May 8, 2024

FAR! REACH FAR!

ITH ITH

Tompkins

Tompkins

From hassle-free parking to friendly staff, we're here to make your journey a breeze. Fly wITH us and see the difference!

Visions has been in Ithaca for a while now. We hope you’ve seen the great things we do in our communities. From donations to sponsorships to our employees volunteering, none of this is possible without you. The more members we have, the more we can do! So, whether it’s your first account or your next account, choose Visions for all your financial needs.

Join with us. Come into the Ithaca branch today, give us a call, or apply online.

City Launches Investigation Into Noise Complaints Against Squeaky Clean Carwash

By Matt Dougherty

Several Ithaca residents showed up to the May first meeting of the Common Council to discuss the significant impact of the Squeaky Clean Carwash that recently opened on South Meadow Street near Wegmans. Residents who live near the carwash have said that it never should have been built based on how the area was zoned in the Southside Plan. Additionally, those who live around the carwash say that the noise from the site during early morning and late night hours disrupts their daily lives.

As a result of the complaints, Mayor Robert Cantelmo has said that the City is launching an investigation into the situation. Cantelmo said, “The City has launched an official investigation into the noise and code violations and has promised to apprise you of the result of that as soon as they are available.”

Ithaca resident Felix Teitelbaum said, “Countless hours went into creating the Southside Plan that laid out the neighborhood wishes for development in the area, and that lot specifically.” He continued, saying that Southside residents designated the area where Squeaky Clean is currently located as “mixed urban use, which includes developments such as high-density housing, office space, retail, restaurants or hotels, but not a carwash.” Teitelbaum added, “Many of us in the neighborhood voiced our opposition to the project as it made its way through the

planning process, but it was approved anyway.”

Teitelbaum emphasizes that the carwash has caused significant harm to the neighborhood. He explains that the noise from the facility disrupts the quality of life for area residents, affects pedestrians using the greenway along Six Mile Creek, and disturbs wildlife in the creek. He also points out that the carwash worsens traffic in an already dangerous intersection.

The City of Ithaca has launched an investigation into the new Squeaky Clean Carwash located on South Meadow Street after Southside residents confront city with noise complaints. (Photo: File)

to sleeping with the television on “to drown out the tone of the vacuums that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

“Many of us in the neighborhood voiced our opposition to the project as it made its way through the planning process, but it was approved anyway.”

Teitelbaum raises a concerning point about the financial impact of the carwash on the neighborhood. He mentions that the development has led to a significant decrease in the property’s assessed value while residential taxpayers are experiencing an increase in their assessments. He argues that this is an unfair situation where the neighborhood is being asked to subsidize the degradation of their area while benefiting A developer from Lansing.

— Felix Teitelbaum

Another Southside resident, Anna Wilson, also spoke about issues related to the carwash, saying, “It has become a daily struggle to live in my apartment ever since the [carwash] opened.” Wilson said the carwash is “disruptively audible and has effectively deteriorated my sleeping patterns or ability to study or concentrate on anything,” adding that she has resorted

According to Wilson, “The quality of life has diminished enough that I will not be staying any longer than my lease requires unless this noise pollution can be addressed.” Wilson continued by saying that the carwash is likely in violation of city ordinances regarding noise pollution from the industrial vacuums on site. She added, “I ask that these machines be shut down until steps are taken to employ proper barriers and mitigate the enormous impact of this sound on the community.”

Another resident who spoke at the meeting said that when they confronted the managers at the carwash with their issues and asked them to turn off the vacuums, they were told that the vacuums would not be turned off because of the complaints and that the vacuums at all of their locations are on 24/7. When the residents took their issue to the building and planning departments, they were told that the City had no power to intervene and that residents with complaints should call the police.

In response to the complaints from residents, Fourth Ward Alderperson Tiffany

Continued on Page 5

X Ithaca City School District Announces Public Meetings Ahead of Budget Vote

F r EE lan CE rs : Barbara Adams, Stephen Burke, G. M Burns, Alyssa Denger, Jane Dieckmann, Charley Githler, Ross Haarstad, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Henry Stark, and Arthur Whitman

THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE COPYRIGHT © 2024, BY NEWSKI INC.

ICSD has organized a public open house event slated for May 11, 2024, at the transportation facility. This forum will provide community members with an invaluable opportunity to delve into the intricacies of

During the district’s inaugural Community Conversation held at GIAC on April 22, 2024, stakeholders voiced their desire for greater transparency and understanding regarding the scope and implications of the proposed $125 million Capital Project, which aims to overhaul the district's transportation program and help the district comply with incoming EV bus mandates.

the 2024 Capital Project and glean insights into its potential impact on the educational landscape.

For those unable to attend the open house, an additional Community Conversation has been scheduled for May 8, 2024, at the Danby Fire Hall.

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

By Mark Syvertson

QUESTION

OF THE WEEK: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?

Common Council Approves Justice50 Framework, Short-Term Rental Law, Water Meter Increase at May 1st Meeting

By Matt Dougherty

At its first meeting of May, the Ithaca Common Council voted to approve some long-anticipated items such as the Justice50 framework, a law to regulate short-term rentals in the City, and a one-time increase in water bills.

JUSTICE50

The council unanimously approved the Justice50 framework, a comprehensive plan to address climate justice issues in Ithaca. According to Sustainability Director Rebecca Evans, this makes Ithaca the first city in the nation to “operationalize climate justice.” She added that Ithaca’s resolution is “the most aggressive in the entire country.”

Passing Justice50 means that the City of Ithaca will set a “minimum investment floor of [allocating] 50% of Green New Deal funding to climate justice communities,” according to Mayor Robert Cantelmo. Climate justice communities are neighborhoods identified through census data as facing economic hardship or environmental inequities.

the participatory budgeting process will work have not yet been established, but she has proposed forming a working group to develop the process in a way that engages residents. In response to questions regarding what the participatory budgeting funds can be used for, Evans said it could fund amenities like bike lanes, community gardens, and even childcare centers.

Cantelmo has said that the City is “working on developing a schema for incorporating participatory budgeting capital project budget, which will allow the community to have a direct voice and how we allocate some of those funds.”

“This is certainly the capstone and the formalization of the city government's position on investment in our climate justice communities.”

— Mayor Robert Cantelmo

Cantelmo added that Justice50 also mandates that the City set a goal of achieving 40% representation from Climate Justice Communities (CJCs) in green jobs workforce training and development programs. Additionally, the framework sets another investment floor, investing 50% of the city's capital project budget in CJCs and allocating 10% of that budget to participatory budgeting.

Regarding the approval of Justice50, Centelmo said “this is certainly the capstone and the formalization of the city government's position on investment in our climate justice communities.” He continued saying that the City has been collecting data on what its current levels of capital investments in climate justice communities are, and that in the previous budget it was roughly 45%. As a result, Cantelmo has said “We think the new goal of 50% is extremely attainable.”

Evans has said that the details of how

During previous conversations regarding Justice50, First Ward Alderperson Phoebe Brown asked if members of Climate Justice Communities could decide to use Justice50 funds to go directly to helping them pay their bills, rather than other types of projects. City Manager Deb Mohlenhoff said using funds to provide monetary support to CJCs “is a possibility” based on the City’s past support of the Ithaca Guaranteed Income pilot project.

