April 13, 2022 by Ithaca Times

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WHERE DO WE

PUT THE BUSES? YES TO

LEVY

UP FOR

Starbucks workers unionize in Ithaca

ICSD proposes 22-23 budget

Council talks ‘Reimagining’

The latest at IC, Opera Ithaca

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NEWSLINE Union

All three Starbucks locations in Ithaca vote ‘yes’ to union

he three Starbucks locations in Ithaca — College Ave., Meadow Street and the Commons — all voted to unionize on Friday, April 8. The votes make Ithaca the first city in the country in which all locations are unionized. The Collegetown location voted 19–1 in favor, Meadow Street voted 13–1 in favor and the Commons location voted 15–1 in favor. The Meadow Street location is also the “ youngest ” locations to unionize, having just opened one week before unionization efforts began in January.

process and are committed to following it. “This is a historic day for Starbucks Workers United,” employee Evan Sunshine said. “This is the first time the union has won an entire city […] It’s especially special for the Ithaca on the Commons location because they tried to unionize two years ago to no avail.” Sunshine added that all the stores, but the College Ave. store especially, experienced an array of union busting tactics. He said that precedent for college breaks is to allow student employees at Starbucks time off to go home and visit their families.

Leaders of the unionizing effort at Ithaca Starbucks after a successful vote. (Photo: Tanner Harding)

A spokesperson for Starbucks said they are “ listening and learning from the partners are these stores, as we always do, ” but did note that they think employees and corporate are “ better together as partners without a union between us. ” As the sides prepare to head to the bargaining floor, Starbucks said they trust the

 Robbery — Police are looking for a man accused of attempting to rob the CVS pharmacy at 625 W Clinton St. Ithaca police officers responded to the store shortly after 3 p. m. on March 5 for a report of an attempted robbery. According to police, the suspect had fled the scene but was described as a white man with a thin build and reddish hair, wearing a gray Under Armour brand

“This time, we got a new manager and they broke precedent by denying seven time-off requests from student workers,” he said. “We were told we had to find coverage or we’d be fired. We’d be ‘separated from employment’ if we don’t stay in Ithaca.” Kayli Gillett, who works at the location on the Commons, said she has been

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sweatshirt and a dark backpack. He allegedly entered the business, approached the pharmacy counter and handed a note to an employee demanding that they turn over narcotics from behind the pharmacy counter. It also threatened the use of firearms against store employees if the demand was not met. The suspect then fled without displaying a weapon and without obtaining any narcotics,

VOL. XLII / NO. 34 / April 13, 2022 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

working for Starbucks for 4.5 years and has never received a write up. However, she was recently issued a “ final warning. ” “ We’ve seen higher ups try to create distance between partners, try to turn them against each other, ” she said. “ They’re trying to make it miserable to work for Starbucks to get people to quit. ” Sunshine also said that there’s been manipulation by management, and some workers have been “ straight up bullied. ” The next step for the stores are to meet with Starbucks upper management on the bargaining floor. The workers in Ithaca are looking for a few main things — a livable wage, the erasure of their health insurance premium, a tip minimum, reimbursement for parking and a more regular scheduling system. Virgil Taylor works at the Commons location and said he is supposed to be working 20–25 hours a week, but for the past month or so has only been getting scheduled for 10–16 hours. “ That’s not livable, ” he said. Sunshine said that Starbucks workers don’t make much in tips, so they want to institute a tip minimum, which will be met by Starbucks if the actual tips don’t meet it. Shantel Wright works at the Meadow Street store now, but said when she worked at the College Ave. store she was spending upwards of $ 75 per week to park to go to work. “ And that’s not fair, ” she said. There are over 75 Starbucks employees across the three Ithaca store locations, and union organizers said they leaned on each other as well as union organizers from other cities for support, especially leaders from the Buffalo store who started the unionization efforts at Starbucks. “ We had the ability to get support from stores that already unionized, and we’re so appreciative of them for leading the charge, ” employee Caroline said. “ They had to do this on their own. ” — Ta n n e r H a r di ng

police said. Officers canvassed the area but could not locate the suspect. At this time the investigation into this matter is ongoing. If anyone not interviewed by the officers on scene witnessed this incident or has further information including information about the identity of the suspect should contact Ithaca Police Department. A photo of the suspect is available on Ithaca.com.

F E AT URE S WHERE SHOULD WE PUT THE BUSES ? .................................................. 8 As bus traffic rebounds from the pandemic, the conversation has started again — where should the new bus depot go ?

Personal Health ............................... 10 NEW TO ME: FILM FESTIVAL ...... 11 BVC’s back from another cinematic binge

Stage ...................................................... 13 Sports ..................................................... 14 Times Table .............................................. 16 Classifieds ............................................... 18

ON T HE WE B Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 T A N N E R H A R D I N G , M A N A G I N G E D I T O R , X 1224 E D I T O R @ I T H A C ATI M E S . C O M J A I M E C O N E , E D I T O R , X 1232 SOUTHREPORTER@FLCN.ORG C A S E Y M A R T I N , S TA F F P H O T O G R A P H E R P H O T O G R A P H E R @ I T H A C ATI M E S . C O M C H R I S I B E R T , C A L E N D A R E D I T O R , X 1217 A R T S @ I T H A C ATI M E S . C O M A N D R E W S U L L I V A N , S P O R T S E D I T O R , X 1227 SPORTS@FLCN.ORG STEVE L AWRENCE, SPO RTS CO LUMNIST ST E V E S P O R T SD U D E @ G M A I L .CO M M A R S H A L L H O P K I N S , P R O D U C T I O N D I R E C T O R / D E S I G N E R , X 1216 P R O D U C T I O N @ I T H A C ATI M E S . C O M SHARON DAVIS, DISTRIBUTION FR O N T@ IT H A C ATI M E S . CO M J I M B I L I N S K I , P U B L I S H E R , X 1210 J B I L I N S K I @ I T H A C ATI M E S . C O M L A R R Y H O C H B E R G E R , A S S O C I A T E P U B L I S H E R , X 1214 L A R R Y@ I T H A C ATI M E S . C O M F R E E L A N C E R S : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Linda B. Glaser, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Gay Huddle, Austin Lamb, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Lori Sonken, Henry Stark, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE C O P Y R I G H T © 2 02 2 , B Y N E W S K I I N C . All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable. All copy must be received by Friday at noon. The Ithaca Times is available free of charge from various locations around Ithaca. Additional copies may be purchased from the Ithaca Times offices for $1. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $89 one year. Include check or money order and mail to the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. ADVERTISING: Deadlines are Monday 5 p.m. for display, Tuesday at noon for classified. Advertisers should check their ad on publication. The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The Ithaca Times is published weekly Wednesday mornings. Offices are located at 109 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 607-277-7000, FAX 607-277-1012, MAILING ADDRESS is PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. The Ithaca Times was preceded by the Ithaca New Times (1972–1978) and The Good Times Gazette (1973–1978), combined in 1978. F O U N D E R G O O D T I M E S G A Z E T T E : TO M N E W T O N

APRIL 13–19, 2022

/ THE ITHACA TIMES

INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER YOU CHOOSE : SUMMER HEAT WAVE OR WINTER ARCTIC BLAST ? WHY ?

