10-31-23 entire issue hi res by The Cornell Daily Sun

ELECTION 2023 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880

The Corne¬ Daily Sun How to Cast Your Vote By JONATHAN MONG Sun News Editor

Although Ithaca has no major statewide or national elections, all 10 seats in the Common Council and the mayor’s office are up for election on Tuesday, Nov. 7, as well as a seat on the State Supreme Court.

WHERE, WHEN CAN I VOTE? Early Voting

New York offers early voting from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5. Anyone who is registered as a Tompkins County voter and wishes to vote early can do so at Ithaca Town Hall, 215 N. Tioga St. or at Crash Fire Rescue, 72 Brown Rd. Check Tompkins County’s early voting webpage for opening hours on each day of early voting, as they vary. Absentee Voting

The Tompkins County Absentee Ballot Application form can be printed out and mailed or brought to the Board of Elections office by Nov. 7. The ballot can be casted by mailing it to the Board of Elections office by Nov. 7, bringing it to an early voting location by Nov. 5 or bringing it to the Board of Elections office or polling site by 9 p.m. on Nov. 7. Once an absentee ballot is requested, the Board of Elections will automatically send an absentee ballot for every election until registration is canceled.

Voting on Election Day

A list of all polling places in Ithaca is available at the Tompkins County BOE lookup webpage. Users can input their address and find their polling location and a list of all incumbents. This is recommended, as the City of Ithaca has redistricted and the new wards will take effect with this year’s election cycle. Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voters who are in line but have not voted by 9 p.m. will still be allowed to vote so long as they remain on line. Anyone with fewer than four consecutive non-working hours in which they can vote may take up to two paid hours off of work and as many unpaid hours as needed to vote, so long as you give between two and 10 work days’ notice to their employer under Section 3-110 of the New York State Election Law.

WHO’S ON THE BALLOT?

New York State has just one election this year for State Supreme Court justice, but the City of Ithaca is holding elections for all alderperson positions on Common Council and the mayor, while Tompkins County is holding an election for county court judge. Each of Ithaca’s five wards has a twoyear and a four-year seat on the Common Council up for election. In the First Ward, comprising the

ISABELLE JUNG / SUN GRAPHICS EDITOR

Election map | Here are four nearby polling places within the City of Ithaca.

JASON WU / SUN SENIOR EDITOR

Bring your all to the polls | Ithacans will be able to cast their ballots for Common Council members and the mayor of Ithaca on Tuesday, Nov. 7. neighborhoods of Southside, Northside, the West End and West Hill, Alderperson Cynthia Brock (D) — the lone alderperson to vote against the memorandum of understanding between Cornell and the city — is running for the four-year term on the Ithacans for Progress ticket after losing the Democratic primary to Southside Community Center Deputy Director Kayla Matos (D). Current Second Ward Alderperson Phoebe Brown (D) was redistricted to the First Ward and is running for the two-year seat against Republican Zachary Winn, a local conservative activist and one of two Republicans running in the City of Ithaca. Alderperson George McGonigal (D-First Ward) is not running for re-election. Both candidates in the Second Ward — comprising most of downtown Ithaca and Collegetown up to North Quarry Street — are incumbents running unopposed. Ducson Nguyen (D) is running for the four-year term, while Kris HainesSharp (D) — who is currently filling the vacancy in the Fifth Ward left by Laura Lewis’s (D) accession to mayor — is running for the two-year term. If elected, Nguyen said it will be his final term. The Third Ward — which contains South Hill and Belle Sherman on the East Hill — features newcomers across the board, as both incumbents Donna Fleming (D) — who served from 2012 to 2021 and was nominated to fill a vacancy left by Jeffrey Barken’s resignation — and Rob Gearhart (D) are not running. David

Shapiro (D), director of Second Wind Cottages, is running unopposed for the four-year seat, while Cornell Law School student and Ithaca native Pierre Saint-Perez grad (D) is running for the two-year seat against Tompkins Cortland Community College Adjunct Professor Pat Sewell, who is running on the Community Party ticket. Two Cornell students and incumbents are running for the Fourth Ward’s seats, the district where residents of Collegetown and West Campus reside. Jorge DeFendini ’22 (D), a former government and American studies major at Cornell, is running for the four-year term, while Tiffany Kumar ’24 (D), a student in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, is running for the two-year term. The Fifth Ward also features two Cornell students running for office, with Michelle Song ’25 — who lost the Democratic primary to former Cornell employee Margaret Fabrizio (D) — running against Fabrizio on the Working Families Party line, while Clyde Lederman ’26 (D) is running for the two-year seat against PNC Bank IT Product Manager Jason Houghton, who is running on the Ithacans for Progress line. Residents of North Campus vote in this ward. The mayoral candidates are also both Cornellians, with Robert Cantelmo grad (D-Fifth Ward), a Ph.D candidate in government and current Fifth Ward alderperson, running against Janis Kelly ’71 (R), the other Republican candidate in Ithaca. Jonathan Mong can be reached at jmong@ cornellsun.com.

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ELECTION SUPPLEMENT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2023 n ITHACA, NEW YORK

Ballot Guide

City Governance

Mayor, Ward 4

Ward 5

Recent policies

The Sun provides a brief summary of the positions of the mayoral and Ward 4 candidates. | Page 2

The Sun provides a brief summary of the positions of the four candidates running in Ward 5. | Page 3

See what the Common Council has been passing recently before you head to the polls. | Page 4

4 Pages – Free Main Issue Inside! Read about recent antisemitic threats and political action on campus.

Ithaca Ballot Guide • • •

TO VOTE, COMPLETELY FILL IN THE OVAL NEXT TO THE CHOICE Use only the marking device provided or a number 2 pencil. If you make a mistake, don’t hesitate to ask for a new ballot. If you erase or make other marks, your vote may not count.