The Council approved a resolution establishing a definition for “climate justice communities” in 2022. With its vote on May 1, the Council has officially established guidelines to determine how Justice50 funds will be allocated.

SHORT-TERM RENTAL LAW

The Council also approved their ShortTerm Rental law during the meeting by a vote of 10-1. Fifth Ward Alderperson Margaret Fabrizio was the lone vote opposing the law. The law will go into effect immediately.

A unit must be available to rent for 30 days or less to qualify as a short-term rental. The city planning department has spent months crafting the short-term rental policy,

which focuses on preserving housing stock in the long-term rental market while supporting residents' ability to earn additional income from their primary residence.

The law will restrict short-term rentals to primary residences, effectively prohibiting investor—or corporate-owned properties from participating in the market. This means that corporations like Airbnb won’t be allowed to operate short-term rentals in the City of Ithaca, and residents who want to host them will need a permit from the City to operate.

According to the short-term rental policy memo on the city website, “Permits would be available to residents that want to rent a unit or room on their primary residence parcel as a short-term rental. These hosts would need to apply for a permit, regardless of how many days per year they will host short-term rentals. Once approved, hosts would have flexibility in how they rent out their primary residence or other units on the same property.”

Under the new regulations, residents will be able to turn a guest house or accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on the same property as their primary residence into a short-term rental or rent out their entire home while they’re on vacation, as long as they live at the property for at least 184 days, or just over half a year. Supporters of the law say that this allows residents who are using short-term rentals to earn supplemental income that helps them pay their bills to continue doing so, while also preventing short-term rentals from oversaturating the housing market and driving housing costs higher.

Mayor Cantelmo clarified the regulations saying, “If you operate a short-term rental in your own home or part of your own home

“I worked at the Australian Battered Potato stand at the Delmar County Fair.”

Marietta

“I was a computer programmer for an insurance company, back when they still used punch cards!”

Julie

“I worked as a housekeeper at Gabbert's Fish Camp in Alexander Creek, Alaska.”

Harmony

“I was a CIT (counselor-in-training) at Allenwood Day Camp.”

Gina

“I worked at a clothing store called Browning King on the corner of Aurora and State Street in Ithaca.”

Joe

Ithaca’s Common Council voted to approve the Justice50 framework, a law regulating Short-Term Rentals, and a one-time water meter increase during their May first meeting. (Photo: Matt Dougherty)

The Talk at

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

RE: ICSD Budget

“ICSD, which has reduced its proposed budget for 2024-2025 by a paltry 1.25%, is also seeking approval for capital projects. Recent history at Belle Sherman School is illuminating. A late-2000s project left serious drainage problems that generated 4-6 inch deep ravines in the playground and 4-6 inch drops between paved and unpaved surfaces. A relocated basketball hoop was installed at 11 feet without a net on a sloped driveway that accelerated balls into Valley Rd. These problems had straightforward and inexpensive “90%” solutions. From 2009 to 2022, ICSD did little maintenance, leaving the playground unsafe and — in parts — unusable for much of the year. A 2023 capital project resolved drainage issues and installed a non-erodible rubber play surface. It left a soccer/baseball field with a steep and asymmetric slope that decreases playability, increases injury risk, and has allowed new top soil and grass seed to wash away. A new

drainage channel captures errant balls and guides them down to Valley Rd. A new full basketball court behind the Annex has 3% grades running end to end and side to side so that corner 3-point positions differ in height by about 18 inches. Addressing these failures in planning and decision making will entail another expensive capital project. Vote no!” — Robert Thorne

“The education bubble is popping folks. Wells College closes. Public and private schools are so bloated, and quality of education has decreased while costs have increased. Bubble pop rate will accelerate dramatically once government stops guaranteeing all student loans regardless of student major, and once they stop all this loan forgiveness injustice.” — Richard Ballantyne

“Lower quality and higher cost are always the guaranteed eventualities of any industry that has become a government monopoly. Public education is no exception since most people cannot afford private K-12 schools which are already too heavily regulated. Deregulation combined with competitive free market pressures will, over time, bust teacher unions (public sector unions should really be outlawed), lower costs and increase quality of services. Institute a voucher system now and put an end to this government run education mafia. To achieve that, the liberal mind virus needs to be eradicated. The liberal

mind virus is the real pandemic that has infected the minds of so many Ithacans. The only effective vaccine is learning, acknowledging, then embracing certain basic truths related to human nature, economics, culture, and biology. Once hoard immunity has been achieved, then public policies can be updated to conform with true and just principles that respect individual liberty.” — Richard Ballantyne

“HOARD immunity? Sounds like what you and your Jan 6th buddies want to try to turn this country into a Putinist regime. The only effective vaccine is TRUE learning, acknowledging, then embracing certain basic truths related to human nature, none of which you believe in apparently. Meanwhile, I assume that you want the country run by Mafia Don, and if he wins again, the indoctrination camps he will throw everyone in except the staunchest MAGAts. You better have your Putinapproved papers ready!” — David Bly

“Richard Ballentyne is spot on. Boil it down to basics. What does it cost to provide one classroom., one teacher, chairs, desks, blackboard chalk etc? Let’s see...teacher $200,000, 2000 sf of space maybe $30,000, utilities $10,000, supplies $10,000. So far that’s $250,000. If there are 20 kids in the class, that is only $12,500 per student per year. It’s a choice to then add sports and other extracurricular but no way that equals $17,500. Lots of money being wasted or directed in “interesting” ways. Fighting this type of inevitable corruption is exhausting. Easier to privatize the whole system.” — Steven Baginski

“Of course you would want to privatize the system because then you can force religious doctrines and MAGAt values on all the children. The whole point of public schools is that they are for ALL the public's children, not the chosen few that you would indoctrinate with your conservative values.” — David Bly

RE: Squeaky Clean Car Wash

“Recently an unbearable new industrial noise began 24/7 below our farm,

CITY LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION

continued from page 3

Kumar said, “That genuinely sounds like hell. That would make me feel like I’d want to punch a hole in the wall.” She added, “It’s definitely non-compliant with

scaring wildlife and birds and making it impossible for my family to work outside. Apparently, this incessant noise is caused by the new Squeaky Clean car wash on Route 13. Sound travels up the gorge from rt 13 to our farm.

Terrified deer, turkeys and birds run into Rt 13 and above on Sand Bank Rd and W King Rd, because of the new 24/7 Squeaky Clean Car Wash. There will be more car accidents because of Squeaky Clean Car Wash. I already see more dead wildlife since this was approved. We will have to stop farming if the City of Ithaca doesn’t shut down Squeaky Clean Car wash. Please permanently shut down this unbearably noisy 24/7 Squeaky -Clean car wash.