“ Heat wave ! We’d rather be warm … and we love the beach ! ” — Don & Lisa S.

“ Heat wave. I spent too many winters in Syracuse … ” — Joy R.

N E W S L I N E

Schools

ICSD proposes 7% tax levy increase; will need 60% majority to pass

he Ithaca City School District Board of Education is proposing a $ 148,944,098 budget for the 2022–23 school year — up 2.59% from last year’s $ 145.2 million budget. Additionally, the tax rate increase will hold steady at $ 16.84 but the levy will increase by 7.21%. Amanda Verba, the district’s chief operation officer, explained that the tax levy is “the total amount of money that we as a school district are asking all of the shoulders to bear.” The rate is the amount of money per thousand your property is assessed at that you would pay, meaning taxpayers will pay $ 16.84 per thousand. However, the tax levy goes into determining the tax rate, as the tax rate is

calculated by dividing the total assessed property value by 1,000 and then dividing it again into the tax levy. A levy represents the total amount of funds a local unit of government (in this case the school district) may collect on a tax rate. In simplest terms, the tax levy is the total amount of funds the school district deems necessary to raise through taxes, while the tax rate is the rate by which properties must be taxed to reach that number. So though the tax rate will stay flat, the total amount requested by the school district is higher, which will be reflected in taxpayers’ bills. In the past, the district has tried to stick to the 2.5% tax levy cap placed by the state, however

County Leg

“ Depends on the duration of each … but probably arctic blast. Layer up ! ” — Annika R.

“ Heat wave …I grew up in Rochester. ” — Amy F.

“ Arctic blast. Why would anyone be in Ithaca if they didn’t enjoy the cold ? ” -Ben S.

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How can the County Legislature encourage more single-family housing ?

he average sale and median sale prices of singlefamily homes are up substantially, Tompkins County Assessment Director Jay Franklin confirmed at the April 5 County Legislature meeting. Franklin was at the meeting to present the 2022 Annual Equity Maintenance (AEM) program, which is the activity of the department to assess the values of all properties in Tompkins County which are then used to levy property taxes. Franklin said the real estate market prices increasing is not unique to Tompkins County — “it’s happening everywhere.” He said that the supply of for-sale housing has not kept pace with the demand. In a chart that showed the average new houses per year by decade, Tompkins 13–19 ,

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County’s development peaked at an average of 254 in the 1970s. By the 2010s that number was down to 117, and now, “we’re pretty much at war-time levels.” The current average is 91, close to the development rate in the 1940s. “We’re just not building anything,” Franklin said. “We’re at 30–40% of what we were in our peak. We’re just not building them.” That lack of building has driven up the prices of homes that are for sale, with the average sale price is up 14% and the median sale price up 12% from 2019–2021. Franklin said the average sale price is almost $ 330,000, while the median sale price is $ 300,000. “If you think about a $ 300,000 assessment, it would get you about a $ 9,000 tax bill depending

Superintendent Luvelle Brown said there are no penalties to going over the tax levy, with board chair Rob Ainslie adding it was “a favorite of the prior governor.” He also attributed the dramatic jump to inflation. “We’re no longer in a 2% world,” he said. However, even with no penalties from the state, the district will need a supermajority of 60% to pass the budget because of the levy number. If it does not receive 60% approval, the district will likely look to the fund balance to meet the budget needs. The district has faced this before, most recently for the 2014–15 school year. It is also worth noting that there’s an impending “funding cliff ” that is coming as the pandemic aid dwindles. So while not a huge amount of things are being added to the programming, the district is losing other funding sources. Chair of the board’s Finance Committee Chris Malcolm said that maintaining education programs as

those funding sources run out was part of the reasoning behind the budget choices made. “We do understand that assessments are up, gas prices are up, and we are extremely fortunate to be in a community that values education,” he said. “We think we’ve put together a budget that makes sense but also serves the needs of our school district. I think we’ve focused on what needs to happen to keep this school district moving and being a leader in the education field.” Board member Sean Eversley Bradwell made his case for the budget by pointing out the changes that have been made as a result of the pandemic. Brown said the district has added social workers, engagement specialists, administration and mental health support structures. “This budget supports those needs,” Brown said. The budget hearing is May 10 at 5:30 p. m., and the budget vote is May 17.

on where you live in the county,” Franklin said. He also noted that homes are often going for more than they’re listed at, as bidding wars push the average selling price to list price at over 100%. Legislator Mike Lane called the reduction of new single-family housing back to World War II levels “jaw dropping.” “We know people are crying for single family houses,” he said. “We need to take a look at our comprehensive plans and the way that we are doing things here.” Lane said builders are hesitant to develop in Tompkins County because “we want the Cadillac of development.” He said regulations like types of energy used, preferences for types of development and zoning rules dissuade people from building. “We need to have Tompkins County open for development,” Lane said. Legislator Deborah Dawson agreed that there needs to be more housing built, but that she doesn’t think high development

standards are to blame. “I think a big piece of the problem is the cost of construction. It’s always been exceptionally high here, for the same reason anything here is high. Route 13 is our major artery to the world — it’s hard to get stuff here,” she said. “It costs a lot of money to get stuff here. We don’t have a lot of local construction companies. I don’t think changing the demands of local zoning will improve the situation all by itself.” However, Legislator Greg Mezey agreed with Lane, and said as a legislature they have the ability to “encourage municipal partners to think critically about zoning and where there’s opportunity to attract development.” “And there’s also a responsibility on our part to reduce the burden of infrastructure costs,” Mezey said. “I do think there’s a role that we can play. We need more bricks and sticks built across the county.”

— Ta n n e r H a r di ng

N E W S L I N E

Police

‘Reimagining’ process prompts questions about ethics, legalities and misconceptions

he Reimagining Public Council member Ducson Safety conversation con- Nguyen said the number of tinued, somewhat con- comments and emails council tentiously, at the April 6 Com- has received about dramatimon Council meeting. It was cally reducing IPD’s numbers the first official discussion be- has made him feel “ like I’m tween counliving in an cil members alternate since the city’s universe. ” Reimagin“ The critiing task force cism that IPD revealed its is negatively recommenaffected by dations for this is bizarre replacing the and out of Ithaca Police touch with Department reality,’ he with the Desaid. partment of AlderperC ommunity son CynSafety. thia Brock Council member Cynthia Brock Prior to said she’s the council discussion there heard several comments was a lengthy public hearthat IPD was not involved ing in which everything in the task force. There were from praise to confusion to three members of IPD in the criticism was given. It is worth group, including the curnoting that most council rent president of the police members took time after the union, but Brock said since public comment period to they weren’t allowed to talk correct the repeated misto their colleagues about the conception that the recomwork that was being done, she mendations would in any agrees that IPD was not really way abolish the Ithaca Police involved. Department. Acting Mayor Laura Lewis The recommendation is disagreed, noting that there creating an umbrella departwere monthly updates at ment, called the Department Common Council from the of Community Safety which task force, giving officers not includes the Division of Police directly involved the opand the Division of Commuportunity to stay up to date. nity Solutions. The Division However, Brock pushed back, of Police would comprise all saying the updates were noncurrent Ithaca police officers specific. at their current ranks and Lewis, who was a member salaries — the union would of the working group, said still exist and negotiate conthey decided as a whole to retracts, no officers would have spect the confidentiality of the to reapply for jobs, no jobs group so that people would would be cut and no titles or feel comfortable sharing their civil service status would be thoughts, but again, Brock lost. challenged her.