MAYORAL CANDIDATE

Robert Cantelmo By SOFIA RUBINSON Sun Managing Editor

Alderperson Robert Cantelmo grad announced his bid for the position on Jan. 8. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities to work closely with colleagues to build coalitions around legislation already,” Cantelmo said in an interview with The Sun. “And I have every confidence that I will continue to be able to do that in Council and continue to be able to do that in the community.” Cantelmo is the first and only person thus far to announce his candidacy for the 2023 mayoral election, which will be held in November. He is the associate director of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, represents the Fifth Ward on the Common Council since winning the 2021 election — which includes parts of the Cornell community — and is finishing

By KATE SANDERS Sun Contributor

Kayla Matos (D-First Ward), deputy director for Southside Community Center, will face twelve-year incumbent Alderperson Cynthia Brock (D-First Ward) — who is now running on the Ithacans for Progress line — in the race for the First Ward’s four-year seat, just four months after Matos overcame Brock in the June 27 Democratic primaries. In an interview with The Sun, Matos said that her experience requesting city funding for the center was the reason she decided to run. “The city typically gives us $200,000 [per year], so last year I decided to go to the city and ask for an increase to our budget,” Matos said. “When doing so, the treatment that I received and the way that I was hearing councilmembers

his Ph.D. in government at the University. At the Einaudi Center, Cantelmo works on the Democratic Threats and Resilience initiative, which examines the causes of democratic backsliding and institutional resilience mechanisms that can help insulate democratic societies from autocratic tendencies. He said his research at the Center has relevant implications for his service on the Common Council. “Even these hyper-local issues that we deal with about streets being paved, sidewalks being in good condition, fire departments being fully staffed, this is all service delivery stuff that matters at the local level, no matter where you are in the world,” Cantelmo said. To continue reading each article on this page, please visit cornellsun.com. Sofia Rubinson can be reached at srubinson@cornellsun.com.

Janis Kelly By ISKANDER KHAN Sun Staff Writer

Janis Kelly ‘71 launched his campaign for Ithaca Common Council on Sept. 3. For Kelly, a medical journalist and member of the City of Ithaca Republican Committee, a revitalized Republican presence in Ithaca is a long time coming. “The last decade of all-Democrat, machine-like city administration has set the City of Ithaca on the path of unsustainable job-killing policies, regulatory overkill and financial foolishness. … Our situation will worsen unless we make a major course correction now. The rebirth of the Republican Party in the city will help make that change,” Kelly wrote in a 2010 press release as chair of the city Republican Party. Kelly found issue with the city’s broader approach towards the homeless population, especially in regards to the large home-

less encampment known as “The Jungle.” The site, located along Six Mile Creek, has been home to deaths, explosions from methamphetamine production, widespread drug usage and a recent kidnapping. “I think one of the problems with the city’s approach — and particularly with Mr. [Jorge] DeFendini’s [’22, alderperson for the Fourth Ward] approach to the homeless encampments — is that they are prioritizing the rights and needs of people who are behaving in criminal ways,” Kelly said. “They are ignoring the safety and rights of taxpayers and hardworking citizens.” Kelly also took issue with the poor planning around the new 40-bed detox center in Lansing, which has been facing staffing issues. Iskander Khan can be reached at ikhan@ cornellsun.com.

WARD 4 — 4-YEAR SEAT

Kayla Matos

Cynthia Brock

talk about the community center made me uncomfortable.” Southside Community Center, which has been in operation since 1927, empowers and supplies resources for the Black community in Ithaca. Matos says that organizations like Southside fill a vital role in addressing the wide range of issues Ithacans face, including food insecurity. “Just a few weeks ago, somebody I went to high school with got locked up. I see him around the neighborhood a lot, so when he was released, I asked him what happened,” Matos said. “He said that he had the cops called on him because he was stealing food from the gas station, so he did a little bit of time. I looked at him, and my response was, ‘Next time you’re hungry, just come to the Southside Community Center.’” Kate Sanders can be reached at kas575@cornell.edu.

By FINLEY WILLIAMS Sun Staff Writer

For Alderperson Cynthia Brock (D-1st Ward), change is a marathon, not a sprint. In an interview with The Sun, Brock explained that she practices a methodical, process-oriented approach to politics, urging measured responses to Ithaca’s most pressing political quandaries. “I think very deliberately about how systems work together, how you need to take deliberate steps in order to achieve an implementable goal,” Brock said. “I recognize that it all comes down to process. It comes down to legislation. It comes down to really taking the time to put the structures in place to make sure that your larger vision is able to come into effect.” With Brock serving 12 years on Common Council, voters have looked to her for stability — a quality that stands in opposition to

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the new voice in local politics represented by Kayla Matos, whom Brock will battle in the November general election for the Ward 1 four-year term Common Council seat. Brock lost the June 27 Democratic primary to Matos — deputy director of the Southside Community Center and a born and raised Ithacan — but announced in August her decision to continue in the November general election as an independent candidate, running on the Ithacans for Progress line. While Matos calls for “louder voices and stronger hands,” Brock said that she takes a more moderate, incremental approach — stressing collaboration with community members and city partners, especially on hot-button issues like policing and tenant rights. Finley Williams can be reached at fwilliams@cornellsun.com.

INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880

The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 140, No. 21

8 Pages – Free

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2023 n ITHACA, NEW YORK

News

Arts

Sports

Weather

Doxxing Resolution

Meaning of “Strange”

Football Fumbles

Partly cloudy

The Student Assembly passed a resolution to protect students against doxxing measures. | Page 3

Luke Dennis ’27 ponders the meaning of the word “strange” and its connection to geniuses. | Page 4

Cornell loses to Princeton, dropping to 2-2 in the Ivy League rankings.