Ithaca did not need a new car wash, there has long been a car wash on Route 13 operating within normal business hours. Why was Squeaky Clean approved? The approval should be rescinded and car wash shut down. Also please send me the name, email and phone number of the person at the City of Ithaca who approved this bad decision to allow Squeaky Clean Car Wash.” — Claire Forest

RE: Water Meter Increase

“The water meter increase is a terrible idea. How are we supposed to pay it, especially in light of the huge increase in assessments/taxes?” — Elisabeth Hegarty

Don’t Disrupt Nesting Birds

“As great horned owls, bald eagles, and several species of songbirds continue their nesting seasons at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, we are asking visitors to help safeguard their safety and well-being. Observing these magnificent creatures can be a memorable experience for all, but it's important to ensure their safety and habitat are not disrupted. There are several nests accessible for viewing from designated trails. This is exciting but is becoming disruptive.” — Andrea Van Beusichem

our noise ordinance, especially during nighttime hours.” Kumar continued saying that as the city moves forward with its investigation, “we should be ticketing them more than any revenue that they could possibly make from running the

UPS DOWNS&

Ups

Common Council approved a resolution authorizing the Ithaca Fire Department to accept a $29,064 Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Grant to purchase specialty water rescue personal protective equipment.

Downs

A 19-year-old Ithaca College Student was hit by a drunk driver on Slaterville Road, Route 79 on Ithaca’s east hill at around 1:30 a.m. on May 4. The student was transported to the hospital with serious injuries and is in recovery. The driver has been identified as 30 yearold Blake A. Curtis of Ithaca, who is a Cornell University Police Officer.

HEARD SEEN&

Heard

The City of Ithaca is submitting a Restore New York Grant application to revitalize the vacant Ithaca Flatiron Building at 900 W. MLK Jr./State Street into an affordable housing project with 24 units and ground-floor parking.

Seen

Common Council approved annual outdoor dining and liquor permits for restaurants on/near the Commons for the summer 2024 season. The permits apply to Collegetown Bagels, Creola Southern Steak House, Lev Kitchen, Luna Inspired Street Food, Mia Tapas Bar, Red’s Place, Revelry Yards, and Simeons on the Commons.

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

Should Cornell University reverse their decision to suspend students involved in the Gaza Solidarity Encampments?

39 7 % Yes.

44.8% No.

15.5 % I don’t care.

Should the City find ways to address chronically vacant properties?

Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

Ithaca Teachers Unite in Favor of ICSD Budget, Call for Cornell to Pay Fair Share

By Maddy Vogel

In contrast to the April 16 board meeting, which many members of the public attended to express their concerns about the school budget, at the Tuesday, April 30 meeting, several teachers in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) and other members of the public showed their support for the newly adopted 2024-25 budget.

The budget, which reduces the tax levy by $4 million from the initial proposed 2024-25 budget and requires a supermajority vote of at least 60% to pass, awaits voter approval on May 21. As the date approaches, contention rises throughout the school district and the Ithaca community.

In a press release sent to the Ithaca Times on April 17, the Ithaca Teachers Association (ITA) encouraged the public to vote yes on the new budget. They noted the importance of balancing the quality of education within the schools with the financial burden that a higher tax levy can have on residents and said that “the negative effects of a defeated budget would have dire consequences for our students and educational programs.”

shared those concerns, she thinks that it is crucial that this budget passes.

“Running high quality schools isn’t cheap,” Rojer said. “We are experiencing a crisis in teacher morale, leading to high turnover and understaffing. We have a massive shortage of substitutes. [...] This budget must pass if we want to give our students the schools they deserve. But the anger expressed at the last meeting is not to be discounted, we just need to shift its focus from Lake Street to Albany and East Hill.”

Meg Hulbert, a librarian at Northeast Elementary School, shared that she is afraid of the ramifications of the budget being voted down, specifically with the cuts to salaries or positions that may occur if the budget continues to be reduced.

“The real cost won’t be a few extra markers, an electric school bus or books,” Hulbert said. “The cost will be your experienced educators, because besides the inevitable cuts to staffing that will come from a lower budget, many [staff] can’t afford to stay anymore without the wage increase this budget plans for.”

“This budget must pass if we want to give our students the schools they deserve.”

— Aurora Rojer, Secretary of the Ithaca Teachers Association

It is unclear whether the district will face any teacher cuts as a result of the new budget, which has a $2 million reduction to the total cost. The school board has not clarified the ramifications of the reduction.

Superintendent Luvelle Brown, Chief Operations Officer Amanda Verba and all ICSD board members did not respond to a request for comment from the Ithaca Times on the cuts that the school district may be facing as a result of budget reductions.

Aurora Rojer, a Social Studies teacher at Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS) and the secretary of the Ithaca Teachers Association, referenced the last meeting’s reduction of the budget saying that she shared many of the same concerns that residents had expressed on April 16.

“Residents shared concerns that they, or those they love, would soon be priced out of the community that they call home,” Rojer said. “As a taxpayer myself, I felt that pain and fear, and I was relieved when the board listened and decided to find places, that don’t directly face students, to trim.”

Rojer continued to say that although she

The funding model for the Ithaca City School District relies heavily on taxpayers, with over 70% of the total budget being funded by property taxes or the tax levy. Many have expressed that they believe this is a broken and unfair system, including Rojer. Rojer said that it is unfair that Cornell University’s wealth is taken into account when the state determines how much aid ICSD receives because of Cornell’s taxexempt status.

Hulbert shared that in addition to her position as the librarian at Northeast, she also works two part-time jobs to get by. She said that she has seen several teachers over the past few years leave ICSD for neighboring districts that pay a more liveable salary.

“I am placed in a position now where I have the heartbreaking choice of a job and a community that I love dearly, and paired with an endless day of side hustles, or choosing a life and a family,” Hulbert said. “If teachers can’t get raises to compete with inflation or our neighboring districts the experience and expertise will walk out the door.”

Kathryn Cernera, Ithaca Teachers Association President and a former seventh grade English teacher at DeWitt Middle School of 20 years shared many of the same viewpoints that Rojer expressed. She said that it is clear that the Ithaca community wants the best education for their students, but that this is an expensive task.

“Regardless of the dollar amount attached to this budget, one thing is clear,” Cernera said. “The entire Ithaca community wants the same thing: high-quality schools that do an exceptional job of educating our incredibly diverse student population.”

“School funding in this state is systematically unfair,” Rojer said. “[The state] determines how much aid we get based on the wealth in the community, not factoring in the tax-exempt status. In fact, over 40% of the property in our district is owned by Cornell and is not taxable.”

The ITA’s statement said that they encourage Cornell to pay more than their current contribution to the ICSD.

“In the past year, members of the Ithaca Teachers Association have engaged in public conversation about the role other tax-exempt entities play in sharing Ithaca’s tax burden,” the statement said. “We have publicly encouraged Cornell University to contribute a more fair share to the community by engaging in the Make Cornell Pay campaign.”

Last year, Cornell University increased its voluntary contribution to the ICSD by 30%, or $150,000 per year, from $500,000 to $650,000. Many say this isn’t enough to fund Ithaca’s public schools properly.

“We should not be penalized at the state level for Cornell and the other taxexempt properties that don’t pay their fair share,” Rojer said. “But is it right that the largest employer and wealthiest institution in the district pays next to nothing for our schools? We know in ICSD that we educate the children of Cornell employees. If Cornell were to pay taxes, it would owe our district over 46 million dollars.”