“ You have confirmed there view came out, the working was confidentiality, so it’s fair group did meet with that to say Council and IPD were co-founder and he offered not involved, ” she said. “ Only his explanation and apology, those members involved were and members of the working involved. ” group said they accepted that Brock also questioned coand we moved on, ” Rosario leads Eric Rosario and Karen said. Yearwood about the ethics of Moving on, alderperthe process, particularly in son Jorge Defendini said working with the Center for he’s supportive of the work Policing Equity ( CPE ). In an done by the task force but is interview last summer, a coconcerned the new unarmed founder of CPE stated it was response division is not behis intent to dismantle the po- ing set up for success. lice department. Additionally, “ I want to make sure Brock took issue with the fact we’re not setting it up to fail. that data used was collected I feel like five responders is by the CPE’s consultant. just not enough, and if we “ Was there a conscious talk about the Division of decision to retain the services Police being maintained as is of CPE and Matrix or was and the Division of Commuthere a decision to say this is nity Solutions, the disparnow tainted and we should ity is real, ” Defendini said. look back and make sure our “ We’re not setting them up services were not biased ? ” to handle what we’ve tasked Brock asked. them to do […] If this is the Rosario said regardless of first step we’re taking, I want comments made in outside to make sure it’s a really interviews, the working group’s strong one. ” task was set clearly by ComAlderperson Robert mon Council’s resolution last Cantelmo agreed, and said spring. he think part of the process “Our charge was outlined by moving forward must be Common Council in that March Council identifying met31 resolution, and that was rics of success. what we were “ The 10 of working for, ” us [ must ] deRosario said. termine what “That charge, we think some of which successful was alluded to, implementawould keep tion looks police titles like, and we and roles inneed to cleartact as dely articulate fined by civil that to the service. That public, ” he was all pretty said. “ And clearly spelled we need to out. I didn’t contract with Task force co-lead Eric Rosario see anything an outside, about dismantling or anything independent approximating that. I believe firm through a competitive in what you all voted on. That’s bid process to look at that what we worked around. ” data and provide us feedback He reiterated that looking […] We need to make sure at the report the task force we’re giving everyone the presented, he doesn’t see a tools to succeed. An investdismantling reflected anyment into the community where in it. costs money, and we need to “ I don’t think there’s be prepared to do that. ” anything tainted about that Contin u ed on Page 10 process. When that inter-

UPS&DOWNS Ups

We’ve had some slightly more seasonable weather this week, and if you’ve been to Stewart Park lately you will have noticed the flowers blooming.

Downs

Tax day is coming. If you haven’t gotten those forms filed, you only have until Monday. Get it done !

HEARD&SEEN Heard

We’ve got some religious holidays coming this week. Friday is Passover and Sunday is Easter — happy holidays to all who celebrate !

Seen

The weather on Saturday was truly bananas, but did you catch that sunset ?

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 is the ideal temperature for breaking out the Birkenstocks? 9.1%

As long as it’s not snowing, my toes are out

9.1%

Has to be over 50

81.8% They’re summer shoes. 70 or bust

N EXT WEEK ’S Q UESTION :

What stores should unionize next? Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.

APRIL 13–19, 2022

/ THE ITHACA TIMES

GUEST OPINION

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

The Cost of Losing Trust

Amy Layton: Recovery

By Je ffr ey Ba r k e n

By M a rjor i e Z . O l d s

ast week, City officials published a of IPD, retired from the force. Despite Q&A addressing public inquiries miserable weather, a sizable and diverse about efforts to reform policing in crowd representative of Ithaca, assembled Ithaca. It is problematic for the City to sug- to honor his service and wish him well. gest “trust between local government and the A similarly well-attended walkout celcommunity is critical for the community’s ebrated Investigative Sergeant Loretta Tomberelli’s achievements safety and success” when officials when she resigned in January. are not performing sufficient Law enforcement officials don’t outreach. In the wake of signifireceive such grand farewells cant resignations or early retireunless they’ve earned the pubments among senior staff, good lic’s trust and made a positive governance dictates the necessity impact. of conducting timely exit interWhen I asked Garin if he views to discern the root cause of agreed with the Q&A assessemployee dissatisfaction. ment of the factors driving The city offers exiting employees the right to an interview on IPD retirements, he replied: a volunteer basis. Regrettably, no “In my opinion the reimagJeffrey Barken such interviews have taken place ining situation has defi nitely amid a steady exodus of offibeen a significant factor in cers from Ithaca’s Police Department (IPD) officers leaving the Department… More during our city’s Reimagining Public Safety importantly, it is affecting the officers that remain at IPD in a negative way. (RPS) debate. Still, the authors of this Q&A Human Resources hasn’t been involved felt able to say the City “would not categorize the RPS process as a primary driver of officers enough in the recruitment or retention leaving their positions.” This contradicts what of officers to know the personal and professional struggles this process has I reported in my Op-Ed of 3/21/22. On Saturday, March 26, Senior Lieutenant Scott Garin, twenty-one-year veteran contin u ed on page 7

my Layton joined Cornell’s human for assessment and treatment. He had resources in 2008 and is renowned physical injuries that could be seen, and for investing herself in the outcome some that couldn’t, including a traumatic of all assignments, large and small. Those brain injury (TBI) resulting from several who know Amy describe her as exuberant, explosions overseas. The WTU worked in energetic, generous, candid and funny. Very conjunction with the United Service Orgafew people know that Amy is also nization on all the missions, so a resourceful, loving caretaker, we spent time together. devoting hours before she begins “We became good friends and after she completes her job. over the few months he reaccliColleagues that know that Amy mated to the U. S. and to being is a caretaker, note that despite separated from his family. Eventhe unusual demands Amy faces tually we became a couple after each day, no one has heard a sinhis divorce, and he retired from gle complaint, outcry for pity. the military due to his injuries. Here, she tells the story of His parents were both seniors how she ended up in Ithaca: and his father had Alzheimer’s, Amy Layton “I grew up in a small farming so we decided, in 2008, to move (Photo: Provided) town in New Jersey. After colto New York to take care of his lege studies I worked with my parents and be near his kids. mom at a local radio station in New Jersey, “I am the caregiver to my husband. where I was able to learn administrative and As a result of his extensive injuries from office skills. I also got to record commercials! field explosions, he suffers pain in his hips, Growing up I gained a love of music from shoulders, feet and neck. Due to the TBI we my mother, so it was wonderful being sur- have to remain aware even when he perrounded by music all day at work with her! forms basic tasks, like turning on the stove, “I fell into a human relations (HR) job in since he may not remember to turn it off a manufacturing environment by accident after use. He has choking problems when he and started developing my HR talents. eats, so we don’t eat out much. Due to balFrom there I moved to a high-tech company ance issues, we are constantly on the alert and spent many more years in HR. I loved to prevent falls. We are lucky so far that my it there, and still talk to my old colleagues husband has some mobility. years later. “His injuries have required him to spend “I went to work for a large bank in New three months in a TBI treatment center in Jersey, also in HR. In my banking job I was Georgia; and he has gone away for other encouraged to volunteer, and I volunteered extended treatment periods at Walter Reed with the [United Service Organizations] Military Hospital. at Fort Dix because my grandfathers had “He has a culinary flair and loves to served in the military. The volunteer work share; his homemade canned goods and included “missions” at 2 a. m., 4 a. m.…. charcuterie are loved by all! We discovered never at a “normal” time! At my first mislast summer that our crotchety old pear sion, I saw a soldier who at first looked like tree, that everyone tells us to cut down, someone I had worked with years before, so gives us tasty pears that make a phenomI chatted briefly as I served him food, and I enal jam. He loves to garden (though I do never gave it another thought… most of the backbreaking work) and we “A year later that very same soldier can’t wait for spring.” returned on a flight, and I was working that When Amy is not attending to her mission again! It was 4 a. m., everyone was Cornell job and not accompanying her tired, and I vaguely remembered meethusband to his endless stream of appointing him a year earlier. He had left his wife ments, they both remain busy at home. and children to serve overseas, so he was Engaged caretakers for four rescue dogs, anxious to get home to see them, but he had one cat and three fish, they also tend their combat injuries that required treatment. land, which they love. And he had just been served divorce papers Before long Amy and her husband and when he landed, so he was pre-occupied. their flock will be busily turning up soil “Due to the extent of his injuries, and planting more trees. We hope to circle he was stationed at Fort Dix’s Warrior back soon to learn about juggling work and Transition Unit (WTU) for a few months home care.