HIGH: 47º LOW: 34º

| Page 8

ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS

Threats against Jewish students and 104West! were posted on the platform Greekrank this weekend By JONATHAN MONG and JULIA SENZON Sun News Editors

Editor’s note: This article contains mentions of religious and ethnic-based violence. Threats were posted to Cornell’s Greekrank forums on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29, including one that threatened a shooting at 104West!, which is home to Cornell’s Center for Jewish Living and the kosher dining hall. “if i see another synagogue another rally for the zionist globalist genocidal apartheid dictatorial entity known as “israel”, i will bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you pig jews [sic],” said one post titled “if i see another jew” by a poster calling themselves “hamas.” “jews are human animals and deserve a pigs death. Liberation by any means. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free [sic]!” The post also threatened to rape female Jewish students and behead Jewish babies in front of their parents. Greekrank is a discussion site about the fraternities and sororities across colleges and universities, with user guidelines banning content that “contains hate speech or promotes or condones violence.” Another post by screen name “jew evil” titled “jewish people need to be killed” [sic]

JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Vulgar threats | Following a series of antisemitic threats posted online this weekend, New York State police and the CUPD have heightened security at the Center for Jewish Living.

called for students to follow Jewish students home from campus and slit their throats. “rats [sic] need to be eliminated from Cornell,” said the post, which has since been taken down. The Sun was only able to view two threatening comments on the Greekrank website as of 7:26 p.m. on Oct. 29, as the others had been removed.

The posts come four days after graffiti stating “Israel is fascist,” “Zionism = genocide” and “F*** Israel” was sprayed across Central Campus on Wednesday, Oct. 25. There have also been several derogatory posts towards Muslim students on campus posted on the Greekrank platform on Sunday. One post, published under the name “glory to hamas,” threatened to

“bring many ak 47 [sic] and slave women in hijab to make party [sic] more fun!” Another comment responding to the “if i see another jew” post stated “puck falestine.” Cornell Hillel released a statement on Sunday evening acknowledging the threat against 104West! and Jewish Cornellians in general. “Cornell Hillel is aware of a threatening statement that was directed toward the building at 104West!, which houses the University’s kosher and multicultural dining hall, as well as more generally toward Jewish students, faculty and staff.” The statement continued: “The Cornell University administration has been made aware of this concerning language, and the Cornell University Police Department is monitoring the situation and is on site at 104West! to provide additional security as a precaution. At this time, we advise that students and staff avoid the building out of an abundance of caution.” To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Jonathan Mong can be reached at jmong@ cornellsun.com. Julia Senzon can be reached at jsenzon@cornellsun.com.

Campus Fraught With Tension Gov. Hochul Addresses Emotions are high in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war By SAM JOHNSTONE and MING DEMERS Sun Staff Writer and Sun Assistant Photography Editor

A campus-wide email sent Friday by Vice President of Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi summed up the sentiments from this week’s campus Israel-Palestine demonstrations: “We are all Cornellians and

deserve the opportunity to fully engage in our educational experience,” Lombardi wrote. As the Cornell community grapples with the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, tensions remain heightened throughout campus, exemplified last week by the outpour of support and condemnation for Prof. Russell Rickford, history, and his con-

MING DEMERS / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Strong emotions | SJP host a rally on Wednesday, Oct. 25. Students have been adovacting their views throughout campus.

troversial speech referring to Hamas’s initial invasion into Israel as “exhilarating.” Rickford told The Sun he was referring to “those first few hours, when they broke through the apartheid wall, that it seemed to be a symbol of resistance, and indeed a new phase of resistance in the Palestinian struggle.” He later apologized for his choice of words, and has since requested a leave of absence, which was granted by the University. This incident and various campus demonstrations led to questions about Cornell’s commitment to free expression. “Free expression is a core value for Cornell. Equally important is our commitment to belonging and inclusion. To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Sam Johnstone can be reached at sjohnstone@cornellsun.com. Ming DeMers can be reached at mdemers@cornellsun.com.

Threats at CJL Residence By SOFIA RUBINSON Sun Managing Editor

students who live in the CJL or frequent the kosher dining hall, 104West!. The governor said the state of New York is taking these threats seriously and is investigating them to the fullest extent. State police are assisting local law enforcement with the investigation and the FBI is also involved with

Following anonymous antisemitic threats that were posted on Cornell’s Greekrank forum this weekend, including one that threatened a shooting at 104West!, the home of the Center for Jewish Living and kosher dining hall, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) addressed the community at a press conference on Monday, Oct. 30. “We will not tolerate threats or antisemitism or any kind of hatred that makes people feel vulnerable and exposes people and makes them feel insecure in a place where they should be enjoying their campus life, without fear that someone could cause them harm,” Hochul said. Hochul was joined by Cornell President Martha Pollack, leaders of the New York State police and the Cornell University Police Department and Jewish CINDY SCHULTZ / THE NEW YORK TIMES

See HOCHUL page 3

2 The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Daybook

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

A LISTING OF FREE CAMPUS EVENTS

Today Identifying Socially Disruptive Policies 11:40 a.m. - 12:55 p.m., 498 Uris Hall Prospects for Peace in Israel-Palestine Noon - 1:30 p.m., Virtual Event Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals: Which Laws Apply? Noon - 1 p.m., 494 Uris Hall

Tomorrow Is There a Case for Farmer Cooperation Today? Lessons From Insia and Europe With Bina Agarwal 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., B73 Warren Hall

Land Justice: Engaging Indigenous Knowledge for Land Care With Robin Wall Kimmerer 12:20 p.m. - 1:10 p.m., 401 Warren Hall

Seeking Asylum: The Human Toll of the U.S. Immigration Bureaucracy With Shannon Gleeson and Chiara Galli 1:30 p.m., Virtual Event

Using Graph Neural Networks to Discover Supply Chain Edges With Achintya Gopal 6 p.m. - 7 p.m., Virtual Event

Raising Grievances to the State: The Political Economic Effects of AntiCorruption Crackdown With Huiyi Chen 1:25 p.m. - 2:40 p.m., 102 Mann Library

What is Anti-Racism and Why it Means Anti-Capitalism With Arun Kundnani 4:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m., Virtual Event

Damiani Partridge

Professor, Dept. of Anthropology & Dept. of Afroamerican & African Studies, University of Michigan. Vice President and President-Elect of the German Studies Association.

