ITHACA, N.Y. — Community members gathered at the Southside Community Center on Sunday for a Living Wage Town Hall hosted by the Tompkins County Workers’ Center, where local leaders and workers discussed the need for higher wages and increased worker protections across Tompkins County. 

While the focus of the Town Hall was presenting data and having conversations about what increasing wages would do for the community, local leaders had opened the event for questions and direct comments from attendees — many of whom shared their own issues with working conditions in Ithaca. 

“I walked in on Sunday morning for my shift one week after my dad died and was fired for taking four days off,” Jeff Cole told The Ithaca Voice. 

Cole recounted the story of losing his father, job and home in roughly one month at the Tompkins County Living Wage Town Hall on Sunday at the Southside Community Center. He described his story to a panel of roughly 10 community leaders, including members of the Tompkins County Legislature. Cole was a chef at an area grocery store when he received an early Sunday morning call that changed his life.

“I got a call at 6 a.m. on Sunday informing me of my father’s passing,” Cole said. “I walked to work, pulled my manager aside and broke down, sobbing, explaining to him I lost my father and I needed to go to Indiana to bury him.”

In response, according to Cole, his manager offered him one day off work. Just seven days after the passing of his father, his manager fired Cole with no severance pay. Cole subsequently lost his apartment and became homeless.

Dozens of other community members and workers attended the event to learn more about the Tompkins County Workers initiative to increase the minimum wage to the living wage. Other coalitions attended the event including members of Ithaca’s Common Council. Ian Greer, the senior researcher for the Cornell Industrial and Labor Relations School’s Ithaca Co-Lab,  provided relevant statistics.

In brochures distributed during the event, a Cornell ILR study stated that “raising New York’s minimum wage to $21.25 would create 75,539 jobs statewide” including “2,787 in the Southern Tier alone.” The reasoning behind this claim is that by increasing workers’ disposable income — a person’s total income minus current taxes on it — generates a boost in spending and therefore the economy of the area.

Greer presented more statistics at the Town Hall event, including one that described high rents as the number one factor “for unaffordability in Tompkins County” explaining that “about 50% of renters spen[t] more than 30% of their income on housing.”

“The work and the data that the lab collects helps us better understand the issues facing citizens,” Greer said. “And with that data and information we can pinpoint issues and help find solutions and hold events like this for people to access that information.”

One of the leaders of the initiative and founders of the Tompkins County Workers’ Center, Pete Myers, addressed the attendees and emphasized the importance of workers in Ithaca having access to wages that allowed them to “thrive” in their communities — not just survive. Myers also explained why it is necessary for workers to rally behind the cause and provided resources for people to gain more information. 

While the community members who attended the event were supportive of the cause, many of them, including Cole, cited deeper issues than just wages. Cole specifically shared that he wished to not only see wages increase, but also to “increase workers’ rights”. 

Phoebe Brown, who is a member of Ithaca’s Common Council and a longtime local resident, said an increase in wages is “overdue and definitely needed.” While she supports the initiative, she hopes that the panel is more inclusive to all workers in Ithaca. 

“I hope that the leaders of this initiative reach out to minority communities like the Black community and have conversations with them,” Brown said. “I hope they are intentional with making sure people on the panel are representing the diversity of Ithaca and speaking to those communities.”

But for Cole, he would like to see more immediate action and awareness surrounding issues like homelessness, job insecurity and low wages in Tompkins County. 

“It’s crucial that people start to negotiate more and work together and cut out all the bullsh*t middle-man stuff,” Cole said. “There is a real crisis in Ithaca that needs to be addressed, but it starts with wages and jobs.”

The post Tompkins County Workers’ Center holds town hall on living wage efforts appeared first on The Ithaca Voice.

Grange halls, like the one in the Anderson Valley in California’s Mendocino County, have been around for more than 150 years. The Grange began as a fraternal organization for farmers, reaching its peak in the 1950s, with more than 850,000 members. In the decades since, Grange membership dropped dramatically, along with the number of working farmers, even as many rural towns continued to rely on Grange halls as community centers. 