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GUEST OPINION contin u ed on page 7

created. They haven’t been a resource helping employees navigate the stressors this dialogue has had on the department. The reimagining process has been a contributing factor in people, including really good people, leaving the department, some without prospects, some to different agencies or fields altogether, some to retirement. It just seems that progress could have been made in a much better way.” — Retired Police Lieutenant Scott Garin: Widely regarded as a worthy candidate for Chief. A mixed-race man who volunteered to participate on the RPS task force. Garin fought tears and told me he’d wrestled with handing in his resignation until the very last day. Then he was very clear: Never mind his prospects for leadership. His “only ambition was always to serve, in whatever capacity I could.” “The basic thing you hear from officers (joining the profession) is that you want to make a difference,” says Retired Senior Criminal and Narcotics Investigator, Kevin McKenna. He was one of the first to leave the force amid Reimagining. Having grown up in Newfield, he knew of Ithaca’s long struggle to manage the violence arising from the flow and use of illicit drugs in town. His ambition was to work in the narcotics unit. Pursuing every possible training, he rose in rank, and was on his way to achieving a prestigious and challenging certificate indicative of valued expertise, the title of Arson Investigator. In a city scarred by tragic fires and still full of aging, tinderbox homes, having McKenna trained in this capacity would make a difference. But then the bottom fell out and everything he’d worked for felt beyond reach. “I did what I had to do to get out,” McKenna told me. “And I’m happy that I did, because the spike in crime that Ithaca experienced last summer was overwhelming.” He spoke of the IPD’s grueling history of labor confrontation with the City as Officers sought a dignified contract and described a strategy for achieving employee attrition that he felt the former mayor had endorsed long before COVID and RPS. “It’s tough to let it go,” McKenna reflected. “You’re on top of things. You have the answers. People come to you for the solutions. To let that go — when you have the answers that keep people safe — it’s really hard.” As the public grapples with the death of Teheran Forest, a 43-year-old Ithaca native who was shot multiple times on March 30 and eventually succumbed to his wounds, we realize the utter “kick in

the stomach” our reform effort delivered to Officer Tomberelli. “There are really bad days when you need to go home and process,” she told me. Like McKenna, Tomberelli grew up near Ithaca. A veteran soldier who served at numerous posts in-country and survived one tour in Iraq; once she had a family, there was only one place she’d call home. She found meaningful work in our police force. Rising from the entry level of dispatch officer, she reflected, “It’s difficult to get started in this profession,” and described her path toward fulfi lling work performing community outreach. “Holidays were the best days to go to work,” Tomberelli recalled. She remembers her many beats throughout the city, and the relationships she forged. Neighbors who would invite her in for coffee. She’d lend residents a hand shoveling sidewalks. “Kids would be like, ‘Hey let me show you what I got for Christmas,’” she said. Tomberelli shared fond memories of attending a cooking class at GIAC, her time as a D. A. R. E. officer, barbecues, picnics and youth outreach. But the same corrosive approach to funding that McKenna described, and ultimately RPS, undercut her efforts. “The City doesn’t respect or support us. I’ve missed so many birthdays and significant moments in my kids and loved one’s lives for this job,” Tomberelli said. “But you’ve got the city kicking you down, the state kicking you down. You can’t do the job you need to do.” More than anything, it was a sense of betrayal that broke Tomberelli’s resolve. “The fact that they say we need better community involvement, that we didn’t grow up here and need to be taught the history of the community,” when she feels so rooted in Ithaca and knows so many individuals who deeply valued her service, seems fundamentally off. “It’s people that have never been a part of this work or a police officer who are forcing this through,” she concluded. The wounds of the last decades run deep throughout society and there remain countless more perspectives of this issue to explore. It is wrong, however, for the City to suggest that Lieutenant Garin, Investigators Tomberelli and McKenna and other retired officers do not “share the values of community centered policing.” It is notable that these former officers were willing to speak out. By doing so they are continuing to serve the public’s pursuit of trust and truth. Jeffrey Barken is an alderperson for Ithaca’s third ward.

stuff with laser-like precision. If you have the opportunity to check out his podcast and/or work with him in person, I cannot recommend his services highly enough. Thanks for sharing his work with a larger audience! — Ilyse Opas, via Ithaca.com

The Talk at

YOUR LETTERS In support of Leslie Danks Burke

am writing to urge you to vote for Leslie Danks Burke, who is running for the 53rd District of the New York Senate in the Democratic Party primary on June 28, 2022. I have known Leslie over twelve years and have been impressed with both her honesty and her hard work. Note her creation of Trail Blazers PAC (trailblazerspac.com) which she developed with no remuneration. Trail Blazers finds and funds local-level candidates who stand up for honest government. Leslie is a lawyer who understands the law. She is down to earth. She is anticorruption. And, she is a mother who cares about the world that we are handing to our children. Leslie is the one to represent us. — Ilene Gaffin, Ithaca, NY

Support the NY Health Act

fter reading the Ithaca Times update on the new COVID variant I heard a radio program that noted the U. S. has spent twenty-some billions of dollars addressing the COVID crisis, which sounds impressive. COVID has caused 300 times more deaths in this country than the 9/11 catastrophe. Clearly healthcare is an ENORMOUS problem. But something is deathly wrong with our spending priorities. The amount we have spent on COVID is equal to only 3% of our $ 813 Billion defense budget! I think we need to defend our health against viruses — and against lining the pockets of the military arms industry. What is the best medicine when 131 million Americans have NO health insurance? That would be federal health care for all! A first step toward that would be a bill now before the New York Legislature for a healthcare system that covers all New Yorkers while saving money. Support that first step by urging your State Assemblymember and State Senator to pass the New York Health Act! — Ruth Yarrow, Ithaca, NY