Kathryn Cernera, Ithaca Teachers Association President, shared her concerns that the budget not passing could have negative impacts on studentfacing roles in the school district. (Photo: ICSD)

Why Ithaca Needs Just Cause Employment Protections

Sarah was a teacher at a local Montessori school for 11 months. One cold November day, she was outside with a student during the before-school program. The child said they were cold and asked to go inside, so Sarah—like most people would have done—immediately agreed. The next day, she was fired for “not being a good fit for the school.” Apparently, the other teachers and director believed that kid had been manipulating her and that she should have pushed them to stay outside for longer. She was given no warning, no severance pay, no time to find another job, and no opportunity to say goodbye to her students. After being terminated from the school, Sarah struggled for many months to find another job. She was already living paycheck to paycheck, so this experience was extremely unsettling and stressful. “It is heartbreaking to be fired unjustly and to not have a chance to fix it” Sarah said, “It completely changes your entire world and the way that you view yourself, and there's a lot of [] shame and anger and hurt and [] just trying to process it all. It really does have a huge impact on the people, especially in a place like teaching where you pour your heart and your soul into a classroom and then all of a sudden it’s just snatched up from you and you have absolutely no say, and it not only affects you; it affects your coworkers; it affects the children, and it just has that [] butterfly effect.”

This is just one of many stories of unjust termination in the City of Ithaca. This is why the Working Families Party, Workers Center, and countless small businesses, unions, and local organizations are advocating for a new piece of legislation: Just Cause Employment Protection (JCEP). JCEP would address many of the struggles that workers in Ithaca face. Under just cause protections, employers need a good reason to fire or lay off an employee, and must follow a fair and transparent process in doing so. Just Cause means employers, not just workers, are held accountable, and establishes a local commission to review possible violations. It gives workers the security they deserve in the workplace and encourages employers to focus on developing, rather than replacing, workers.

Just cause has already been enacted in industries and cities all over the country. In 2020, New York City implemented just cause for fast-food workers. Two years earlier, in 2019, Philadelphia enacted just cause protections for parking attendants (NELP, 2021). NYC’s City Council is also considering legislation that would cover all of the city's workers—the Secure Jobs Act—introduced in December 2022 and cosponsored by ten council members. According to a 2023 survey conducted by Data for Progress, NYC workers overwhelmingly support just cause firing practices, which are central to the Secure Jobs Act. The future of this act is still unclear, but the fact that the majority of workers support it should convince enough council members to vote yes for it to pass. US territories like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have also had broad just cause requirements since 1976 and 1986, respectively (Roosevelt Institute, 2021). In fact, the United States is one of the only democracies that still has at-will employment. In 1982, the International Labor Organization—a UN agency founded in 1919 to set international labor standards— met and passed a convention stating that “[t]he employment of a worker shall not be terminated unless there is a valid reason for such termination.” The Convention then goes on to list reasons which are not valid for termination, including being in a union; filing a complaint against an employer; race, sex, or family responsibilities; absence from work due to maternity leave, illness, or injury; and more. Thirty five countries have since ratified this Convention, including Brazil, France, Morocco, and Sweden. Yet somehow, more than four decades later, the US still has no federal or even state policy regarding just cause employment, despite the fact that worker support for just cause is bipartisan. Most union contracts even have a just cause clause—the concept is neither new nor radical. Just cause in Ithaca would protect all workers using standards that have been agreed upon by countless countries, cities, and collective bargaining agreements.

The history of at-will employment, the current alternative to just cause, is quite disturbing. At-will employment

Continued on Page 15

Thanking Students

By Fred A. Wilcox

During a recent visit to the student encampment on Cornell University’s campus, I tried to understand why anyone would want to threaten or punish these young people for their opposition to the killing of thousands of civilians, many of them children, in Gaza. According to the media, a war is raging in Gaza. People are dying, schools and hospitals blasted to bits, entire families destroyed. But this is not a conflict between two well-armed well-trained armies. This is one heavily armed army attacking Palestinian civilians. It is soldiers bombing children who have done nothing to harm the state of Israel, children who happen to live in Gaza, who want to grow up, go to school, play, have children of their own, live in peace.

Throughout the world, students are protesting the massacre of innocents in Gaza. Demonstrating not out of a hatred for Israel, but out of a desire to create peace in the Middle East. Like those who took to the streets during the Vietnam War, these demonstrators are demanding that the killing stop, that the world community find ways to secure a just peace in places like Gaza.

At the height of the war in Vietnam, the war’s opponents faced tear gas, beatings, jail, and death. We were demonized for demanding an end to what was clearly a monumental tragedy for the Vietnamese people and for our own nation.

Today, students throughout the world are asking for an end to the killing of children in Gaza. Institutions of higher learning are reacting to these protests by calling in the police to assault nonviolent protestors, by expelling and threatening to expel demonstrators. Administrators complain that students are disrupting the flow of normal academic life. Students are interfering with campus life by camping out on university lawns. In short, students are refusing to support the violence being

ITHACA TEACHERS UNITE

continued from page 6

The ITA encouraged voters to take these factors into consideration when they vote on the budget.

“While considering your vote on May 21st, it is important to remember that the school budget voting system is, and should be, part of a larger conversation about

done in their name in the Middle East. This feels like déjà vu, an astonishing lack of support for students and all people of good faith who are speaking up for life, working for peace, and taking risks for justice. I believe we owe these students our gratitude for refusing to be silenced by those who obviously do not really believe in the right to free speech and of assembly. Those who tear gassed, beat, and jailed anti-war protestors claimed they were attacking us in order to protect democracy. Really? Now, we hear the same rhetorical nonsense. Students who speak up for life should be censored, kicked off campus, forced into silence. All in the name of freedom and Democracy. That never worked. It won’t work now. “The whole world is watching,” we used to shout as police batons rained down on our heads and we chocked on teargas. We experienced the violence of those who espoused freedom, but did not believe in legitimate protest.

Will the Ithaca Community stand in support of students, faculty, and staff at Cornell University? Will we demand that the university stop threatening and start listening to courageous people? Punishing peace activists will do nothing to create a better, more peaceful, world. It didn’t stop those of us who wanted to end the killing in Vietnam, and it won’t stop those who are calling for an end to the mass destruction in Gaza. I support, admire, and applaud all who are protesting the wholesale killing of Palestinian children. Let us hope that academia will one day agree to support advocates of social justice and to reward those who work for peace in our violent world.

Fred A. Wilcox is a retired associate professor in the writing department at Ithaca College. He is the author of six books on issues including the Vietnam War, nuclear power, and the Plowshares Movement.

the systemic inequity of funding schools through the property taxes of single-family homeowners while not taxing owners of apartment complexes at the same rates,” the ITA statement said.

There will be a public budget hearing on Tuesday, May 14, at 5:30 p.m. in IHS’s York Hall. The 2024 budget vote and school board election will take place on Tuesday, May 21, from noon to 9 p.m. The voter registration deadline is May 7.

Ithaca Airport Works to Reach Pre-Pandemic Passenger Levels

By Maddy Vogel

The Ithaca Tompkins International Airport is experiencing a drop in their number of passengers as local flyers increasingly choose to fly out of Syracuse. To combat this, airport officials are looking to expand service to win back flyers and regain pre-pandemic levels.

According to the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority’s (SRAA) 2023 annual report released in February, an increased number of Ithaca flyers are choosing Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR), while Ithaca Tompkins International Airport (ITH) has seen declining numbers of passengers post-pandemic.

regional airports and the dramatic uptick in passengers at SYR.”

