Voter Guide: Common Council Candidates, Wards 1 and 2

WARD 1 - West Hill

Cynthia Brock:

Cynthia Brock is the current alderperson for the 1st ward running for re-election this coming Election Day. Some of the biggest issues in Ithaca that Brock believes are important to address is development and housing.

“We have a growing demand for housing,” Brock said. “We need housing for all income levels and all types of housing.”

Brock also mentioned that reimaging public safety is another concern for Ithaca that she would like to work on.

“This will be a multi-year process that involves a lot of community stakeholders … Police officers, social service providers,” Brock said, “are involved in how we envision delivering public safety services to our residents.”

Being the alderperson for the first ward, Brock noted that her experience and ability to create relationships with stakeholders and community members allows her the chance to create effective policy and fulfill the role of the council member efficiently.

“It really requires working together and finding common purpose and goals to make this happen,” said Brock.

When it comes to implementing her policy ideas, Brock explained how she would love to see a program where the community is able to work with the county to be able to convert food waste into energy and electricity.

“I think that would be incredibly beneficial to the community because it would be clean energy,” said Brock.

Brock also stated that she will take the concerns of South Hill residents about zoning and try her best to make her constituents concerns be heard and addressed in council.

Maddie Halpert:

Maddie Halpert is running against incumbent Cynthia Brock to become the 1st ward alderperson. Halpert is running under the Solidarity Slate Party. Halpert cited housing as a big issue in Ithaca. She noted that there needs to be available housing for low-income individuals. She also said that the reimagining public safety process is also important for the community. Climate change is also a concern for Halpert.

“This comes out of all the grassroots movements were seeing that kind of gave birth to the Solidarity Slate… and from all the door Knocking, hearing people’s stories at their doors,” she said. “Underlying all of these issues are needed to design a system around principles of care and around addressing the histories of injustices that tend to divide people.”

Having grown up in Ithaca, along with many volunteering experiences, Halpert feels closely connected to the area and the community and has a good grasp on what needs to be addressed.

Halpert has been consensus facilitator of a co-op and has even served in leadership role in the United States Peace Corps, where she learned how systems operate and some information on budgeting.

Halpert cited her experience and organizing role with the Solidarity Slate party as experience in being able to serve the community as well.

Halpert states that she would like to see policies like free TCAT rides for riders, noting that discussions with stakeholders make this idea feasible.

Halpert mentioned that free TCAT would help lower income and homeless individuals in the city get to where they need to go more easily, it would reduce traffic, and emissions into the atmosphere.

“I think it would be a win-win all around,” Halpert said.

WARD 2 - Ithaca Commons, Fall Creek, Southside

Phoebe Brown:

Phoebe Brown is running for the 2nd ward alderperson position. Brown is running as a Solidarity Slate Candidate. Brown states that the issues facing Ithaca today are the same issues facing the whole country. Systemic racism, reimagining police and housing are some that Brown mentioned.

“We have pretty much the same problems as other cities have,” said Brown. “Many times, people can get caught up in the beauty and not the grassroots issues.”

Brown came from Harlem in New York City and noticed how gentrification was an issue there. She wants to work and ensure that people who live here are not displaced as she noticed before.

Brown mentioned how she has endured several challenges throughout her life, and how those experiences shaped her view and focus regarding community needs.

“Someone who first-hand has been affected by the decisions the common council has had to make. I think it would be a voice that is usually not at the table,” Brown said.

Brown stated that her experience volunteering and working with community groups and organizations has allowed her to gain insight and the ability to work with different people on different.

“I think my experience would be lived experience,” Brown said.

Looking towards the future, Brown would like to have more conversations and actions regarding Reimagining Policing and public safety. She states that whoever comes into the position of protecting people also understand and acknowledge the history of police.

Brown also mentioned how she would like to see more public benches and access to childcare.

Rick Murray:

Rick Murray is running for the 2nd ward alderperson. He is running as an independent.

Murray stated that some of the biggest issues facing Ithaca are infrastructure, housing, and Reimagining Police.

Development and zoning was another issue that Murray felt strongly about.

“Re-zoning and making sure the tax base is [sic] not overly inflated with a false sense of inflation is important,” Murray sense. “We got prices on houses rising, but if we don’t control the crime in here, those prices are going to start plummeting.”

Murray has lived in Ithaca and has family living in the area. Growing up in Ithaca and living here today, Murray feels connected to the residents and what is important to the community.

Murray has spent 21 years in the army, and afterwards, he spent 19 years managing distribution centers across the country. He feels at home in Ithaca. His grandmother lived on 2nd street, and he recalls spending many days there. “I have close ties to the second ward,” Murray said.

Murray placed a heavy emphasis on local infrastructure and development, stating that its these areas that need to be worked on when it comes to local government.

“’I understand Black Lives Matter,” Murray said. “Local politics is about infrastructure issues and budgeting and making sure the city is fiscally responsible for everything that is going on.”

With a degree in economics, and with experience in logistic divisions in Fortune 500 companies, Murray understands how budgets work and how money can affect people’s lives. His experience in the army and serving as a director of diversity also helps him work with people of different cultures and ethnicities.

Murray stated that while he understands the importance of issues like abortion rights and police violence, he believes that the local government needs to focus on development. Issues like traffic rights and what buildings are being constructed need to be analyzed and reformed for the community’s benefit.

Published on Oct. 27, 2021 by The Ithaca Times. Read the full version here.