Re: Bert Scholl’s podcast shares the stories of cancer survivors

’ve had the pleasure and privilege of working with Rob and he is the real deal: present, compassionate, supportive and able to hone in on the important

’ve known Rob for over 20 years. Very few people can get right to the essence of a feeling or struggle so quickly, and with so much empathy and honesty. All of us know a family member or friend with cancer. I lost my Mom a month ago after a year long battle with cancer. I found the podcasts helpful to listen to as a way to better understand what she was going through. I think both cancer survivors and those that have someone close to them with cancer would get a lot out of it. — Kevin Potcner, via Ithaca.com

Re: Guest Opinion: District Attorney expresses concern, questions over unarmed responders in Reimagining Public Safety

r. Van Houten, I would just like to point out that I am an mRNA technical expert and I have trained so many students in the techniques I was taught and these students even went on to get PhDs!!!! What I am saying is with a written protocol, a nurse could easily follow your instructions for preserving evidence for the state in a rape case. Case closed. — Nevin Sabet, via Ithaca.com

Re: The Cost of Losing Trust

only wish I had known about the honorary salute for their service so that I could have been in the number. I, too, regard them as our hometown heroes. It saddens me that the pandemic vacation has deceived the powers that be. In their time to sit alone at their desks they configured our quaint precious city into some presto, change-o dreamland. I suppose there is a large conference table somewhere with lots of Lego high rise low income housing. Aren’t Zoom conferences wonderful! Just look at how they repurposed the table! So with everyone in their place, surely crime will be at an all time low. Wrong! We need action, we needed it the past few years we still need it. We continually need the police driving through our community and we need them walking our streets. More now than ever. There are certain areas of the city that I am afraid to drive through! I will miss our officers and I will miss the department. May God bless them in their endeavors. Very nice article. — Nancy Raza, via Ithaca.com

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/ THE ITHACA TIMES

WHERE SHOULD WE PUT THE BUSES ? As bus traffic rebounds from the pandemic, the conversation has started again — where should the new bus depot go ? By Ly n d sey Honor

n the summer of 2018, the Ithaca bus depot — located at 710 W. State St. — stopped operation. Tompkins Trust Company bought the West State Street lot in the 1990s and began leasing it as a bus station. For years, David and Brenda Wallace employed the station, handling freight and managing ticket sales. When the Wallaces decided they were ready to retire in July 2018, the bank made the executive decision to close the station. The Ithaca area hasn’t had a designated bus depot since. Intercity bus traffic has been notorious in Ithaca due to the gorges, waterfalls and colleges that populate the area. People travel from all over the country to visit and tourism fuels the city’s economy. The concept of a centralized intercity bus depot has been in circulation for some time, but its early plans were interrupted by the pandemic. In the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown, bus transportation in Ithaca dramatically decreased. When restrictions started lifting, people continued feeling wary about public transportation and stopped traveling by bus. It wasn’t until the end of 2021 when bus traffic started reaching pre-pandemic levels. According to Gary Ferguson, the executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, more than 25 intercity buses pass through Ithaca every day. “It’s delightful to watch people grow confident in bus travel again,” Ferguson said. “Before the pandemic, we were trying to push the prospect of an intercity bus depot forward, but that got tabled when the world shut down. Watching buses crowd our city once more gives us hope that we can get these plans on their feet. It’s just a matter of getting the ball rolling.” The planning process for a project this size is not an easy ordeal. Ferguson mentioned that the first step involves figuring out what the project entails. “We’ve been doing a lot of research into similar projects around the region,” Ferguson said. “The Greater Binghamton Transportation Center has been a great model for us to determine how these large bus depots operate. We also need to decide what kinds of amenities are important to us and our community. Do we need enclosed waiting areas? Restrooms? What will ticketing look like? There’s a lot to consider.”

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Th e f o r m e r b u s d e p o t o n W S tat e S t r e e t. ( P h o t o : C a s e y M a r t i n) Tom Knipe, deputy director of economic development at the City of Ithaca, included an important element of the planning process that often gets overlooked: analyzing trends of the future, as opposed to those of the past. “Something else we need to consider is that the industry’s changing,” Knipe said. “We need to understand and implement a plan that will serve us well in the future. Paper tickets are no longer standard. Whether we like it or not, we live in a digital age. We also need to take into account the phenomenon of on-demand scheduling. People find it convenient 2 0 2 2

when they can schedule their own trips, as opposed to abiding by a fixed schedule. We need to be flexible.” Knipe also mentioned the importance of studying how people use transit in the city before any plans are confirmed. Understanding the transport trends of residents and tourists alike will help the city gauge what their travel needs are. Once the city has a firm grasp on the logistics of the project, they’ll be able to move forward with development. Knipe spoke to some of the challenges they might face when reaching this step.

“ We’re still very early on in the process, but I can think of a few issues that may arise, ” Knipe said. “ The first challenge is understanding what the need is. This assessment period will likely take some time, as is typical when studying trends. The second challenge involves determining a location. If we decide to place the depot downtown, which would be ideal, we’d be fairly limited in the locations we could use. And the third challenge would be developing a design. We’d have to make sure it encompassed all our needs and fit our budget. ” When the original bus station closed in 2018, the city came up with a temporary solution for managing bus traffic. Intercity buses were instructed to pick-up and drop-off at the Greene Street station, alongside the TCAT. This was never envisioned to last long-term, but the pandemic prolonged this plan. With bus traffic reaching pre-pandemic levels, the tabled bus depot conversation has reignited within City of Ithaca and Downtown Ithaca Alliance meetings. “Whether you’re a student, a resident, or a passerby, intercity buses are crucial,” Ferguson said. “They’re affordable and convenient. What could be better? The fact of the matter is, public transportation is how people move around, particularly in cities. Bus travel is the number one way people enter Ithaca, other than driving themselves here. We need to be strategic in our planning.” Choosing an opportune spot for the bus depot is an important question at hand. “Ideally, we’d build our depot downtown,” Ferguson said. “From a business perspective, a centrally located depot would have spin-off economic development. Visitors come to the urban core to explore what Ithaca has to offer. Building the station downtown also drops visitors directly into the route of

P e o p l e b o a r d a b u s d ow n t ow n . ( P h o t o : C a s e y M a r t i n) the TCAT. With more people using public transportation to get around, we’ll naturally decrease our carbon footprint. It’s a strong initiative all-around.” Knipe added his own notes about location, mentioning how dropping residents into the heart of the community gives them access to dining, lodging, the Commons and more with just one stop. Erin Cuddihy, the City of Ithaca’s transportation engineer, mentioned that potential locations are being discussed, but

Th e c u r r e n t s i t uat i o n o n S e n e c a S t r e e t w h e r e b u s e s wa i t t o p i c k p e o p l e u p. ( P h o t o : A s h B a i l o t ) these plans aren’t finalized or ready to be shared with the public. However, these conversations are happening and there’s active progress being made on this project. In order for the bus depot plans to come to fruition, the city needs to develop a strong team. “ A project such as this wouldn’t stand a chance without devoted partnerships, ” Knipe said. “ The conversation has already reached the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, the City of Ithaca and local transportation providers. Economic development committees in Ithaca and surrounding areas will be key players. We also need county transportation partners and the TCAT on our side. Oh, and Ithaca tourism partners. We’ll need all the help we can get. ” Funding this project is another process that will take strategic planning and teamwork. “ Before we can begin to fund this depot, we need to have a sense of the design and the general scope of the project, ” Knipe said. “ From there, we ask the question of how to develop our design. We’d start by running a feasibility analysis, a process that always goes smoother when there are consultants involved. When these questions are answered, we can begin approaching local governments and other sponsorships for early funding efforts. Then, as implementation begins, we can start applying for capital grants. But again, we won’t discuss funding in detail until the project’s underway. ” Having an intercity bus station downtown would present the city with many new opportunities. Ithaca would see economic growth and downtown traffic would be heavily regulated. These are all hopeful claims, but the pressing question is, what is the scope? How long will a project like this take to complete?