In recent years, that decline has reversed, as the National Grange has seen its membership grow incrementally — a sign that in some rural communities, at least, people are seeing the Grange as a way to connect with and support one another. Starting about 15 years ago, there was a lot of tension within California granges. Rifts opened over values, leadership, and property, and many groups in California broke away from the National Grange. Now, California has 120 Granges, and in the last year alone, seven Granges opened — some new, others revived or reorganized. 

The story of the Anderson Valley Grange may offer a model for other communities experiencing tension—political or otherwise. In the 1970s and ’80s, Mendocino County became popular with back-to-the-landers. Many Anderson Valley old-timers — often ranchers or loggers — disapproved of their new neighbors, but both groups frequently used the local Grange hall, one of the only affordable places to hold events. When the hall burned down, these strange bedfellows came together to rebuild. 

Erich Jonas, a member of the Anderson Valley Grange, said it’s still a place that brings people together. “Whether it’s doing a holiday dinner or … hosting a local food bank, it’s a place where people can do what’s most natural to us, which is focus on our cooperative dynamics and community.”

ITHACA, N.Y. — Fifteen lost truckloads of food pantry supplies. A billion dollars in federal research funding cuts. ICE arrests carried out in Ithaca despite its sanctuary city status. The Trump administration’s policies have begun to trickle down to the local level, and the impacts are poised to deepen in the coming months. 

Tompkins County residents flocked to a town hall on Friday, featuring a Cornell University professor, county legislators, and nonprofit leaders discussing the local and statewide implications and threats of the Trump administration. 

The event was organized by Andrew Kreig, a Cornell graduate and a longtime nonprofit executive and author. Kreig offered an opening address, focusing on the influence of media and media framing. He was followed by Risa Lieberwitz, a professor at the Industrial Labor Relations School at Cornell, who argued that the Trump administration is systematically attacking higher education as part of an authoritarian agenda.  

“Authoritarian regimes always attack higher education,” Lieberwitz said. “Because universities are where we find critical thinking, questioning the status quo and organizing for social justice.” 

On Apr. 8, the federal government froze over $1 billion in funding for Cornell amid Title VI investigations led by the U.S. Department of Education. 

In a statement to the Cornell University community on May 7, University President, Michael Kotlikoff, said that significant medical and military research is halted in response to the federal funding freeze. 

“To date, federal agencies have stopped work on or terminated more than 100 research projects at Cornell, abruptly ending ongoing research grants with no official notice of their future status,” Kotlikoff said. 

Lieberwitz emphasized the Trump administration’s misuse of civil rights law, remarking that “Trump has weaponized Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—not to protect civil rights, but to silence political speech and dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.”

Rich John, the chair of the county’s Public Safety Committee, highlighted the Trump administration’s disruption of relations between local law enforcement and federal law enforcement, especially when it comes to immigration enforcement. 

“So we now appear to be in a fundamentally different world where mutual trust, as we’ve operated under, is not valued,” John said. “The courtesy and respect that was ordinary is not, and we’re not being asked for collaboration.” 

John noted that public safety in the local community is built on cooperation, trust and respect, which he said have been eschewed by President Donald Trump’s high-handed tactics. He warned that the administration has militarized immigration policy not just to pursue deportations, but to intimidate and bypass due process, even threatening local leaders. 

In 2017, Tompkins County passed a resolution to become a sanctuary jurisdiction and have a limited role in immigration enforcement, similar to sanctuary jurisdictions around the country.  John defended the local sanctuary status as a core tenet of the county, promoting confidence and national unity among local governments resisting federal overreach. The City of Ithaca has similar laws on the books dating back to the 1980s, though city officials have recently recommitted themselves to sanctuary laws.

Specifically drawing on the January ICE operation in Ithaca that resulted in the arrest of Jesus Romero-Hernandez, John underscored the breach of trust between the local and federal level. 

“ICE can’t meet their deportation goals without help from local law enforcement,” John said. “But trust is the essential cement that holds our law enforcement system together.”

