our lead driver for pickups. What do we pick up? Donations. Empty deposit cans for Cans for Causes, cleaning, o ce, and custodial supplies from generous companies like BJ’s, Pet Smart, Target, Ithaca Feed, Agway. We depend upon the community’s kindness for building materials, pet food, pet toys and bedding. Generous local hotels send old bedding, which becomes part of our pets ‘comfortable bedding.”

When asked what else the SCPCA needs, Nemechek has ready answers: “Newborn kittens, who are separated from mama, need bottle feeding. So, we are always recruiting foster homes who can bottle feed. We are also in need of more kitten scales; we send a kitten scale home with kittens to each foster home. When the kitten weighs one pound it can be spayed or neutered to avoid more homeless, sick, starving animals in the future. We also send baby bottles and formula home with kittens. e more kittens we can care for, the more volunteers and donations we need.”

Colter Nemechek (on left) and Rob Swarthout are part of the team hard at work renovating the intake building at the SPCA facility (Photo: Gerald Thamm)