“Once we really get this project off the table, I imagine it’ll be solved within five years,” Ferguson said. “Implementation would likely happen in two parts. The first part involves gathering resources and building the facility. This wouldn’t take more than a year. The second part includes monitoring, maintaining, and fine tuning the plan in place. This would take a few years, as we’d continue to gauge the needs of the community. At the end of the process, we’d have a fully operating bus depot.” But, as Ferguson also points out, there’s a problem to solve in the meantime. “While we’re developing and building this new bus depot, we need to put an interim plan in place,” Ferguson said. “Intercity buses are still trafficking our city and we need a way to regulate them. This is something we’ll have to effectively implement before we give the project a green light. What is this plan? I don’t know. But we’ll have one.” It has been four years since the Ithaca area has serviced an intercity bus station. The time is now to plan, develop, build, and implement a working depot for the community, and the city knows it. According to Ferguson and Knipe, the good news is, pushing the conversation forward is high on their priority list. “ At the end of the day, we need to do better for the community when it comes to accessible transportation, ” Knipe said. “ The community’s been waiting on the city to regulate intercity bus traffic since 2018, and we’ve been forgiven in the wake of the pandemic. But there’s no better time than now to start diving into this project and giving it something to stand on. It’s not just for the community either. It’s for bus riders, downtown stakeholders, students and visitors. This project has great potential and I surely hope we can give it a future. ”

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REIMAGINING PROCESS contin u ed from page 9

One of the concerns brought up in public comment that alderperson George McGonigal agreed with was the hiring of a civilian commissioner to oversee the department. “ I will say that I have some concerns about hiring a commissioner on top of a chief of police and a director of the unarmed unit and underneath the mayor or city manager, ” McGonigal said. “ That’s top heavy to me. ”

Alderperson Rob Gearhart said that to him, the most important thing that he thinks this process should do is provide a culture shift within the organization. “ What can we do to feel more confident that we could see the kind of culture shift that we really need to see happen inside on organization ? Rather than creating a new structure, what does it mean to have a chief who is also a civilian, like the commissioner would be ? ” Gearhart asked. McGonigal agreed and said the culture issue is important, however he thinks it would be better off coming

from a lower level than a chief or commissioner. “ We have good officers at IPD. When we talk about culture change I actually think it’s more important at the sergeant level, if you will, than bringing in a new commissioner, ” McGonigal said. “ We have a strong group of sergeants and they are emphasizing community involvement and helping people. ” Brock agreed that culture change is needed, and reiterated that she thinks that effort has been harmed by bringing in consultants and advisors. “ It was just wasteful to all the good

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effort that everyone has brought to this process, ” she said. Brock also questioned the legality of some of the duties proposed to be assigned to unarmed officers. “ Are these unarmed responders still law enforcement ? Are they still police officers ? Or no, but we expect them to do law enforcement things, and then my question is, is that even legal ? If someone is gathering evidence don’t they actually have to be a police officer ? ” Brock asked. Lewis clarified that no, unarmed responders will not be police officers, and Rosario clarified that the report never said unarmed responders would be collecting evidence. “ That’s not to say that, over time, you do have some places where an unarmed responder would collect evidence. Like members of a lab, ” he said. “ This is not the end all be all, there is a lot of room for refinement and flexibility. ” Ultimately, council members had much more to talk about, but decided to save it for the April 13 meeting of the whole, scheduled specifically for that purpose. — Ta n n e r H a r di ng

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BVC’s back from another cinematic binge

bridges, I couldn’t tell you one thing that happened in the movie. I culled through the last 60 or so flicks, and here are my thoughts on four that moved me. ●●●

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o many pictures, so much to say. For those new to the party, when COVID shut down Ithaca’s movie theaters, I looked at all the unseen DVDs and Blu-Rays on my shelves and started the New To Me Film Festival in 2020: 400+ flicks thus far. The Festival has slowed down a bit now that theaters are open again, but I still make time to look at “new” pictures. This article comes out on my birthday, April 13, so this is my birthday present to myself. I saw established classics like John Sayles’s “Matewan” (1987) and “Eight Men Out” (1988) and came away impressed with Sayles’ ability to wring a Unionist Western and a sports scandal epic from very limited budgets and means. Two really good westerns hit the sweet spot: Lawrence Kasdan’s “Silverado” (1985) and Walter Hill’s “The Long Riders” (1980), starring the Carradine clan, Randy and Dennis Quaid and other actual siblings playing true-life outlaws. You gotta break a lot of bad eggs to make a good omelet. I watched “A Good Day to Die Hard” (2013), and that turned out to be a good day to stop watching bad “Die Hard” sequels. The talented filmmaker Paul Bartel got typed as an action director because his masterful action satire “Death Race 2000 (1975)” was a drive-in smash, and all he could get made was the meandering, generic car chase movie “Cannonball” (1976). I keep strict records of movies that I’ve watched, so I have to take it on faith that I saw a Tony Curtis noir called “Six Bridges to Cross” (1955). If you threatened to drop me off of six

In the “Kicking Myself ” category, how did I miss Todd Strauss-Schulson’s “Isn’t It Romantic?” After all, “Isn’t It Romantic?” (2019) stars Rebel Wilson, and “Cats” (2019) aside, I’m a big fan. Wilson is usually relegated to comedy cameos or scene-stealing support, but she’s definitely the star here. She plays Natalie, introduced in a prologue as one of those girls who grows up besotted with rom-com movies on VHS despite the warnings of her mum, who declares that rom-coms are all phony baloney. Now Natalie’s living in New York City. She’s an architect trying to make her mark at her firm and be taken seriously when she gets knocked unconscious during a mugging. When she wakes up in the hospital, she’s in the middle of the kind of cliché-ridden romantic comedy her mother made her despise. You need to watch this one twice, not much of a chore with an 89-minute picture. It’s amazing watching the production change from a more realistic, dirty contemporary New York look to a much more stylish, studio lot look, where every shop seems to sell flowers, candy or balloons. Adam Devine is codependent sweetness as Wilson’s office co-worker, and Liam Hemsworth is a comedic riot as a picture-perfect parody of the kind of impossibly pretty rich guy who’s suddenly vying for Wilson’s affections. Take a second look at Wilson’s reactive comedy work here. She makes a fairly nutty concept play like “Tootsie” (1982).