Blackness as a Universal Claim: Holocaust Heritage, Noncitizen Futures, and Black Power in Berlin

Ballots Missing in Freshman S.A. Representative Election

Several public policy students were unable to vote

Thursday, November 2, 2023; 5:00 PM Guerlac Room, A.D. White House

By KIRA TRETIAK

The Public is Invited

Several first-year students — all of whom are part of the new public policy major — told The Sun that they did not receive ballots to vote for the appointment of four freshman representatives in the Fall 2023 Student Assembly election. The voting period spanned from Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. to Oct. 11 at 11:59 p.m., during which some public policy students received a ballot to vote for only the students with disabilities representative at large. The contested elected positions for the Fall 2023 S.A. election included four freshmen representatives, one College of Engineering representative, one transfer representative and one students with disabilities at-large representative. Two contested positions that public policy freshmen were ineligible to vote for include one College of Engineering representative, which exclusively engineering students could elect, and one transfer representative, which exclusively transfer students could elect. Only first-years were allowed to vote for the freshman representative position. All undergraduate students were eligible to vote for the students with disabilities at-large representative position. Election results were announced Tuesday, Oct. 17. For the 2023-2024 academic year, the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy entered its first class of students enrolled directly into it, as opposed to through the College of Human Ecology, where the policy analysis and management major had previously been housed. The Brooks School restructured the prior PAM major into public policy this past August to broaden the curriculum with the addition of engaged learning, language and race, racism and public policy requirements. While existing PAM students were allowed to choose their major name, incoming freshmen that applied as policy analysis and management majors were not given an option and were enrolled as public policy majors. There are 72 first-years entering the Brooks school out of the 3,537 first-years enrolled for the 2023-2024 school year, making up two percent of the first-year student body. According to several Brooks first-year students, many public policy students reported not receiving a ballot in talks with The Sun. Eeshaan Chaudhuri ’27, who is majoring in public policy, did not receive a ballot for the S.A. freshman representative election. “The first day voting opened, I received the disabilities ballot but no freshman ballot,” Chaudhuri said. “One of my friends who had the same problem contacted the election committee and was told ballots were still being sent out in waves. However, I waited and waited, and it never came.”

Sun Contributor

The Corne¬ Daily Sun INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880 Editor in Chief

Angela Bunay ’24

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The election was highly publicized by the S.A. Office of Election, the Office of Assemblies and Cornell Votes, with an abundance of explanations for how freshmen should vote, according to a statement from the Office of Assemblies to The Sun. “In ‘voting now open’ emails sent at the beginning of the election period, all students were given instructions regarding how to vote, where the ballots are coming from and to check their spam/junk folders if they did not receive a ballot in their main cornell.edu email account,” the Office of Assemblies wrote. Elliott Serna ’27, a public policy major who ran for the freshman representative position, told The Sun that he contacted Rahul Verma ’24, S.A. director of elections, the Office of the Assemblies and the S.A. Elections Committee on Oct. 4, when he did not receive a ballot to vote for freshman representative. “That evening [of the first day of the voting period], I did email the elections committee and received word that some ballots were still being rolled out. So, I decided to give it a couple of days. But by Wednesday, Oct. 11, when several peers affirmed they had not gotten their ballots yet either, I was like — something’s off here,” Serna stated. According to the email, which was obtained by The Sun, Serna asked whether all the voting link emails have been sent out yet, citing that he hasn’t received a ballot for freshman representative in both his inbox and spam folder. “To that same effect, some of my freshman peers have also let me know they haven’t [received] their emails — or didn’t receive the follow-up email with the freshman ballot — one student said they got the SDS ballot instead, but no freshman ballot,” Serna said. In response, Verma said that ballots were still being sent out to students. Anna Cecilia Fierro ’27, a public policy student, agreed that in addition to herself, none of the Brooks first-years she knew received a ballot to vote for freshman representative. Keten Abebe ’27, another public policy student who ran for freshman representative and did not receive a ballot, was puzzled when she did not receive a ballot, though she understands mass emails are complicated to send out. “I was just confused as to why certain people received their ballots at awkward times, because some people received them during the day and some people didn’t receive them at all,” Abebe said. “For the future, I think that the S.A. should take out [some number of] weeks to work out all the logistics behind sending out voting in order to make sure everyone gets their ballots.” To continue reading this story, please visit www. cornellsun.com. Kira Tretiak can be reached at kpt37@cornell.edu.