Specifically, the catchment area study within the report stated 39% of air travelers in the Ithaca area flew out of SYR in 2022, representing a 17% increase from 2019 pre-pandemic levels. The catchment study was intended to show how the area that SYR draws its passengers from is changing in a postpandemic world, the SRAA Comms team described via email.

“I think that we’re going to be successful, it’s just going to take more time than we anticipated.”

— Roxan Noble, Ithaca Tompkins International Airport Director

The report states, “Emerging from the pandemic, airlines began to question the economic viability of running smaller, regional aircraft to surrounding, smaller regional airports such as Watertown, Ithaca, Elmira, and Binghamton… A direct correlation has been observed between the reduction in traffic at these nearby, small

In reaction to the data regarding the changes in passengers’ travel preferences, Ithaca Tompkins International Airport Director Roxan Noble said that she sees it as an opportunity to grow and expand the airport back to its pre-pandemic levels of passengers.

“We are working to adapt to that change, it’s a work in progress,” Noble said. “I think airlines do like to operate out of Ithaca. I think that we’re going to be successful, it’s just going to take more time than we anticipated. It’s a great opportunity for us to work harder to get the air service back and I think we’ll do it because people really want to fly out of their local airport.”

Noble oversees all operations at the airport and has been the director of the airport for two years now, working to bring passengers back to the airport since the pandemic.

“It hasn’t reached the levels of pre-pandemic but I think there are many airports that are going through that.”

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport enplanement, which means the number of passengers, dropped 2.15% from 2021 to 2022 with 57,750 total passengers in 2021 and 56,509 in 2022. During the same period, SYR enplanement increased 48.03%, jumping from 840,994 passengers in 2021 to 1,244,921 in 2022. Unfortunately, no data on enplanement from 2023 or 2024 has been released by the FAA yet.

— Roxan Noble, Ithaca Tompkins International Airport Director

“We aren’t back to capacity yet,” Noble said. “We’re filling the [current] planes. We’re getting larger aircraft here. It hasn’t reached the levels of pre-pandemic but I think there are many airports that are going through that.”

The smaller, regional airports that the SRAA listed among Ithaca were Greater Binghamton Airport, which had a 28.81% increase in enplanement; Watertown International Airport, which had a 2.30% increase; and Elmira Corning Regional Airport, which had a 6.30% increase during the same time period.

Although these smaller local airports often offer fewer flights than larger air-

ports, they play an important role in local economies. Noble said that the airport is especially important for the college and business communities.

“The airport is a huge economic development benefit for the community, for the county and for the local colleges,” Noble said. “It allows people to come here to see … the things that Ithaca and Tompkins County has to offer.”

Jennifer Tavares, Tompkins Chamber president and member of the Air Services Board, stressed the importance of air travel to the different communities who travel to and from Ithaca.

“Having reliable and frequent air service is important to our community for a number of reasons,” Tavares said. “Certainly our large employers and businesses do rely on having air transportation to and out of Ithaca…. We have a very international community here, particularly because of the colleges. A lot of the students and families need to be able to travel in and out of our community regularly.”

Joel M. Malina, Cornell’s vice president for university relations, said that the

Ithaca Airport Director Roxan Noble is working to restore enplanement to pre-pandemic levels and add additional service. (Photo: Ash Bailot)

Jennifer Tavares, Tompkins Chamber president, stressed the importance of air travel to the different communities who travel to and from Ithaca.

Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport enplanement, which means the number of passengers, dropped 2.15% from 2021 to 2022 with 57,750 total passengers in 2021 and 56,509 in 2022.

Ithaca airport is important for the Cornell community.

“A thriving, vibrant Ithaca airport is an essential resource for faculty, staff, students, alumni, families, and visitors who help to fuel the local economy,” Malina said. “We continue to work in close collaboration with Tompkins County and the airport to expand ITH air service options to benefit the entire community.”

“We don’t have any current plans to change our service patterns to ITH.” — Drake X. Castañeda, Strategic Communications Manager for Delta

In September 2022, American Airlines ended all flights to and from ITH. Currently, ITH has incoming and outgoing flights from Delta Airlines and United with Newark Liberty International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Beginning in January 2023, ITH began offering two daily flights to JFK through Delta Airlines.

Delta Airlines provided a statement on their service to and from ITH.

“We don’t have any current plans to change our service patterns to ITH, but as always with all markets, we are constantly evaluating our network to build our network to best support where our customers tell us they most want to fly,” Drake X. Castañeda, Strategic Communications Manager for Delta said.

In October of 2023, ITH was awarded the Small Community Air Service Development (SCASDP) Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, totaling $750,000. This grant’s primary purpose was to encourage an airline to introduce a new direct flight connecting Ithaca with Washington, D.C.

Noble says that although they have yet to add any flights to and from D.C., they are working with their current airline partners and always trying to add additional service to benefit the Ithaca and Tompkins County communities.

“We have great relationships with our two current airline partners,” Noble said. “We’re thankful for that. We’ve worked really hard to meet with them and continue to build the relationship to make them continue to realize the benefit of flying out of Ithaca and the partnership. We don’t have anything definitive

or anything set yet for the D.C. service. We’re working hard on it and continually reaching out.”

Tavares described that although many people drive to visit Ithaca, the air services board, along with airport staff, is working to expand services, retain local traffic and attract more visitors.

“We have the capacity here to add additional flights, and by adding additional flights it gives people more opportunities here.”

— Roxan Noble, Ithaca Tompkins International Airport Director

“From a visitor and tourism perspective, our destination has always been more of a drive destination, the majority of our visitors do come from about a four to six hour

radius,” Tavares said. “However, there are opportunities to build on our visitation to the community, particularly if there is the right mix of air destinations in and out of Ithaca”. Noble said that the current flights that Ithaca offers have been doing well, which she hopes will entice their current airlines to add more flights.

“We have the market, we have the capacity here to add additional flights, and by adding additional flights it gives people more opportunities here,” Noble said.

In October of 2023, ITH was awarded the Small Community Air Service Development (SCASDP) Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, totaling $750,000 to introduce a new direct flight connecting Ithaca with Washington, D.C.

Loss at Wells

Wells College Baseball Team Mourns

Loss

of Former Player, Program, College

By Steve Lawrence

As the end of their season drew near, those connected to the Wells College baseball program knew they'd be leaning on one another while grieving a loss they experienced last year. What they did not know was that when the ceremony took place last week, they would be grieving much more than the loss of their friend.

On April 29, Wells College announced its closure after 156 years.

The team had planned a ceremony for May 1st to remember that friend — former Wells player and assistant coach Jared Strait, who tragically lost his life in a car accident in Texas last June. While taking his annual break from his job as a computer support tech for HPM Tech Services in Ithaca, Jared

had been playing Independent pro baseball for the Alpine Cowboys, still chasing his dream of signing with a team and climbing the ladder. He and a team staffer were on their way to a game in the team van when the accident occurred, and Jared — who was just 25 — did not survive his injuries.

A Lansing High graduate, Jared had been a solid pitcher for Wells as a member of the class of 2021, and when Ryan Stevens took the reins as head coach — replacing David Valesente after Dave took over at Ithaca College — he knew that Jared's passion for the game, his everincreasing baseball IQ and his status as a program insider would make him an ideal assistant. As I wrote in a brief tribute when Jared passed, I had several lengthy conversations with him, and I was impressed with his maturity, his depth of insight

into the game and all its moving parts, and most of all, with his beyond-his-years willingness to really listen. I remember thinking that he would be a fine coach, and I was very impressed by him on many levels. I liked him very much.