Jerry Lewis’ “The Bellboy” (1960) is a love letter to vaudeville and comedy legend Stan Laurel; at the beginning of the picture, we get a testimonial from the head of Paramount, “Jackie contin u ed on page 12

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The first half of Martin Ritt’s “The Front” (1976) plays as comedy until nothing funny is happening, and the second half plays as

Scott Carey takes on the family’s cat in “The Incredible Shrinking Man.” (Photo”Provided)

APRIL 13–19, 2022

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NEW TO ME FILM FESTIVAL: PART IV

tragedy. Set in the midst of Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, Woody Allen starts making serious money putting his name on blacklisted writers’ scripts. Allen likes the perks of sham success, even as he begins to realize the dangerous position that he’s in. “The Front” would make a pertinent double bill with George Clooney’s “Good Night and Good Luck,” which detailed the media battles between McCarthy and CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow (David Straithairn). Ritt’s skilled eye and effective production design really capture the energy and vibe of New York City and the overall backdrop of live TV. As good as Allen is in his first dramatic role, the film’s soul belongs to Zero Mostel as a popular comic sinking deeper and deeper into controversy and career troubles. It can’t be an accident that “The Front” was released during America’s bicentennial year, reminding us that freedom of speech has never really been assured. And if the power of the story hasn’t hit you by the film’s conclusion, end credits reveal that screenwriter Walter Bernstein, Ritt, Mostel, and actors Herschel Bernardi and Lloyd Gough were all victims of the blacklist.

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FILM FESTIVAL Contin u ed from Page 11

Mulchen,” telling us that the movie we’re about to see has no story and no plot. Chuck Berry said there’s nothing new under the sun, but most movies, even comedies, have stories and plots, no? But it’s all true. For his directorial debut, Lewis also wrote the screenplay and proRebel Wilson and Adam Devine star in 2019’s “Isn’t It Romantic?” (Photo: Provided)

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duced, casting himself as a mute whistling bellboy named Stanley, working at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, Florida. (If you’re a retro hotel aficionado, you can run “The Bellboy” and “Goldfinger” (1964) and have a nice Fontainebleau Hotel double feature.) You could say there is a story of sorts, in that the film comes to a happy conclusion, but it really is a collection of blackout sketches that lead one to another. Like this gag: guests pull up in a Volkswagen, and instruct Stanley to “Get everything out of the trunk.” Stanley opens the trunk and sees the car engine. He shrugs. Orders are orders. Cut to Stanley knocking on a hotel room door, his hand dripping with oil, as he delivers the engine. On the commentary track with singer Steve Lawrence — I’m still trying to work out what Lawrence was doing there — Lewis admits that he had to call in every comic and every cameo player he could find to stretch “The Bellboy” to 72 minutes. You’ll see Milton Berle here, and Lewis also doubles up, playing himself in a cameo. ●●●

In the “Kicking Myself Part II” category, how did I miss Jack Arnold’s “The Incredible Shrinking Man” (1957) until this year? Longtime readers know that I was raised as a “Famous Monsters of Filmland” kid, and certainly Jack Arnold’s low-budget black-and-white sci-fi picture had its reputation. That said, I wasn’t prepared for the emotion and economy on display here. This and Don Seigel’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956) are now my favorite 1950s sci-fi genre films. In the first scene, Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is vacationing on a boat with his wife Louise (Randy Stuart) when a glittering fog envelops him. As the title suggests, Williams starts slowly shrinking, his clothes no longer fit him, and soon his living room furniture more resembles a baby’s high chair. As his marriage deteriorates —there’s subtle sexual terror as Williams gets “smaller” — he ends up living in a dollhouse and terrorized by the family cat. This is a textbook example of studio FX experience brought to a B-movie budget; “The Incredible Shrinking Man” is a compendium of reliable analog FX, including forced perspective, different sizes of furniture and other methods of cinematic trickery. Richard Matheson adapted his own novel, and the second half of the movie confines Williams to his own basement, doing an epic battle with a spider. The ending is truly moving and wellearned. If you happen to get the Criterion Collection’s Blu-Ray of “The Incredible Shrinking Man,” there’s a fascinating discussion between director Joe Dante and comedian/ film historian Dana Gould, and a very good feature detailing Jack Arnold’s career at Universal Pictures.

Stage

Family matters Opera Ithaca takes on a European classic, while Ithaca College shares the story of an American cartoonist By Barbara Ad am s

“Fun Home,” by Alison Bechdel, Jeanine Tesori, and Lisa Kron. Directed by Gavin Meyer; musical direction by Jeff Theiss. At Ithaca College’s Clark Theatre, April 13 & 15 at 8 p. m. Tickets online at tickets.ithaca.edu. “Le Nozze di Figaro” was a one weekend only show.

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merging as one. And what splendid voices ! As the mischievous Figaro, Jake Stamatis is slender and impish, so when his enormous baritone booms out, it’s sheer delight. As his fiancée, the clever and lively Susannah, Nayoung Ban is perfection in a role charmingly acted and beautifully sung. The Count and Countess — John Allen Nelson and Donata Cucinotta — are well-matched, both vocally and in their expressive acting. Her scowls and sadness are met by his wandering lust as well as eventual repentance. Kara Cornell’s Cherubino convinces in demeanor but not in appearance, but her singing is excellent. And as the lad’s lover Barbarina, Megnot Toggia delivers a lovely solo. This entertaining “ Figaro ” opens and ends on a tongue-in-cheek framing device — all the suburbanites convivially seated on blankets, passing popcorn and watching a big-screen video of themselves. A different kind of household drama ensues in Ithaca College’s production of “Fun Home,” the 2013 Tony award-winning musical based on cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic novel. For this autobiographical staged work, Jeanine Tesori wrote the music; Lisa Kron the book and lyrics. Director Gavin Mayer’s production is powerful and moving. Here, a traditional family is represented by their small-town Pennsylvania house, lovingly, even obsessively, restored by the father, Bruce. Like the opera, this story is also narratively framed : Alison the professional

her two brothers to New York City, where he can possibly cruise) and most disturbingly, by sudden, furious outbursts. His wife, Helen (Regan White) copes the way many women of that era did, discreet but shamed. Mayson Sonntag’s performance as Alison’s beloved yet elusive father is riveting ; we feel the complexity of his psyche, the web of feelings that lead to his suicide. Bechdel informs of his death from the outset ; it’s the re-seeing, the reconstruction of what was, that absorbs her here. The music, directed by Jeff Theiss, underscores the drama, but finally, in this ensemble piece, it’s the actors’ re-enactment of these tangled lives that fascinates us so.

