Archive: News

Sheriff Peter Meskill announces the retirement of Captain Mark Dresser. Captain Dresser's retirement will be effective April 16, 2008.

Captain Dresser has had a long and distinguished career with the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Robert Howard hired Dresser as a Deputy Sheriff on September 22, 1977. He was promoted to the rank of Criminal Investigator on January 16, 1990. On January 1, 1992 Sheriff Emery Guest promoted Dresser to the position of Senior Criminal Investigator and on November 6, 2003 Sheriff Peter Meskill promoted Dresser to the position of Captain of the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office. In addition to his appointment as a Deputy Sheriff, Dresser served as an explorer scout in the Sheriff's Office explorer program in the early to mid seventies.

State Senate candidate Paloma Capanna was in Lansing last week, where she scooped up the Lansing Democratic Committee endorsement for her run against Republican incumbent Michael Nozzolio.  Capanna met with Democrats at Lansing Community Center for an hour of talk and refreshments.  "Paloma Capanna has insightful, practical ideas and she has a knack for bringing people together to find solutions," says Lansing Democratic Committee Chair Hurf Sheldon.  "
Paloma's wonderfully spirited and community focused campaign shows what an effective legislator she will be."

Capanna was in Lansing at the end of September last year when she kicked off her campaign with a 150 mile walk across the 54th district.  Starting from her Webster home base, she finished the walk at Myers Park.  Lansing is the southern-most town in the district.  "We have the most beautiful senate district in the State of New York," Capanna says.  "I will say that from now until the end of time, because it is the Fingerlakes Region and it is the shores of Lake Ontario and everything in between."

Airport Land Authorized for Inclusion in Lansing Sewer District
The Legislature, by a 10-3 vote (with Legislator Carol Chock absent and the District 12 seat vacant) authorized 12.5 acres of land belonging to Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport to be included in a new Town of Lansing  sewer district.  (Legislators Kathy Luz Herrera, Frank Proto and Tyke Randall voted no.)  The district has been requested to serve to the Dutch Mill Industrial Park on Warren Road.

The airport land, located north of Cherry Road and on either side of Warren, is zoned industrial and is part of the County’s Empire Zone.  Planning and Public Works Commissioner Ed Marx told legislators that the availability of sewer service would allow the airport to lease land for industrial development, producing added revenue to support airport operations.  For a projected annual cost of approximately $4,500, it is projected that approximately $285,000 could be realized as net income over the next 20 years, the cost supported by existing revenues, including tenant rates and charges, not from county taxes.

U.S. Representative Michael A. Arcuri (D-Utica) visited the North Utica Senior Center today to urge seniors and veterans to file 2007 income tax returns in order to be eligible for tax rebates included in an economic stimulus package approved by Congress earlier this year.

“I want to make sure everyone who is eligible to receive a tax rebate gets one,” Arcuri said. “This year, Democrats and Republicans came to together to pass an economic stimulus package that will put much-needed money in the hands of local families and especially help area seniors and veterans. By making sure everyone has the correct information and valuable help from local IRS offices, we can get economic relief as quickly as possible to those who need it most.”

Albany –New York State Senator Michael F. Nozzolio will serve as the Senate Chairman of the Joint Budget Conference Committee for Transportation during State budget negotiations.  Nozzolio also serves on the Public Protection Budget Conference Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for all aspects of the state budget.

"It is an honor to be given the important responsibility of representing the Senate as Chairman of the Transportation Budget Conference Committee," said Senator Nozzolio.  “As Chair of this important Budget Conference Committee, I will be working to provide funding for our highways, local roads and bridges which are important to the safety of New Yorkers and job development in the State.”

At times the heated exchange at Wednesday's public hearings on amendments to Lansing's subdivisions and zoning ordinances made one wonder whether passionate disagreement is an allowed use in the Commercial Mixed Use Zone that the Town Hall is located in.  At the heart of the disagreement are changes the Town Board has proposed that would redefine the role of the Planning Board. But even with a history of poor communication between the Town and Planning Boards, a draft of the proposals made it to a public hearing.

There are some major substantive changes that are being proposed," explained attorney Lorraine Moynihan Schmitt, who works with the Planning Board for the Town.  "The land use ordinance will now be called a zoning ordinance.  There is some provision for in-house Planning Department site plan review, minor applications.  That is a major substantive change.  The Planning Department site plan review is intended to utilize the Planning Department for those projects that do not require the expertise of the Planning Board.  In facilitating this process the Town Board has put together an in-house site plan check list for the Planning Department's use.  That is part and parcel of the proposed amendment."

