VYING TO REPRESENT THE THIRD WARD

By Matt Dougherty

The eld of candidates who are running for a spot on the Ithaca City Common Council is starting to take shape as several community members have announced their candidacies for the city’s most deliberative legislative body over the last week.

Among those who have announced their candidacies are Cornell University Scientist Dr. Nathan Sitaraman and Second Wind Cottage Executive Director David Shapiro.

Both candidates will be running against each other to ll one of two vacancies to represent the city’s 3rd Ward on the Common Council. Both seats are up for grabs since current 3rd Ward representatives Rob Gearhart and Je ery Barken will not be seeking re-election at the end of the year. In fact, Barken has announced that he will be stepping down in June.

In the City of Ithaca every ward has two representatives. One serves a four-year and the other serves a two-year term. Sitaraman and Shapiro are both running for the four-year term to represent the 3rd Ward. A candidate for the two-year term has not yet announced their campaign.

So far, besides the race between current Common Council member Cynthia Brock and Southside Community Center Deputy Director Kayla Matos, this is the only other race for Common Council that has two candidates competing for the same seat.

DR. NATHAN SITARAMAN — DEMOCRAT, 3RD WARD

In a press release announcing his campaign Dr. Sitaraman describes himself as, “As a scientist who’s lived, worked, rented, and volunteered in Ithaca for the past 8 years.” Sitaraman says that he sees what’s great about Ithaca, but knows that it could be better.

According to Sitaraman, “Our city stands out both for its natural beauty and for its bold actions on issues like immigra- tion and reproductive rights. However, numerous issues related to systemic inequality make it di cult for all Ithacans to thrive.”

Sitaraman says that the city needs more a ordable housing with stronger tenant protections, expanded and improved public transit, better maintenance of roads and sidewalks, and more childcare options for Ithaca’s parents.

He says that local institutions with deep pockets such as Cornell University can be pushed by the public to do more to support the city. Sitaraman said, “If we stand together, we can push Cornell and other wealthy institutions to ease the tight housing market, to bargain fairly with their workers, to guarantee their workers a living wage, and to invest in infrastructure that will improve public safety and accessibility.”

According to Sitaraman, “it used to be that families with average incomes could save up to buy a home, but that’s not the case any more – in part because of the price and instability of renting. Meanwhile, homeowners and renters alike have felt the e ects of insu cient infrastructure spending, which makes Ithaca harder to get around especially in the winter.”

He continued saying that Ithaca needs to make housing more a ordable and give tenants the rights and stability they need to enjoy the same quality of life as homeowners. He also thinks that Ithaca needs to invest in roads, sidewalks, bike lanes, and public transportation so that residents living in all parts of the city can get to school or to work safely.

Regarding improving public transportation, Sitaraman said that in his former hometown of Clemson, South Carolina — which is also a popular college town — has a free public bus system and that Ithaca should adopt a similar model with help from Cornell. According to Sitaraman, “If they can do that kind of thing down there in South Carolina…Why can’t we do something like that here?”

“As a progressive Democrat focused heavily on addressing systemic inequality, protecting reproductive rights, and improving our infrastructure, I am proud to be endorsed by the Working Families Party, Alderman Jorge Defendini, and Tompkins County Legislator Veronica Pillar. I look forward to working closely with them and with other local leaders and institutions that believe in a vision of a better world for us all,” said Sitaraman.

DAVID SHAPIRO — DEMOCRAT, 3RD WARD

Longtime East Hill resident David Shapiro has also announced that he is running for the 4-year Common Council seat for Ithaca’s 3rd Ward.

Shapiro has spent the past 12 years in nonpro t executive leadership roles in Ithaca, Elmira, and New eld. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Second Wind, a local organization that builds homes for the County’s unhoused community.

According to Shapiro, his role at Second Wind has made him increasingly aware of housing a ordability issues within the City of Ithaca, in addition to the municipal need to consider how to create better policies for community members that are living without stable housing or a sense of safety.

During his time in Ithaca Shapiro has volunteered on several nonpro t and public service boards, including

Ithaca’s Municipal Drug Planning task force, the Tompkins County Community Services Board, and as a founding board member for Ithaca’s Unbroken Promise Initiative and founding committee member for Love Living at Home.

Shapiro believes that his nonprofit experience in nance and in overseeing capital projects will contribute to decisions related to infrastructure planning and other city works projects. Additionally, having spent the bulk of his career in nonpro t administration, nance, and program operations, Shapiro sees himself being able to contribute immediately as the city seeks to operationalize a new city manager position created to oversee government operations.

As a longtime resident of Belle Sherman and a friend of South Hill, Shapiro recognizes the unique challenges these neighborhoods face.

“My wife and I are raising three sons in the Belle Sherman neighborhood and feel blessed for all this community has o ered us. I want to show my boys to follow their dreams, to see my passion for public service and teach them the values in building community. e priorities I will have in local government are not only for them and their future. It is because of them that I have made my focus securing a bright future for all Ithaca residents.”

David Shapiro has already received endorsements from current Belle Sherman residents, and former public servants. Donna Fleming, who previously represented the 3rd ward on the common council, and Jon Greene, who was previously a City of Ithaca Public Works Commissioner, have both endorsed David Shapiro’s candidacy.

In his campaign announcement Shapiro said, “Like Fall Creek, South Hill and East Hill are walkable neighborhoods anchored by elementary schools. Residents are a vibrant mix of homeowners, longtime renters, and students. Both face challenges from developers who view our neighborhoods as prime locations for expensive rentals geared to students. I will be a strong advocate for the zoning and street safety measures essential to encourage young family and local home ownership, that allow for our aging and retired homeowners to continue to keep up with tax increases, and as an advocate for a ordability in our rental market. I will prioritize street safety signage, speed bumps, sidewalks, bike lanes and other tra c calming and tra c safety measures.”

Shapiro continued saying, “We need to ensure a well-compensated and fully staffed work force across all municipal agencies. We need to complete the work of Re-Imagining our police force. We must squarely meet the challenges of climate change.

If elected, I hope to engage and participate in each of these complex challenges, but more so with my ears and less dictated by my own opinion or agenda. I hope to help bring people together, to solve these complex problems in a way that enables everyone in our community to feel heard, feel safe and feel valued.”