Jay O'Leary is a co-owner of HPM Tech Services (where Jared was employed) and Jay's wife, Penny, is Ryan Stevens' mom. Ryan coached the Alpine Cowboys for a time, and he steered Jared in that direction, knowing that he — like any ballplayer — wanted to play as long as he possibly could. I asked Jay to reflect on the ceremony honoring Jared, and he had this to say: “It was a day of loss. The loss of a beloved

teammate, friend, and coach, the loss of their seniors, the loss of the program, and the loss of the school. Ultimately, they lost the game. It was a lot for everyone. Jared’s family was there, and his dad threw out the first pitch (a solid strike from the mound) Excellence runs in the family.” Jay concluded with,“Ryan and Jared built an excellent program on top of what

Jared Strait, Tyler Matoon (former Wells College assistant coach), and Head Coach Ryan Stevens.

MAYFEST 15

Cornell’s International Chamber Music Festival Opens

Friday May 17

By Jane Dieckmann

Cornell’s annual International Chamber Music Festival, and arguably the finest musical experience of the season, opens Friday, May 17, offering five concerts on successive days. It features outstanding performers, some local, but mostly from away. The founders and artistic directors, Xak Bjerken and Miri Yampolsky, from Cornell’s music department and with international performing careers and musical friends everywhere, started this festival in 2008.

All the concerts but one will be in Barnes Hall, starting at 7:30 pm. The splendid and historical A.D. White House is the venue for the special third concert, “Brunch with the Schumanns and Brahms,” on Sunday morning, where one can have pre-concert coffee (from Copper Horse) and treats from Paris Baguette.

Some performers will be familiar faces for Mayfest lovers. Old-timers cellist Zvi Plesser and violinist/ violist Xiao-Dong Wang (known as “X”) have played at the festival in seven previous years. Second-timers are baritone Jean Bernard Cerin, director of the vocal program at Cornell; saxophonist Steven Banks; violinists Roi Shiloah and Maria Ioudenitch, violist Kyle Armbrust, and cellist Ariel Tushinsky. In addition, violinist Guillaume Pirard (Ithaca College faculty and Cayuga Chamber Orchestra conductor candidate) plays in two concerts. Several musicians who have appeared before will participate in the Bach concerto on the final program.

As for repertory, Xak and Miri are “thrilled to have oboist Dudu Carmel back after his stunning and overwhelming playing in Mayfest 2019.” Every program includes a work for oboe, which helped them to choose the rest of the music.

Concert I opens with an oboe quartet by Mozart, and includes music for violins and piano by Shostakovich, a Hindemith viola sonata, song selections by Fauré (a tribute to

the admirable French composer who died in 1924), and a piano trio by Mendelssohn.

Concert II presents three works, not known to the general public, the first a Divertimento for oboe and strings by Finnish composer Bernhard Henrik Crusell; then a suite for solo cello by Spanish composer Gaspar Cassadó (who was a touring cellist), and a piece called “Night Paths” by Joseph Phibbs (who studied at Cornell with Steven Stucky). Also included are a Schumann violin sonata, and the beloved Piano Trio in B major by Brahms.

Concert III will be the Sunday morning special at the A. D. White House, which features works by Robert and Clara Schumann and their dear friend Johannes Brahms. By Robert we will have a beautiful Romance for piano solo, plus 3 Romances for oboe and piano. Clara’s pieces are an arrangement for oboe, cello and piano; and the Andante movement from her G minor Trio for piano, violin, and cello. From both Schumanns are song sets. Music by Brahms includes a song and the Adagio affettuoso movement from his Sonata for cello and piano in F major, Op. 99.

Concert IV starts with Temporal Variations by Benjamin Britten, followed by a song set by Hildegard von Bingen and Caroline Shaw (the medieval and the contemporary), played by instrumentalists. Then come Beethoven’s Violin Sonata in Eb major, Op. 12, no. 3, and his popular Archduke Trio.

Concert V is a true grand finale starting out with the J. S. Bach Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor, BWV 1060. A small orchestra includes regulars, first-time and several-time players, including Xak and Miri’s son, double bassist Misha Bjerken, his violinist colleague Isabella Gorman, and harpsichordist William Cowdery. Then comes the world premiere of a Piano Quintet by Christopher Stark, a work started before the pandemic and

postponed until now. Stark has a DMA from Cornell and the quintet has a backstory about trees and their life cycle. The composer mentions Arvo Pärt as a model for this work that has a beautiful simplicity.

Closing this special 15th Mayfest is the best piece of chamber music ever written, in the view of many. The Schubert Cello Quintet in C major captures your heart and imagination from beginning to end. Two violins, one viola, and two cellos make up the ensemble .

Here is what Xak and Miri want to say to their audiences about this year’s Mayfest.

“Since its beginning in 2008, Mayfest has been a festival of joy, music, friendships, and deep connections among musicians, along with the loyal and supportive audiences who have come to enjoy the music. In this year, people are hurting and desperately needing this outlet of music and its personal and musical connections. Good music is always the answer when you doubt where you stand. It elevates us and brings all to a shared humanity—that we are all in this together.

This feeling has been behind the choices of repertory, especially the final program with the Schubert and Bach. After a very difficult year, it is an honor for us to just deal with the notes on a page.”

Their message is one that was expressed by Leonard Bernstein: “Our response to violence will be to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

Mayfest

Cornell International Chamber Music Festival Fri. May 17 – Tues. May 21 Sunday Concert 10:30 a.m. at White House All others 7:30 p.m. at Barnes Hall mayfest-cornell.org

& Entertainment

Cellist Zvi Plesser returns to Mayfest for the eighth time this year. (Photo by Michael Pavia)

Violinist Maria Ioudenitch performs in Mayfest performances Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday.

The Exchange Restaurant

Upscale, but not Pretentious

By Henry Stark

When I heard The Exchange Restaurant opened in downtown Homer last July, I was anxious to pay it a visit. It’s owned by a gentleman who owns several businesses in the area, two of which are restaurants I had already reviewed in Cortland and liked. The Exchange is very different from the other two and I like it much better. It’s very large with a half dozen different dining areas as well as a large bar/counter. The décor is modern with white walls, grey ceilings, and black

The Exchange Restaurant,

Open 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday’s & Tuesdays,

7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. Friday,

8 a.m. – 10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday. Located at 29 North Main Street, Homer NY, 13077

chairs. When I’m inside I get the feeling that it’s upscale without being pretentious. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner on various days. I compared the lunch and dinner menus, and they are virtually identical except the Entrée section for dinner has thirteen items compared to only two at lunch. After being seated, I immediately noticed a pad and pencil on the table. It’s a smaller menu to “Create Your Own Exchange Salad” and is much too long to detail here. There are two sizes, small ($14) and large ($18) with extra charges for some of the “proteins”. You can choose from eight “greens”, fourteen “proteins” which includes

Tid Bits:

Parking available on site There are three unisex restrooms: the middle one is large and has a diaper changing foldout table.

tuna, salmon, chicken, and steak, twenty-four Fruits and Vegetables (really!) a half dozen cheeses, ten “Crunch” and eight dressings. I was already impressed before my server even arrived.