The mood was somber at Monday's Lansing Board Of Education meeting as school board members struggled with the grim reality of cutting positions and programs to attempt to begin the process of pulling the district out of a large financial hole.  Elementary school music teacher Karen Menges told the board that she fears that the depth of this year's cuts will be long term ones that will dramatically impact the quality of education in Lansing.  She suggested being more aggressive about taking the problem to the community to brainstorm solutions to the district's financial woes.  "We can't do it without them," she said.  If they don't come to us, then we need to go to them."

But to judge from the standing-room-only crowd in the high school library, the problem has already caught the public's attention.  Parents and other residents, teachers, students and administrators jammed into the library, waiting patiently for the meeting to get to the budget agenda item.  "I think it's outstanding that we have this interest level," said Superintendent Steve Grimm.  "There were also a significant number of community members here on Thursday night when I held the budget town meeting.  That was great to see."

The Lansing Housing Authority Board has an open volunteer position for a Lansing resident who is familiar with project organization and facility management. Also important is interest and ability to work together with the Board, management, and residents to continue to provide the best possible environment for seniors in our community. Time and energy to commit to monthly meetings and, once oriented, to various related projects are also expected.

The Board oversees management of Woodsedge, a 40-unit apartment facility funded by Rural Development. Members of the Board are appointed by the Lansing Town Board usually for a term of up to five years. Currently, the two main projects of the LHA Board are completion of the Robert C. Baker Memorial Garden and collection of information on various funding and feasibility alternatives for a future second facility such as Woodsedge.

Should you have an interest in applying for this volunteer position or simply desire more information, please contact the LHA Board President George Gesslein by e-mail (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or US mail at 118 Sharpsteen Road, Locke, NY 13092. Your interest will be appreciated.

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The Tompkins County GOP regrets the circumstances under which Governor Elliot Spitzer was forced to step down, but is happy the state can now move forward.  Many voters already have a low opinion of politicians and this sorry episode just reinforces that view. 

It's the task of all elected officials to live up to the high standards demanded of us to combat those impressions.  I'm unhappy that it looks like the Governor chose to use his elected position as a bargaining chip in negotiations with federal prosecutors.  I think that just adds to the problems of the last week and I hope that David Patterson can re-establish some of the faith people need to have in their elected officials.

Albany- New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio last Friday announced he will aggressively oppose a budget plan by Governor Spitzer that would eliminate the sales tax cap on gasoline and drastically raise fees on every vehicle registered in New York, resulting in higher costs for every New York driver.

Under his plan, the Governor would do away with the gas tax cap enacted on any State sales tax over $2 and would increase gasoline taxes by nearly $56 million annually. Senator Nozzolio was instrumental in advocating and enacting the gas tax cap two years ago.

The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI) released its “TheMiddleClass.org 2007 Congressional Scorecard” today, giving U.S. Representative Michael A. Arcuri (D-Utica) a 100% voting score on middle-class issues including health care, college affordability and the impact of free trade agreements.

“Middle-class families are the heart and soul of the American economy,” Arcuri said. “I am honored to receive this recognition and will continue to support legislation in Congress to bring tax relief, quality, affordable healthcare, and expanded educational opportunity to local families.”

Last January The Town of Lansing Planning Board presented more than 100 proposed changes to the existing zoning ordinances, and the document has been passed between the Planning and Town boards for suggestions and changes since then.  Town officials say the purpose of the changes is to make the ordinance more understandable, even to people with no building experience, and to streamline the process of getting projects approved.  "We want to make it easier for business to come into the town," says Town Councilman Matt Besemer, who is also the Town Board liaison to the Planning Board.  To make the town more business-friendly."

In a joint meeting Monday the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Apeals (ZBA) talked about some of the details of the proposed ordinance.  But the most significant issue was Planning Board members discomfort with removing any site review responsibilities from their purview.  "There are major changes here," Planning Board member Tom Ellis said.  "Things are going from not allowed to an in-house site plan.  That's a major change.  We don't even see it any more.  I'm concerned that such a drastic change coming from one administration of the Town Board is going to usurp decades of people on this board planning for decades in the past."