The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, October 31, 2023 3

News

Ithacans Express Key Issues Ahead of Elections

Before Ithaca’s upcoming elections, The Sun spoke to residents to hear which issues matter most By LUCAS SANTIAGO-KERMANI Sun Staff Writer

As election day approaches, candidates and their supporters have been ramping up campaign efforts. Leaflets and signs of support for candidates have become increasingly common outside people’s homes and in community spaces, and candidates have staged town-halls and other community events to capture the attention of voters. Ahead of Ithaca’s upcoming legislative elections on Tuesday, Nov. 7, The Sun spoke to residents from all five of the city’s Wards to hear their biggest concerns and how they hope candidates will address them. All 10 seats of Ithaca’s Common Council, as well as the Mayor’s office, are up for election. Adding to the unorthodox circumstances, six Alderpersons have declined to seek reelection, leaving fresh-faced, first-time candidates to vie for their places. For a detailed breakdown of each race, see The Sun’s 2023 voting guide. One of the most commonly voiced concerns of residents was the perceived proliferation of Ithaca’s homeless population. According to the 2023 Point-in-Time Count, Ithaca’s homeless population increased by 10 percent from just last year. The issue is compounded by the city’s current lack of staffing and resources, as well as the divides among the general population about how to address the problem. Tim Gray, the owner of Comics for Collectors in Ithaca Commons for four decades, said that the increasing homeless population in the area was repelling customers. He expressed

disappointment that the city’s police services were unable to address separate incidents of shoplifting or thievery, which have also increased in frequency. Gray also pointed to larger issues facing the Commons and Ward 1, where he believes a general disregard for rules in the area — including smoking, biking on the commons and speeding vehicles — has continued without city pushback. Other residents shared different views. Caleb Harned, a resident of Ward 4, said he felt that more humane policies were needed to address Ithaca’s homelessness crisis. He expressed disapproval of the city’s sanctioning of “The Jungle,” which served as an unofficial place of refuge for many homeless Ithacans, and said that budgets should be raised to provide services for these people who need help the most. This could include funding for proper treatment of opioid addiction, as well as general effort to destigmatize isolated members of the population. “It’s [become] hard for the unhoused population to be seen, heard, felt or loved,” Harned said. But concerns about general safety were echoed by people across the city, including a resident of Ward 2, who wished to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns, who said how shoplifting and crime had yet to subside since the rate upticks that followed the end of COVID lockdowns. “People can’t even be trusted in our [store] bathrooms without having a key,” they said. Policing emerged as a both a related and popular area of concern for voters and also served as an illustration of another divide in the Ithacan community. The Ithaca Police Department has grappled with historic

levels of understaffing — with 36 vacancies in 2023 — resulting in increased overtime costs and difficulty responding to calls in need. This has been only compounded by a dip in community regions, which eventually spurred the Reimagining Public Safety initiative that strived to implement key reforms. There was also the controversy surrounding former acting police chief John Joly, who is currently on indefinite leave from his position and is pursuing a lawsuit against the city for discrimination and harassment following a complaint about hostilities in his work environment. Ashley Broadwell, a resident in Ward 2, said that a general police presence in the Commons and other popular areas had served to deter disorder, but that the policy had ended long ago. He also explained how having regular officers in certain areas could help create stronger bonds to the community. Another resident in Ward 3, who wished to remain anonymous for privacy concerns, echoed Broadwell’s thoughts, saying that officers should each have their own beats to create both a relationship between officers and citizens and to promote overarching feelings of safety. She also stressed the need for Common Council to ensure the full staffing of the police department, and to allow greater civilian oversight through an organized body, of which would serve to hold police accountable to their responsibilities. To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Lucas Santiago-Kermani can be reached at lsantiagokermani@cornellsun.com.

Student Assembly Resolves to Hochul Condemns Denounce Doxxing on Oct. 26 Hatred at 104West! HOCHUL

Continued from page 1

attempting to identify a perpetrator. “If you are going to engage in these harmful actions, hate crimes, breaking our laws — you will be caught, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Hochul said. Hochul said that state police have ramped up security across New York college campuses since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and the heightened security will continue in the following weeks. On Wednesday, Oct. 25, Cornell’s campus was vandalized by anti-Israel and anti-Zionist graffiti, and a week prior, a Cornell professor delivered an off-campus speech in which he stated he was “exhilarated” by Hamas’s initial attack. JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Reaching resolution | The Student Assembly discusses a resolution on Cornell’s response to the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 12. Two weeks later, the S.A. passed a related resolution that aims to protect students from doxxing. By CHRISTINA MACCORKLE Sun Staff Writer

The Student Assembly passed Resolution 33: Protecting Freedom of Expression: Anti-Doxxing at its Oct. 26 meeting. The resolution calls on the Administration to proactively protect the privacy and free speech of students from the threat of doxxing. The resolution follows recent incidents of doxxing — the search for and publishing of private or identifying information about a particular individual on the internet — at colleges as students share their views on the IsraelHamas war. Co-sponsored by representatives from a number of student groups on campus, including Students for Justice in Palestine, the Muslim Educational and Cultural Association, the PanAfrican Muslim Student Association, as well as a few members of the S.A., the resolution highlights the implications and manifestations of doxxing for the Cornell community. For instance, the resolution states

that media sources such as Canary Mission use “defaming language to ruin the public reputation of those that they post without verifying information.” Canary Mission is a website that exposes students, professors and professionals who have supported pro-Palestine causes, including those affiliated with Cornell. The organization’s About page states it is “motivated by a desire to combat the rise in anti-Semitism on college campuses.” “Members of Cornell University who take stances have received death threats to them and their families as a result of doxxing,” the resolution states. The resolution situates itself within the theme of the 2023-24 academic year: Freedom of Expression. The first clause of the resolution quotes the Freedom of Expression Theme Year website, stating, “we encourage Cornellians everywhere to challenge personal beliefs, to consider new ideas and unfamiliar perspectives.” Some questioned the specific need for the resolution, but Claire Ting ’25, S.A. executive vice president and one of

the sponsors of the resolution, said that current resources for students facing threats of doxxing are limited. “I think the only thing that I’ve received personally as a member of the Executive Board is an email forwarded from the Office of Assemblies with resources from the library about how to prevent doxxing, and the most that tells us is to just lock down your accounts and put social media accounts on private,” Ting said. “This resolution promotes a proactive rather than a reactive approach to preventing doxxing.” Specifically, the resolution calls on the Administration to directly condemn doxxing and provide health-related, academic and legal support for “students and faculty members whose reputations have been publicly harmed and defamed,” the resolution reads. To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Christina MacCorkle can be reached at cmaccorkle@cornellsun.com.