Deborah Dawson, Tompkins County Legislator and former U.S. Justice Department attorney, warned attendees that the Trump administration’s executive actions and the so-called “naughty list” executive order could lead to massive federal and state funding cuts, severely impacting Tompkins County’s budget and local services.

She stated that approximately 35 percent of the county’s budget – roughly 15 percent in federal aid and 20 percent in state aid – is now vulnerable to potential federal funding cuts related to sanctuary policies and immigration enforcement. 

Dawson specifically raised alarms about the consequences for Medicaid, SNAP, and nutrition programs, with New York State potentially losing $13.5 billion in Medicaid funds annually and facing $2 billion in new costs. This fiscal stress could cascade down to counties like Tompkins, which already pay $1 million monthly for Medicaid despite having no control over eligibility or benefits.

“The county and our local community simply don’t have capacity to make up the possible 35 to 40 percent cut in federal and state funding, especially as we all face the economic uncertainties created by the administration’s vendetta against the university that is our major economic driver,” Dawson said. 

She also highlighted the threat to Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT), the organization that handles the county’s public bus system, which faces federal funding cuts tied to political conditions — such as eliminating DEI programs and cooperating with ICE. Combined state and federal funding represent up to 40 percent of TCAT’s budget, and cuts could mean more residents stranded if routes are reduced.

Dawson warned that the impact would be devastating for local nonprofits and social services, from Meals on Wheels to housing vouchers, healthcare, and reentry programs. The most vulnerable residents—including the 4,700 currently on Medicaid in the county—would be hit hardest. She concluded by describing the administration’s actions as a deliberate fiscal attack on dissenting communities, and called on local leaders to speak out for those who cannot.

“The threat I see is that ultimately these issues may go to the Supreme Court. And God knows, given how politicized that court has become, what the final determination is going to be,” Dawson said in an interview with The Ithaca Voice. 

Food insecurity in Tompkins County has spiked since the federal safety nets have begun to collapse, according to multiple speakers at the Tompkins County Legislature Meeting on June 3. Sarah DeFrank, a member of the Food Policy Council and Tompkins Food Future and an employee at the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, spoke at the meeting, warning of the severe local consequences of federal food policy changes. 

According to DeFrank, the Food Bank has lost 15 trailer truckloads of USDA food due to the cancellation of the Commodity Credit Corporation initiative, resulting in a loss of 215,000 meals worth over $434,000. 

These losses were replaced with lower-quality items, like snack foods rather than full meals, she said.

DeFrank also emphasized the threat posed by proposed federal cuts to SNAP and Medicaid in the House budget. She noted that SNAP currently brings in $1.5 million monthly to Tompkins County, generating $2.2 to $2.7 million in local economic activity. 

“If SNAP is cut, it’s not just the families who suffer. It’s our entire local economy,” DeFrank said. Kelly Sauvé, the incoming executive director of Loaves and Fishes – an organization offering free meals, hospitality, companionship and advocacy for those in need – said the organization saw a “nearly 40 percent increase [in meals served] from the year before.” 

Sauvé further emphasized that the increased need continues as benefits decrease and as a result, Loaves’ will also need more food to satisfy demand, highlighting the tangible strain on nonprofits, food banks, and volunteers.

Attendees raised questions about how individuals, local communities, universities and advocacy groups can respond to mounting federal threats. The panelists enforced the sentiment that “us” is the answer, urging community members to “get out of their silos” as Dawson said, and join organizing networks like Indivisible, and build systems of support across issue areas such as LGBTQ rights, housing, and environmental justice, encouraging networked resistance. 

“We got to all get together and realize that until we defeat Trump’s agenda,” Dawson said, “we all have to stand together and fight it.”

The post Town hall focuses on local impacts of federal spending cuts — so far appeared first on The Ithaca Voice.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The voter energy that drove last May’s record turnout largely failed to materialize during the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) elections earlier this month.

Turnout in school district elections is almost always lower than any other election. This year’s turnout was roughly half that of last year’s record numbers, putting it more in line with turnout in a typical year.

