Archive: News

At their caucus January 28, Democratic residents of the Village of Dryden selected three candidates to run in the election to be held March 19. Mike Murphy will again be the Democrats' candidate for mayor.  Murphy rejoined the Board of Trustees in 2013 after many years; he first served in the 1980s. He worked closely with Mayor Taylor on the water project and ran for mayor successfully last year when she stepped down.

Joining Murphy on the ballot will be Jason Dickinson, who ran for the first time in 2018 to complete a trustee term and will now run for a two-year term. Dickinson is a veteran teacher at George Junior Republic and has three sons who attend Dryden Schools. His particular focuses in his year on the village board have been in the areas of public safety and civil engineering.

Last Friday Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act and legislation banning the practice of conversion therapy, signifying a landmark victory for the LGBTQ community and fulfilling the Governor's vow to sign this legislation within the first 100 days of the legislative session.

"As the most progressive state in the nation and as the home of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, New York has always been on the front lines fighting for full protections for every individual," Cuomo said. "By signing into law GENDA and a ban on the fraudulent practice of conversion therapy, we are taking another giant step forward in advancing equal justice for every New Yorker - regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. We are once again sending a clear and proud message that there is no place for hate in our state, and anyone who engages in bigotry and discrimination will be held accountable."

You might think that the northern portion of Lansing is the perfect place for a wedding.  The rural, pastoral scenery.  The clean air.  No close neighbors that would be bothered by the noise.  But that's not what an impassioned group of neighbors had to say Monday at a Lansing Planning Board hearing to hear public comment on OSMICA, a proposed wedding venue and bed & breakfast on Emmons Road.  They worried about noise, traffic, and the disruption of the pastoral lifestyle they chose when they decided to live in the agricultural district in northern Lansing.

"This exploitation of our properties and our surrounding natural settings puts at risk the peaceful enjoyment of our front and back yards, the safety of our quiet country road, and jeopardizes the surrounding habitat that supports both our wild and domestic animal life," charged next door neighbor Trish Van Every.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today fulfilled his promise to sign into law the Reproductive Health Act, a key component of the 2019 Justice Agenda, within the first 30 days of the new legislative session. The Reproductive Health Act protects women's reproductive rights by ensuring New Yorkers can make personal healthcare decisions and medical professionals can provide crucial services without fear of criminal penalty. The legislation codifies Roe v. Wade into New York State law.

"A woman's power to decide whether she will give birth or not is the single greatest determinant of whether she is healthy or not, educated or not, works outside the home or not, and how long she will live," said Women's Rights Activist Gloria Steinem. "This power has been taken away by patriarchy and racism, sometimes disguised as religion, yet it is our most basic democratic right. I'm thankful to Cuomo and the New York State legislature for passing the Reproductive Health Act. It will codify Roe v. Wade in New York State law, guarantee women's right to make decisions about our own bodies, and help create a future in which every child has the right to be born loved and wanted." 

Washington, DC - Congressman Tom Reed announced his new position as Republican Leader of the Social Security Subcommittee on the House Ways and Means Committee. This places Tom as the Republican in charge of Social Security matters in the House of Representatives.

"We care about those who rely on Social Security, and we will work together with Democrats for the American people to protect this program and ensure Social Security is around for future generations," Reed said.

Four homeowners at the top of Hillcrest Road are outraged at the relocation of a New York State Department Of Transportation (NYSDOT) maintenance facility that surrounds one of their homes, and that they say will impact all with noise, traffic, and potential consequences to their well water.  They say they have been shut out of consideration of the choice of land, that they were not notified about public meetings where the land sale was considered, and that the new facility will negatively impact their property values and quality of life.  While they cling to the thread of a hope that the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will not approve the sale of the Land from Tompkins County to NYSDOT, to all appearances the federal agency will approve it... and that will make the location a 'done deal'.

"They're looking at it from an FAA point of view, primarily from a safety point of view," says Ithaca-Tompkins Regional Airport Manager Mike Hall.  "Planes, airspace... there's a lot of talk about the RPZ (Runway Protection Zone), but that's just the surface plane.  There are other planes above that that provide a valley for the arriving aircraft to fly down as they get to the airport."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo called on the State Education Department Thursday to ensure that students impacted by the federal shutdown have access to free school meals. As part of this effort, the State Education Department would direct school districts to contact families that may be impacted by the shutdown and inform them that their children will be able to access free school lunch and meals during the shutdown as well as remind families that they can apply for the free or reduced price lunch program at any time during the year. This applies to children of federal employees as well as children who rely on federal benefits that may be delayed because of the shutdown.