“If you are going to engage in these harmful actions, ... you will be caught, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Gov. Kathy Hochul “This community will start to heal. It’s been horribly painful. They will come together. Because the terrorists, the people who are threatening them, will get no refuge here,” Hochul said. “They will find that this community is made stronger and defiant and will resist any sense that they will change their way of life because they’ve been threatened by people with such hate in their hearts.” After Hochul’s remarks, Pollack said she stands by the governor and will not allow antisemitism at Cornell to be tolerated. “We will not tolerate antisemitism on this campus. We will not tolerate hate crimes or threats of violence of any kind,” Pollack said. “I am very appreciative of the Governor for all she’s

done in coming here today. Very appreciative of all the law enforcement that is supporting our students and we are just here to stand with our students.” Aaron Goldgewert ’27 was one of the students who attended the press conference and said he frequents the CJL three times a day for prayers and eats the majority of his meals in the dining hall. He was eating dinner at 104West! on Sunday night when news of the threats broke. He described a frantic scene until the CUPD and Pollack arrived. “[Pollack] came more as a person than the president. She wasn’t like ‘here’s what we’re going to do.’ But she and Vice President Ryan Lombardi came to show support and leadership, and that they were there with us to answer questions that we might have,” Goldgewert said. Adin Moskowitz ’27, who likewise visits the CJL daily for morning services and kosher meals, described locking himself in his dormitory on North Campus as the threats were unfolding, not knowing what was going to happen. “It was jarring and scary to see attacks directly towards a community center that is a home to me,” Moskowitz said. “I was not expecting something like this to happen here at Cornell.” Residents of the CJL, including Matan Auerbach ’25, said that they are not going to let these threats deter them from going about their daily routine. “Keeping us home and making us afraid and not going to class and making us do worse — that’s how they win. That is what this is trying to do, to instill fear,” Auerbach said. “So for me, if I don’t go out there and I don’t wear my kippah, I’m playing into their hands. And that’s just not how I operate.”

Sofia Rubinson can be reached at srubinson@cornellsun.com.

4 The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, October 31, 2023

The Strange

LUKE DENNIS ARTS CONTRIBUTOR

Before we call them genius, we call them strange.

For some individuals, their immediate environment is insufficient to supply them with the intangible things they desire. The conversations and ideas they wish to engage with are absent from the voices around

them. While most of these few will conform to normalcy, the strange ones will pursue means by which they express these unspoken, often disruptive, parts of themselves. In the poem “The Strongest of

the Strange,” Charles Bukowski writes, “you won’t see them often/for wherever the crowd is/ they/are not./those odd ones, not/many/but from them/come/ the few/good paintings/the few/good symphonies/the few/

good books/and other/works.” Bukowski never mentions the word “genius,” but rather, alludes to the artists whose art has transcended their time and place. I find it quite paradoxical that “those odd ones,” who are often separate from crowds in their lifetimes, are also the creators of the pieces that are later praised by millions. The strange create out of a necessity to express what is missing around them, but it turns out that once shared, the idea or emotion is often relatable to many. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger mentions a similar concept of the “strange” and the generational passing down of knowledge. As the narrator and main character, Holden Caulfield falls deeper into the isolation of his mind; Mr. Antolini tells him, “Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You’ll learn from them — if you want to. Just as some day, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It’s a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn’t education. It’s history. It’s poetry.” It’s unclear if this advice gets through to Holden. For myself, Salinger’s words encapsulate a long-awaited feeling of validation. He assures us that we are not unique in our troubles, but instead part of a long history of individuals who have found a way to transform their discomfort into expression. While Bukowski acknowledges the existence of the strange, Salinger tells of the community they form through art. The “records of their troubles” — writing, painting and music — form an invisible string of connection between the creators and the audience. Literature provides a haven for the ugly, unacceptable, disquieting ideas that people feel. Hidden between the lines of sprawling texts, crossing languages and time periods, people have found a place to disguise the unspeakable ideas that demand to be expressed. What Salinger’s and Bukowski’s words have in common is the idea of creating some sort of “art” out of necessity. The strange are not creating for an audience’s approval, but to articulate a feeling or frustration that consumes them whole. And the “beautiful reciprocal arrangement” is exactly that, with readers finding their own fears in the words of others — one day, a small group of them will go on to write of their own troubles. To finish reading this article, please visit cornellsun.com. Luke Dennis is a freshman in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at ld524@ cornell.edu.

ARTS & CULTURE

6 The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Opinion

The Corne¬ Daily Sun Independent Since 1880 141st Editorial Board ANGELA BUNAY ’24 Editor in Chief

KATIE CHEN ’25

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Business Manager

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Henry Schechter

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Henry Schechter is a second-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences. His fortnightly column Onward focuses on politics, social issues and how they come to bear in Ithaca. He can be reached at hschechter@cornellsun.com.