omantic intrigue and marvelous music filled the Community School of Music and Arts’ Hamblin Hall last weekend with Opera Ithaca’s strong production of Mozart’s masterpiece “Le Nozze di Figaro” (“The Marriage of Figaro”). The cavernous top floor space has been improved in recent years, and though not as satisfying as a standard theatre, it evoked approval from one front-row audience member: “It’s so intimate, the performers so close — like a chamber concert.” Under the guidance of Ben Robinson, Opera Ithaca’s artistic director, the story (from Beaumarchais by way of librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte) speedily unfolded: Figaro and Susannah are trying to advance their wedding, impeded by the machinations of their master, Count Almaviva, to bed the bride first, and complicated by her friendship with the Countess, who deplores her husband’s philandering, while encouraging the affections of the young Cherubino, who worships her but in truth pursues everyone in a skirt. Robinson has moved the action from the original Spanish setting to “ Seville by the lake, a contemporary gated community, ” which permits simpler costumes, though it blurs some of the opera’s class consciousness. Projected supertitles are easily read. With minimal props ( a couple of hedges, an archway, a bulging sofa ), the scenes shift persuasively. At the side, the robust orchestra, led by Andy Anderson, complements the performers, their music and the singing

cartoonist, at 43, is trying to capture her relationship with her father on paper, both narrating and observing the past she recalls in snatches. Madison Hertel renders her struggle effectively, while her two younger selves come alive before her : the 9-year-old tomboy ( played by Meredith K. Brown ) and the college student discovering her attraction to women ( Jordan Hayakawa ). Alison’s coming out is both comical and heartbreaking : discovering sex, she decides to “ major in Joan ” — her first partner, played here by Markia Furtado-Rahill. Her parents’ initial lack of response to her declaration of identity is frustrating but gradually overshadowed by her awareness of how strained life has become at home. As we see all along in various scenes, Bruce is a closeted gay man who ranges from over-controlling parenting to evasive absence, even when he’s present. His affection for his children is marred by his self-serving deceptiveness (as when he takes Alison and

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Sports

UNIQUE. A Good Step Up LOCAL. G ORIGINAL. By Steve Lawrence

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iven Frank Welch led the Ithaca High boy’s lacrosse team for over 40 years, fans of the program are accustomed to having an “insider” at the helm. After Welch left, Patrick Hovey took over for three years, and now the torch has been passed to Clayton Fickenscher. While that name may not be a familiar one to those on the outside looking in, the players know who he is, and many of them have called him “coach” since they were in the eighth grade. Fickenscher brings a solid Central New York pedigree to the Little Red. He played high school lacrosse at Cortland, then took his game to the powerhouse program that is Onondaga Community College, a perennial feeder system for Division I programs. After being a part of two national championships and a 35-0 record over two years, Clayton then transferred to DI Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, graduating in 2015. Fickenscher was a volunteer assistant at TC3 for a season, and for the next three seasons — starting in 2019 — he was the head coach of the Little Red junior varsity, and he told me, “I talked to Frank Welch a lot, and I worked under Fred Rothman (Welch’s assistant) and Patrick Hovey. I am well aware of the tradition.” The rookie head coach expressed his gratitude that “Patrick is still around to offer advice and offer a helpful ear. This is a good step up for me.” Clayton said, “This is the fourth year I have coached my 11th graders, and I am very fortunate that we have such solid leadership,” pointing out that seniors Chase Sposito, Derek Jordan and Jack Switzer — along with junior Zach Cartmill — were elected team captains prior to the season. The Little Red are 2-3 after five games, but more importantly, 2-1 in league play. Their lone league loss came at the hands of perennial power Corning, and that was a close enough game to give Ithaca plenty of confidence while preparing to meet the Hawks again. I asked Fickenscher to describe some of the expected and unexpected scenarios unfolding in his first year at the helm, and he said, “We expected to get back to a sense of normalcy, to play a full 16-game schedule and to have the New York State tournament take place,” Clayton said, “and we are seeing those things come together.” As for the unexpected developments, Fickenscher said, “We have been bitten by the injury bug,” and he expressed his frus-

tration that Aiden Cornell — “who was to play a big role” — went down with an injury prior to the season. Well aware that injuries are a part of the game, the coach added, “We’re excited to see some of the newer players have an opportunity to step up and contribute.” While Fickenscher makes no promises that he plans to challenge Frank Welch’s incredible run of longevity, he did sound convincing when he said, “I am bringing a long-term vision to this job.” Good luck, Coach.

Ithaca High’s first-year head coach Clayton Fickenscher rallies his troops. (Photo: Provided) ●●●

History was made at Newman Arena over the weekend as sophomore Sydney Beers became the first-ever Big Red gymnast to win the USAG all-around national title. Beers finished the meet — hosted by Cornell — as a four-time All American, as she was also a first-team All-American on vault and floor and earned second team honors on beam. Sydney was sixth on vault after scoring a 9.775 and finished eighth on floor with a score of 9.775. The historic performance was a great way for first-year coach Melanie Hall to launch her head coaching career, and another special moment took place when special recognition was given to Paul Beckwith, Hall’s college coach and predecessor at Cornell, who recently retired after 27 seasons as the head coach.

Stage

‘Will My Bunny Go to Heaven?’ Cortland Rep brings the Late Night Catechism series to Easter By Br yan VanC ampe n

eorge Carlin once quipped that he was raised Catholic until he reached the age of reason. As long as we have comedic voices like Carlin, Catholicism will last forever. For those tickled by religion and religious humor, Cortland Repertory Theatre offers up another selection in the “Late Nite Catechism” series of plays. “Sister’s Easter Catechism: Will My Bunny Go to Heaven?” will be performed at 3:30 p. m. and 7:30 p. m. at the theater’s downtown space at 24-26 Port Watson St. on April 16. Actress Aubrey Manning will don robes to play the evening’s teacher. Manning spoke to the Ithaca Times about the production, Seattle not being a particularly religious city and whether you have to be Catholic to enjoy the show. Ithaca Times: Tell me about what the show is. Aubrey Manning: It’s an interactive improv comedy. It originated as a show called “Late Night Catechism” that was done in Chicago. It’s done in a classroom style, and

the audience is the class, actually, and the nun teaches catechism. It’s all about things to do with Easter. There are a ton of these “Catechism” shows; there’s one that’s based around the Nativity, and we get people up on stage dressed in various items. It’s really fun. IT: You’ve done a bunch of these shows? AM: Oh yeah. I’ve been doing this show since 1998, and Maripat Donovan, who wrote the show, came to Seattle, because we had such success with “Tony and Tina’s Wedding” (1985), which is a similar show. We did it in a church basement, and Seattle is not a religious city. It is a really cool city but religion’s not top of the list. But they do have a ton of churches in spite of that. And so we opened, and Maripat did the first month of the show because she was gonna move on and open the show in other cities, and I was going to take over. But she loved Seattle so much, she stayed for three months and split the shows; she was doing three shows a week, I was doing the other three. She then went and opened the show

The downtown location of the Cortland Repertory Theatre. (Photo: Provided)

in other places around the country, and for Seattle not being a religious city, we ran for 11 years. And the only reason we closed was my producer had made enough money and he wanted to retire. IT: I wasn’t raised in a Catholic family, so Easter is just Sunday to me. AM: The show is so welcoming to anybody that walks in. I mean, we’re strict. When we’re onstage and we’re teaching a catechism class, you gotta mind your P’s and Q’s. Anybody that’s been to Catholic school

knows what to expect and those that haven’t been to Catholic school learn very quickly. I am proud to say that while I did the show in Seattle, I ran across every type of religion that came in. It was the one place I felt comfortable saying “What do you practice?” In real life, you don’t usually ask that, unless you’ve gotten to know somebody very well. Cortland Repertory Theatre is located at 24-26 Port Watson St. in Cortland. For tickets or more information, visit cortlandrep.org.

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