It’s a departure from last year’s budget-fueled public outcry, which saw an apparent bump in the share of first-time or infrequent voters. This year, a core of long-time, regular voters appeared to dominate turnout, based on poll exit interviews conducted by The Ithaca Voice. 

Voters this year approved the budget by nearly the same strong margins as voters last year rejected the initial school budget proposal.

Those voters also largely opted to support the four candidates endorsed by the Ithaca Teachers Association, all of whom won seats.

Candidates who had called for or campaigned on budget austerity — like incumbent board member Jill Tripp, business consultant Scott Jahnke and private art dealer David McMurry — finished in the last three spots.

Jahnke, McMurry and a third candidate, Jacob Shiffrin, ran as part of a slate pledging to improve ICSD’s academic performance. Only Shiffrin, who had received the endorsement of the teachers’ union, won a seat. 

Tripp has been a strong proponent for limiting taxpayer burden, both through more conservative spending as well as by pushing the district to seek alternate sources of revenue. She was the only incumbent who failed to win re-election.

While Jahnke and McMurry did not primarily focus their campaigns on budget cuts this year, both, like Tripp, had been outspoken in calling for voters to reject last year’s budget.

The resulting budget cuts included staffing and program reductions, including two foreign language programs, a college prep program and after-school programs, among others.

This year’s results are in line with past elections, in which the teachers’ union endorsement has often served as a deciding factor.

District officials touted this year’s budget proposal as a “rollover budget,” promising no new spending programs and no new spending cuts. The portion of the budget funded by taxpayer dollars did not surpass the state’s tax cap and thus did not require a special two-thirds approval by voters.

Last year’s initial proposed budget exceeded the tax cap and was summarily rejected by voters by a hefty margin. Candidates who had expressed interest in fiscal reform, like now-incumbents Todd Fox, Adam Krantweiss and Emily Workman, outperformed those who had supported the initial budget proposal.

Ire over last year’s proposed, larger-than-average jump in district spending was compounded by a hefty jump in assessed property values.

The amount by which a given tax bill will change year-to-year is a function of both the tax rate, which is set by school districts, municipalities and the county, as well as changes in assessed property value, which depend on county property assessments and market forces. Some taxpayers said they would have faced tax increases that would have amounted to a 30% increase in their monthly housing costs had the initial budget proposal passed.

This year, in contrast, Tompkins County’s property assessment department placed a one-year freeze on the vast majority of assessment changes, which means the only factors contributing to potential tax increases are tax rates. Under the recently-approved budget for the upcoming school year, yearly taxes on a home assessed at $350,000 would increase by $140.

Three of the four new school board candidates — those who will serve the full three-year term — will be sworn in at the end of June. The fourth-place finisher, Madeline Cardona, had her first full board meeting May 27. Cardona was elected to serve out the remainder of ex-board member Katie Apker’s term.

The post Analysis: Lower turnout, fading budget conservatism in Ithaca school district election appeared first on The Ithaca Voice.

ITHACA, N.Y. — The city of Ithaca’s eight historic districts encompass about 10 percent of the city’s total area, holding 650 homes, businesses and accessory buildings. On Wednesday, the city’s Common Council started discussions over whether those numbers should be capped, at least temporarily.

Like with plenty of other urban planning policies, historic districts are something of a double-edged sword. On one hand, they can preserve a neighborhood’s architectural and aesthetic character, and help prevent development from disrupting the local context.

On the other hand, historic districts can create a regulatory burden with additional taxpayer costs that enforcement and bureaucracy require. They have also been occasionally characterized as a tool of gentrification, where the increased cost of home upkeep caused by the regulation forces out lower-income families in favor of higher-income households.

In a city like Ithaca that struggles with housing supply and has seen a rapid rise in home values, while also being very sensitive to changes in aesthetic character, the conversation around historic preservation can be a tense debate. That was on display in Common Council’s chamber in City Hall last night, when Fifth Ward Alderperson Clyde Lederman introduced a resolution calling for a five-year moratorium on the creation or expansion of historic districts within the city limits.