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“F*** Israel” Graffiti Artist: I Know You’re Better Than This

ear “F*** Israel” Graffiti Artist, I believe in the power of free speech: that everyone should have their voice heard. It’s our most profound tool for social change and a privilege of living in America. As we all well know, it’s been a tense week on campus. Most recently because of the Jew-threatening hate posts that have been referred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The eyes of the country are upon our school, with national press coverage building. With the growing tensions across campuses like ours, both Israeli and Palestinian groups have professed their views in different ways, and sometimes worked to intimidate in the process. Your “F*** Israel” graffiti grabbed my attention in particular. Not because I saw it on a discussion board, but because I saw it in person. So, I wanted you to know that your words, just like the online threats, are not free speech — they are nothing but vandalism. They dig you into a hole that’s difficult to escape. And instead of furthering your cause, they alienate the allies you need to convince. I want you to know, as I wrote in my column two weeks ago, I have empathy for the human cost of the crippling crisis in Gaza and believe that no non-combatant should ever have to endure what is happening there. Like those supporting the Palestinian cause, or those simply mourning the lives of the innocent, I would be enraged. I would be filled with angst and helplessness. I would rally just like you. What I wouldn’t do, though, is vandalize the Cornell campus. Here’s why. Your actions are against the law, likely fourth degree criminal mischief here in New York. You’re not committing a massive crime, but it’s still illegal; causing the property damage I saw atop the slope is not within your rights. You should scream as loud as you can. You should use megaphones and drums and air horns as you march across campus and interrupt classes. In fact, on Wednesday afternoon, your campus protests drowned out my Global Studies class in Goldwin Smith Hall, and I couldn’t do anything but applaud you. My peers stood up, ignored the class content, and flocked to the windows to watch you march. That brought valuable attention to your cause. Breaking the law and spray-painting profanity on Cornell sidewalks, however, didn’t. Crews had to stay up late that night, sweat as they poured hot asphalt over your words and took the time they should be spending

with their families to clean up your mess. Breaking the law and spray-painting profanity on sidewalks doesn’t advance your cause. It dilutes your message. Yes, you’ve drawn press coverage, but not the kind you need. I read the New York Post article about your graffiti. But not once throughout the sensationalizing piece did it mention your grievances or what you’re trying to accomplish. It talked about the profanity, the timing of the incident and who had to clean it up. Don’t you want a national paper to amplify the pain you’re feeling? Don’t you want them to tell the world that you have something significant to say? If I were you, I’d want news coverage that helps my cause, not one that brands me as a criminal. You buried the lede, and the Post couldn’t have cared less about your message. By being incendiary instead of collaborative you’re alienating the people who need to hear you most. Over the last week, five of my Jewish family members reached out to ask me if I’m safe and to voice their concern over the “unrest” happening on our campus. I told them all the same thing: Nothing is unordinary here and I feel safe. When you broke the law and stepped over the line of free speech, those family members, many of them deep supporters of Israel, missed your message. Their vision was obscured by the smokescreen of your law-breaking instead of hearing what you have to say. What they saw were dangerous vandals instead of people in pain. These are the people you want to hear you. You want Jews, Israel supporters and the whole world to empathize with you. You want them to open their minds, change their thinking and understand what’s happening to your people. But instead, they’re just concerned with my safety. You didn’t make them see you; you pushed them further away. That is a shame. I hear you. I feel for you. I want you to interrupt my class and protest through campus. I want you to scream through your megaphones about the pain you feel, the injustice you see. I want other people, especially the people you disagree with, to hear your message too. But you can’t fully accomplish that when you break the law and spray paint your rage. Build dialogue, don’t break it down. When anger boils over, it’s hard to quell the tide of emotion. Onward, Henry

The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, October 31, 2023 7

Comics and Puzzles

Sundoku Fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once. Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name. (Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki/ Sudoku)

Puzzle 69

VELCRO

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Sports

TUESDAY OCTOBER 31, 2023

The Red Fall to Princeton in Low-Scoring Game The Tigers’ dominant defense held Cornell to just three points

Touchdown troubles | For the first time this season, the Red fail to find the back of the endzone, losing to Princeton, 14-3. By GRAYSON RUHL Sun Sports Editor

ITHACA, N.Y. — With the Ivy League as open as it’s been in years, football played a meaningful conference game this Saturday, Oct. 28 when it hosted Princeton. Both teams sat at 2-1 in conference coming into the day, and the winner would be one of two teams leading the Ivy League with three wins. Though Cornell had chances, Princeton’s defense was dominant throughout the game, forcing two turnovers and limiting the Red to just three points. The Tigers’ two first half touchdowns, one on a 77-yard pass and one with just eight seconds left in the second quarter, were enough to secure a 14-3 win, dropping the Red to .500 in conference. “Two really good teams in the league, real heavyweight fight, particularly at the line of scrimmage,” said head coach David Archer ’05. “This game was like a playoff game and a bowl game had a kid — that’s what this game was like. And it just comes down to a couple plays.” The Red (3-4, 2-2 Ivy) started the game off with the ball and looked to score early, working it methodically down the field with short rushes and passes. After breaking into Princeton (4-3, 3-1 Ivy) territory, on the twelfth play of the drive, Cornell was faced with a 4th and 6. Opting to go for it, junior quarterback Jameson Wang’s pass went incomplete, and the Red turned it over on downs. Both teams started slow on offense, as the Tigers and the Red traded punts following the turnover on downs. Princeton started its second drive of the game on its own 23-yard line.