"While the federal government shutdown continues to wreak havoc on families across the nation, we will not stand idly by and allow our youngest and most vulnerable New Yorkers to go hungry at school," Cuomo said. "As part of our landmark No Student Goes Hungry program, we will do everything in our power to ensure all New Yorkers, regardless of Washington's negligence, have access to healthy meals during the school day."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation yesterday that begins the process of bringing New York State's voting laws into the 21st Century, a central goal of his 2019 Justice Agenda for the first 100 days of the new legislative session. These historic new laws will allow for eight days of early voting before an election, synchronize federal and state primary elections, allow voter preregistration for teenagers, provide voter registration portability within the state, and close the LLC loophole.

"At a time when the federal government is doing everything it can to disenfranchise voters, we are breaking down the barriers that have discouraged too many generations of New Yorkers from exercising their right to vote," Governor Cuomo said. "I'm proud to sign into law these important voting reforms that are part of our first 100-day Justice Agenda but this is only the beginning. We are going to finish the job and enact additional reforms in this year's budget including automatic registration and extending upstate voting hours to once and for all make it easier for New Yorkers to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

Legislature Chair Robertson Delivers 2019 Annual Message, Announces 2019 Organizational Structure
Characterizing the year ahead as one of "Building On, Building Up," Legislature Chair Martha Robertson delivered her annual message before the Tompkins County Legislature. "2019 will be a year for building – building on the foundations we set in 2018, building toward goals we should set for the next three years. And probably, building up, literally," she said. Noting that the first year, or 25 percent, of the Legislature's four-year term is completed, she asked, "What will be have to show for the next 75 percent?"

Among the elements of 'building' Chair Robertson identifies are building on the work of the County's staff: "Whatever we might accomplish as legislators is built on the work of our staff," she states. "It may sound obvious, but we couldn't do anything without them. The work we do together is a team sport, and we legislators owe a debt of gratitude to the people who serve our community every day." The Chair also identifies building on relationships, such as those started with New York State, and with the Federal government, where she notes that five members of the New York delegation are committee chairs in Congress this session. "This year we will be all about building in a literal sense," Robertson adds, for example, with renovations to the Old Jail; evaluating the Tioga Street property and overseeing that project if it moves forward; reaching a decision about the jail and about a possible shared law enforcement facility with the City of Ithaca; and supporting more local housing construction as well, helping to create a more sustainable and equitable community for all who want to live here.

The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee today heard a presentation from Deputy County Administrator Lisa Holmes regarding Tompkins County Veterans Services, as the County prepares to establish the County Veterans Services Agency. The 2019 Tompkins County Budget allocated $100,000 to support the Veterans Services Agency, which is required under New York State Executive Law.

Deputy Administrator Holmes told legislators that County Veterans Services Agencies connects individuals to U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) services—compensation for service‐connected disabilities; pension for non‐service‐connected disabilities; compensation/pension to families of deceased veterans; burial benefits and grave markers; life insurance; health care; education and vocational rehabilitation; and home loan guarantees—as well as to military records, Federal, State and local medals and awards, and New York State Blind Annuity benefits. As of 2017, Tompkins County’s veteran population stood at nearly 4,100, with veterans bringing in $23.4 million of VA benefits to Tompkins County.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced this week a bottle bill expansion and a plastic bag ban will be included in the 2019 Executive Budget. To combat litter, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment for future generations, the Governor is advancing legislation to expand New York's Bottle Bill to make most non-alcoholic drink containers eligible for 5 cent redemption. Additionally, Governor Cuomo will advance legislation to ban all single-use plastic bags.

Locally, Tompkins County Legislator Mike Sigler reported to the Lansing Town Board Wednesday that the County Legislature passed a resolution Tuesday urging the New York State Legislature to reduce recycling and reduce municipal waste management costs by expanding the NYS Returnable Container Act to include wine, liquor, and other glass beverage containers.

"Some bottles, like Gatorade -- I think that should be included," Sigler said. "Wine bottles, liquor bottles... a lot more people are drinking wine, so that should be included, too. This seems like low hanging fruit for us."

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