At one lunch I ordered, from the “Soups” category, African Peanut Stew ($10). It was thick and incredibly flavorful with a strong peanut taste from peanuts as well as sweet potatoes, chickpeas, kale, and a homemade vegetable broth. I’m happy to say that this same soup is offered at dinner with no increase in price. Much of the food is homemade, including the soups.

In the Handhelds section I selected Game Burger, ($15.50). It’s a combination of lamb, local bison, and beef and was lean. The burger was a half inch thick with a generous slice of tomato, a piece of Romaine lettuce, and some whipped feta. It was so thick I soon gave up trying to think of it as a “handheld” and surrendered to my knife and fork. This too, is available at lunch and dinner with no change in price. I really enjoyed it.

onions, pickled onions, and a balsamic glaze. I enjoyed this too.

A more manageable Handheld is a Mozzarella Tomato Grilled Cheese sandwich, ($14.50 lunch and dinner). It came on a flattened croissant, with some green

With dinner, I received a dish of complimentary homemade bagel chips with a ramekin of homemade lemon, dill butter. I made quick work of these… after I ate the

MAY 10, 2024 7:00 PM

D’Indy

Chanson

Christina Bouey, Violin Grant Cooper, Conductor

The Exchange Restaurant is located at 29 North Main Street, Homer NY, 13077.

DOROTHY COTTON JUBILEE SINGERS CONCERT - FT. DCJS YOUTH SINGERS!

Sex, Love, and Tennis

By Matt Minton

Both on and off the court, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” is imbued with the kind of ripe palpable sexual tension rarely seen in modern Hollywood movies.

The love triangle trio often questions themselves — and each other — what they are really talking about. Is it the game of tennis that brought them all together, or their love?

Of course, here it’s both at the same time. Tennis is not just a subtextual extension of the characters’ interpersonal power dynamics: the game itself is a form of their innermost desires, the game they can’t help but play together… time and time again.

With a plot structure that confidently bounces between different two time periods, the audience gets situated in the high school encounter between tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) and best friends Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor). Their lives become fatefully intertwined fifteen years later as Tashi is forced to reevaluate her surroundings and the love she may have left behind in her youth. The simple back-and-forth gameplay seen in most tennis matches becomes a fight to save Tashi and Art’s marriage, and the ultimate happiness of all involved.

Guadagnino’s evocative, sensual filmmaking that fans have come to expect with “Call Me by Your Name” and, most recently, “Bones and All,” comes packaged here with a full swing and a serve. Guadagnino

is a director who understands the art of keeping the audience waiting, allowing the characters to naturally exist in the empty spaces surrounding each other as they figure out what combination of love is truly meant to be. The romantic reconciliations all hit with a voracious impact.

While the scenes inside messy hotel rooms certainly explore the beginnings of this love triangle, it’s all of the little details outside of them that really sell it. Take the close-ups of Art and Patrick’s hands while serving, or the back and forth panning that make tense conversations into realtime tennis games. The simplest details introduced in the beginning, like Art’s signature serve, all come swiftly back to play by the end with deeper implications.

It’s impossible to single out any one performance of the three leads as they all bring their A-game. Coming right off of “Dune: Part Two,” Zendaya’s role as the unequivocal head of this relationship only further cements that she’s a movie star here to stay. Faist brings Art’s cunning confidence while also bringing a necessary level of reserve and uncertainty that seeps through even the highest moments of power. On the contrary, O’Connor brings the older down-onhis-luck Patrick to life while also letting the audience in on his unexpected moments of emotional honesty. As a trio, Zendaya, Faist and O’Connor are always in-tune with each other and their next move.

“Challengers” is clearly a movie made to be enjoyed with a large audience, in many ways already becoming a pivotal experience for young adults as “Cruel Intentions” provided in the late 90s. But the film also takes some big swings with Guadagnino’s frequent use of slow-motion and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ electric

LOSS AT WELLS

Dave Valesente started. Ryan is working very hard to get the rest of the team placed with other school programs. He’s out of a job, but his first concern is his players.”

On to more baseball news... Valesente’s Ithaca College Bombers are entering the Liberty League tournament with some momentum, as the team swept a conference double-header over the weekend for their ninth straight win, running their league record to 16-4 (28-9 overall). After cruising

score that feels like a pump of adrenaline (or perhaps the aftermath of drinking too much Celsius) in the best way possible. While a few of these devices do become overused by the end, with the music making some of the dialogue difficult to make out at times, it’s these kinds of bold cinematic choices that bring the lust, sweat and love shared among the three characters to fruition. This is maximalist filmmaking at some of its best, making each moment of yearning, regret and ultimate realization in

the midst of a giant windstorm fully land.

Even with a few balls going out of bounds, the film scores a winning hand and then some. Guadagnino succeeds most in creating emotional stakes for the audience to buy into this decade-spanning power struggle, making each swing of the racket feel completely and undeniably personal. As an exploration of the different forms that love takes and the time that often comes in the way of expressing our truest desires, “Challengers” takes the game by storm.

to an 11-1 win in game one, the Bombers found themselves on the other end of a lopsided game, trailing 5-0, but came all the way back to tie the game. Matt Curtis then put the exclamation on the effort with a walk-off grand slam. This is a good time of year to show your opponents — and yourself — that it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

The weekend also saw a coveted record that had stood for 34 years fall, as Louis Fabbo surpassed Vince Roman as the Bombers’ all-time hits leader, collecting base hit number 221. Roman did it in 168 games, and Fabbo got there in 157 games.

Mark Faist as Art (left) Zendaya as Tashi Duncan (center) and Josh O’Connor as Patrick (right) star in Challengers.

you will still be able to do that under the new system permitting that you have an appropriate certificate of occupancy and pay your appropriate taxes.” He continued saying, “What this regulation will now restrict is the companies or the individuals who have [multiple] homes in the city. Only folks who are occupying their primary residences will be able to obtain the appropriate license and permits to do short term rentals.”

The decision to implement these regulations underscores the council's recognition of the potential negative impacts of shortterm rentals on housing affordability. Studies have shown that in some cities, the proliferation of short-term rentals has contributed to rising housing prices and exacerbated housing shortages. This is because properties that were previously available for long-term rentals are being converted into lucrative vacation rentals, reducing the overall housing stock and driving up prices. The council aims to prevent such negative effects on Ithaca's housing market by restricting shortterm rentals to primary residences.

Before voting against the law, Fabrizio said, “This is a really difficult issue for me because while I am very interested in preserving the integrity of neighborhoods and in

making as much housing available as we can with the community, [but] I also recognize that there are many homeowners and landlords who have set up these businesses and this is a very expensive place to live and pay our taxes, and I recognize the importance of short-term rentals to that segment of our community.”

Cantelmo has acknowledged that some residents have “mixed perspectives” regarding the law, but said that he thinks it will help address Ithaca’s increasing housing affordability issues. According to Cantelmo, “The city has a dramatic affordability crisis. We are the second most unaffordable, small city not in New York State but in the country.” He added, “This is by no means a silver bullet…but it is a small important step in addressing the affordability challenges that our community faces.”

“Only folks who are occupying their primary residences will be able to obtain the appropriate license and permits to do short term rentals..”

