Where I stand.

I would push for more housing types and greater density to be allowed by right, fewer unnecessary parking requirements, and clearer development standards. Predictable rules help residents understand what can be built nearby and prevent every project from becoming a separate political fight.

In Collegetown, new construction adds supply while many students still live in older converted houses and high-occupancy rentals. Code enforcement and inspection capacity should grow alongside development so tenants are protected and responsible property owners are not undercut.

The City's move toward five-year capital planning can anticipate major expenses before they become emergencies. Its work to reduce and convert short-term debt also matters, especially when grant-funded projects require Ithaca to spend first and wait for reimbursement.

When Council authorizes a capital project, the question should not only be what the City can borrow today, but what that decision commits Ithaca to three, five, and ten years from now.

I would build on what the neighborhood already does well—including casual dining and convenience retail—while coordinating more closely with Cornell. The zoning rewrite is also a chance to reconsider ground-floor commercial requirements. The goal should be active streets, not storefronts that remain empty simply because a particular use is required on paper.

Council does not direct work crews, but it helps decide what makes it into capital planning, sanitation priorities, and the budget. I would make sure Ward 4's infrastructure needs are reflected there rather than addressed one complaint at a time.

The County's curbside food-scraps pilot is a good step, but it reaches only a small share of households. If Ithaca wants waste diversion at scale, the City and County need a model that reaches multi-unit rental housing, where much of the City's population actually lives.

The program has produced progress through stronger building standards, community choice aggregation, and building electrification. But much of the work depends on outside grants. Given Ithaca's fiscal position, I would prioritize measures that also reduce long-term operating costs—especially building efficiency—and strengthen the City's ability to pursue, administer, and collect grant funding.

The concern I hear most often from small businesses is about compliance. I would pair the policy with model documentation, progressive-discipline templates, written-warning forms, and plain-language guidance developed with local businesses and the Tompkins Chamber.