Lederman said the moratorium, as proposed, would last for either five years or until the introduction of a revised Comprehensive Plan for the city, whichever comes first.

“I’ve never heard a kind word from anyone in the city about the benefits of historic preservation in their neighborhoods,” Lederman said. “It incurs a lot of costs, it makes development or updating existing homes harder, especially for folks who don’t have a lot of money or resources as Cornell might have.”

Lederman said he’s received pushback from constituents about expanding historic districts, and particularly regrets voting to accept a $17,000 state grant in October to study expanding the boundaries of the DeWitt Park Historic District.

“I know we have tax credits that people can be eligible for if they’re compliant,” Lederman said. “But as pointed out to me since then […] they can be clawed back, they’re very difficult to obtain, and they’re only really easy to obtain if you’re spending a lot of money on a project, so my sense was that it would be good not to expand historic districts more, given our housing shortage, until the next Comprehensive Plan was completed.”

Mayor Robert Cantelmo asked that the discussion on Wednesday be preliminary and no votes be taken, to allow for further discussion when Planning Department staff could prepare materials for council to review, and Lederman agreed.

Alderperson David Shapiro, of the Third Ward, said he agreed with Lederman’s overall point but countered that he has heard from several constituents about the value and importance of historic districts and preservation.

City Historic Preservation Planner Bryan McCracken was on hand to field questions from council, and expressed concerns that if passed, the grant awarded last fall would be rescinded, and that owners of locally but not nationally historic properties would not be eligible for tax credits. McCracken also worried that it would interfere with city plans to hire a consultant to design an Accessory Dwelling Unit compatible with Historic Districts — to note, there are existing ADUs designed for Historic Districts, like 201 West Clinton Street.

Fourth Ward Alderperson Patrick Kuehl asked what number of buildings in the district have used historic preservation credits. McCracken said he didn’t have that information, as it was a state decision to award credits and is not handled locally.

Lederman said he appreciates the work of the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC), the body that primarily handles historic preservation matters for the city and can approve or deny certain renovation or development efforts in historic districts, and values historic preservation overall. But he said the downsides outweigh the benefits at this point.

“We’ve got a real housing crisis,” Lederman said. “Going through the commission for folks just really slows things down immensely. Any change to the exterior goes to the commission, it often takes multiple meetings. For anyone who’s got a job or isn’t prepared to spend enormous amounts of money on the exterior of their home […] it really becomes extremely burdensome.”

Lederman argued that further expansion of the city’s historic district would make more homeowners have to shoulder the costs and administrative challenges that can be associated with historic preservation of a house. He said 10 percent of the city being historically designated is “excessive” already.

In response to Lederman’s comments, McCracken stated that most minor projects are approved at the staff level — of about 100 historic district renovation or construction projects reviewed last year, only 23 were upgraded to ILPC review, and most of those only needed one or two meetings.

Cantelmo was more circumspect. He asked if the city’s planning staff could provide data on what impact historic preservation has had on housing development, its costs and its impacts.

“Anecdotally, Bryan has told us that there are many ways for us to do historic preservation that do not run contrary to our broader development goals,” Cantelmo said, specifically requesting documentation on best practices and cost analysis.

Even Second Ward Alderperson Ducson Nguyen, arguably the most pro-development council member, found Lederman’s arguments too harsh. Fifth Ward Alderperson Margaret Fabrizio said she isn’t in favor of the resolution, but acknowledged that some of the “hoops” for renovation or development in historic districts could be examined and potentially changed to make them less onerous.

On the other hand, Fourth Ward Alderperson Patrick Kuehl said he felt that the historic district in his ward on East Hill has been used to divide the community and that he considered it damaging. Kuehl made a motion to table the proposal for further discussion, which was accepted by a 6-3 vote.

Going forward, the Planning Department will provide data to council members, who will submit their questions back to staff. When responses are ready to those questions, the next public discussion will be held.

The post City mulls moratorium on expanding historic districts appeared first on The Ithaca Voice.