— Mayor Robert Cantelmo

“grandfathered” in and given the right to continue operating after the law goes into effect. According to Planning Board Chair Mitch Glass, in order to be “grandfathered” in, property owners would have had to be legally operating a short-term rental as of the moment the legislation passes. Glass said they would also need a current housing inspection certificate of compliance and need to have paid all applicable county and city occupancy taxes. Essentially, only properties that are already fully compliant with current regulations would be allowed to continue operating as-is.

replacements. The resolution will cap the maximum charge for such replacements at $1,000 — providing relief to residents who may face substantial bills due to outdated meter-reading systems.

Superintendent of Public Works Mike Thorne said, “This resolution only applies once for each change that occurs between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2025, when our meter replacement program should be finished.” Thorne added that an appeals process for overpayments exceeding the $1,000 limit would be developed, ensuring fairness for affected residents.

Several individuals have voiced concerns about the law impacting their ability to earn supplemental income that allows them to stay in their homes as property taxes and rents in Ithaca continue to climb. Some have even asked if their short-term rentals could be

Regarding the amount of time it will take for the law to go into effect, Cantelmo said, “There will be a couple of months phase in as the regulations are publicized, and the requirements are made known to folks who are interested in obtaining the appropriate permits to continue to in short term rentals.”

WATER METER INCREASE

During the meeting, the Council also passed a resolution to address concerns regarding excessive charges for water meter

Thorne clarified the payment process, stating, “If there is an underpayment where a customer owes some money, that amount will show up on the regular water bill, while the additional amount, not exceeding $1,000, will be shown as a lump sum payment.” He emphasized that payment plans would be available for those unable to pay the lump sum upfront, with options for installment payments over two years.

However, not all council members supported the resolution. Fourth Ward Alderperson Patrick Kuehl expressed opposition, stating, “I think it’s pretty disgusting that we are acting like good Samaritans by instead of charging $30,000 for

Continued on Page 15

CITY LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION

continued from page 5

vacuums 24 hours a day at the very least.”

Second Ward Alderperson Ducson Nguyen, who was on the Common Council while the Southside plan was being developed, said that he would join other Council members in enforcing noise regulations pertaining to the carwash. He

JUST CAUSE EMPLOYMENT

is rooted in employer opposition to the passing of the 13th amendment, which legally abolished slavery. Proponents like Horace Wood, a railroad attorney, argued that since workers now had the “right to quit,” (ie. enslaved labor was made illegal) employers should have the “right to fire” without reason (VanderVelde, 2021).

More than a century later, at-will employment continues to be intrinsically linked to union-busting and racist firing practices. Workers involved in organizing their workplace, as well as Black and Latinx employees, are disproportionately targeted by management and unjustly fired. Just cause would protect workers from these forms of discrimination. In Ithaca, just cause employment is especially important due to skyrocketing rents and an increasing living wage (now $18.45). These make workers extremely vulnerable to eviction when they’re discharged without ample notice. We’ve also had some concerning union-busting practices in our town, with Starbucks closing down stores in Collegetown and downtown amidst attempts to organize. For workers, just cause would have an incredible impact on their everyday lives. Workers would be able to go to work knowing that their basic rights— like organizing, sick leave, and reporting unsafe conditions—are legally protected. Just cause would benefit employers as well by prioritizing the growth of employees, allowing workers to fix their mistakes, improve, and become longterm employees. High turnover rates place a big financial burden on businesses, who must constantly invest their time and money into hiring and training new workers. Just cause would be a way to invest in employees, rather than treating them as short-term and disposable. There’s a common fear that labor legislation like this will hurt businesses—particularly small businesses—but there’s no reason to believe this will be the

added that if current regulations are insufficient, he would be interested in “finding a legislative remedy to address this issue.”

Third Ward Alderperson David Shapiro questioned if the planning board approved any variances in order to allow the carwash project to be approved, but Nguyen said that no variances were approved.

“There were no variances; it was built by right, and that’s on us for not updating the zoning appropriately.”

case. Just cause legislation has been introduced all over the country, and has existed in other countries for years, with no noticeable negative effects on business. Kate Andrias, a law professor at Columbia University, wrote in defense of just cause, citing laws in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as evidence that ending at-will employment works without being a heavy burden on businesses.

The legislation proposed in Ithaca would create a workers rights commission—made up of members appointed by the Common Council—that would review worker complaints. Employers would need to adhere to a set of guidelines for termination, such as using progressive discipline, providing a written notice of potential discharge at least 30 days prior to the discharge and steps that can be taken to avoid discharge, and giving employees all written and electronic materials used to make the discharge decision if they request it. Employees must be fully aware of the employer's policies, and cannot be fired for reasons other than violating a policy or serious economic hardship. After being discharged, they shall pay severance pay based on the length of employment. If an employer violates any of these policies and a worker takes their case to the commission, the employer may be required to pay back pay and/or reinstate the employee.

For this to happen, we need to show the Common Council that this is a policy Ithacans support. Ithaca workers deserve to stand on equal footing with their employers. This legislation will be introduced to the Common Council in the coming months, so what can you do to help? First, you can sign and share the petition, as well as talk about the campaign with your friends, family, and coworkers. If you’ve been unjustly fired, you can share your own story with us by going to https://justcauseithaca.org. You can also call or send a letter to your council person, telling them that you support JCEP and urging them to vote yes on it. Let’s make this happen, so that Ithaca can be a better place to live and work!

THE EXCHANGE RESTAURANT

first, I found them addictive.

One of the dinner entrées is Firecracker Scallops ($32.75). I asked if the scallops were from a bay or the sea and learned they’re sea scallops. I usually prefer their smaller cousins which are more tender but I ordered these anyway as I wanted to get a seafood item into this review. I was happily surprised. I received five, very large scallops, with seared edges, that were the most tender I’ve ever had. They were so large I had to quarter them to conveniently eat them. They were served with relatively mild “firecracker mushrooms”, tender asparagus spears, and perfectly seasoned mashed sweet potatoes. There was a tolerably hot sauce covering the plate.

Another evening, I chose a different entrée, Short Ribs, ($31). I took one of the two home with me and enjoyed the other which had a reasonable ratio of fat and falloff-the-bone beef. They came with an in-

SHORT-TERM RENTAL

continued from page 14

overpayments, we’re instead just charging $1,000 for our mistake and lack of agency

teresting vegetable combination: very large, soft, chewy butter beans and some slightly al dente green beans. Large, homemade, perfectly cooked tater tots were a wonderful complement. The last night I was there, in late March, the chef had decided to add a ramekin of homemade horseradish. It was fine but I didn’t think it was necessary. There’s a large dessert and after dinner drink menu that lights up when you open it. I chose the evening special, homemade blood orange pie with homemade pineapple whipped cream. It was like a rich, delicious cheesecake.

The wine menu is impeccable. It has a complete offering of all the major red and white varieties and includes countries of origin, vintages, and fair prices with fair markups, as well as six ounce and nine ounces glass sizes.

Wines by the glass range from $8-$12 and bottles from $28-$250 and there’s a large selection between $20 and $40. Beer is more limited. I had to ask my server who went to the bar to check availabilities.

as a city to replace water meters efficiently.”

Despite objections, the resolution garnered support from the majority of the council. It passed 10-1, with Alserperson Kuehl casting the lone dissenting vote.