It took just one play for the Tigers to get on the board. With time to let the play develop, quarterback Blake Stenstrom found receiver Tamatoa Falatea wide open behind the Red’s defense at the Cornell 35-yard line. Falatea ran untouched into the end zone, and Princeton quickly took a 7-0 lead. Looking to respond to the Tigers’ touchdown, the Red got a big boost on the opening play of its ensuing drive. Wang found senior tight end Matt Robbert over the middle, threading the pass just over the outstretched hand of a Princeton linebacker. Robbert turned the catch into a 30-yard reception, which became an even bigger gain after a roughing the passer call against Princeton. The Red picked up one more first down before stalling inside the red zone. Senior kicker/punter Jackson Kennedy came out for a 31-yard field goal attempt and drilled it, cutting Princeton’s lead to 7-3. The Red’s defense stood tall for much of the second quarter, picking up two sacks and forcing consecutive punts out of the Tigers. Nevertheless, Cornell’s offense struggled equally to score, and with just over a minute left in the half, Princeton got the ball on its own 26, looking to grow the lead before halftime. Helped by a pass interference call against the Red and a 19-yard pass, Princeton was able to work the ball into Cornell territory. On 1st and 10 from the Cornell 33, Stenstrom found receiver Luke Colella open over the middle. Colella continued to cut left after making the catch, and dove into the end zone with eight seconds remaining in the half. The 7-play, 74-yard drive took just 58 seconds of game time, and the Red

went into the locker room trailing, 14-3. “That was tough, particularly because we aided them with a pass interference call,” Archer said. Coming out of halftime, the Red was able to force a Princeton punt. Cornell took over on its own 15, needing points to get back into the game. The Red’s drive started off promising, with a 20-yard pass from Wang to senior wide receiver Nicholas Laboy and a 13-yard rush from Wang on a 3rd and 7 to keep the drive alive. However, on a 2nd and 17 from the Princeton 41, freshman running back Ean Pope coughed up the football after looking for yards after the catch. Princeton pounced on it, and took over on its own 46. With solid field position near midfield, the Tigers had an opportunity to add to its lead. The Red’s defense remained stout, as senior linebacker Nic Paschall came up with a sack on third down to force a Princeton punt. The Red continued to struggle to find offense in the third quarter, going three-and-out following Princeton’s punt. Cornell ran just four offensive plays inside Princeton territory in the third quarter. As the fourth quarter started, the Red’s offense began to show more life. Wang completed passes of 12 and 26 yards, and a personal foul against Princeton put Cornell into Tigers’ territory. The Red’s momentum was stunted on a first down play from Princeton’s 21, when a double reverse got blown up for a nine-yard loss. Cornell ultimately settled for a 47-yard field goal attempt, but Kennedy’s kick was no good, keeping the deficit at 11. “They hadn’t shown that blitz on 1st

LEILANI BURKE / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

and 10 ever,” Archer said. “So I think the process of making the call [the double reverse] was sound because they’re fast and they were over pursuing..[but] for whatever reason they call an all-go blitz and it was unfortunate.” The Red had another opportunity to score midway through the fourth quarter following a Princeton punt, but on a 3rd and 4 from the Cornell 35, Wang’s pass down the right sideline was picked off by defensive back Mason Armstead. The Tigers took over on its own 43 with a chance to put the game out of reach. Cornell’s defense was able to get another stop, but the Tigers worked three minutes off the game clock. The Red had a last gasp with just over three minutes remaining in the game, but penalties once again slowed the drive. Wang made an attempt to the end zone as time expired, but the pass went incomplete, and the Red fell, 14-3. Outside of Kennedy’s field goal, Cornell struggled to generate consistent offense. Penalties and turnovers both served to stunt the Red’s attack, despite winning the time of possession battle and accumulating more total yards. “It’s a great learning experience with the games we’re going to be playing now,” Archer said. “With the team that I think we are and we can show people we are.” Cornell now looks ahead to a twogame road stretch, starting with Penn next Saturday, Nov. 4. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Grayson Ruhl can be reached at gruhl@cornellsun.com.

Ithaca Ballot Guide • • •

WARD 5 — 4-YEAR SEAT

Michelle Song

Margaret Fabrizio SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE

SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE Sun Staff Writer

Margaret Fabrizio has lived in Ithaca for over 40 years and recently retired from a three decade-long career at Cornell where she worked to coordinate programs and support first-year students. For two decades, she co-chaired the Fall Creek Neighborhood Association and also founded the Fall Creek Garden Tour and CU Downtown. Her campaign is focused on practical economic solutions, further development of programs for students and faculty researchers and innovative ways for the local government to connect Ithaca’s neighborhoods. Fabrizio was recently featured in The Ithaca Times, with a cover page story discussing Cornell’s tax-exempt status and Ithaca’s bottom line. She calls upon Cornell to pay more than the current MOU, founding the Fair Share Campaign

after publication, which asks Cornell to engage in a Payment in Lieu of Taxes program which would bring $3.8 million to the county and $11.5 million to the school district. Fabrizio believes that consistently increasing taxes on city residents is not the only solution to allow for installation of new programs and goals. She maintains that Cornell must be part of the solution, as it has a heavy hand in both the city and county. “Ithaca’s unaffordability has reached a breaking point,” Fabrizio said in an interview with The Ithaca Voice. “We are all negatively impacted whether students, renters, property owners, landlords, single parents, young families or retirees.” Samantha Johnstone can be reached at sjohnstone@cornellsun.com.

Sun Staff Writer

Michelle Song ’25 is a San Francisco native and self described as a “queer daughter of immigrants and proud graduate of public schools.” After losing the Democratic primaries earlier this year, Song still marches on with her campaign focused on building bridges not walls. Part of the Cornell Democrats, Song’s previous involvements include collaboration with the Ithaca Tenants Union on direct initiatives and support of labor movements such as Fees Must Fall and Starbucks Workers United. Song previously held a position on Cornell’s Student Assembly, as Vice President of Diversity of Inclusion. Before coming to Ithaca, Song was involved in San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors as the Youth Policy Liaison for District 1. She also worked as a San Francisco Youth Representative for the United Nations Association of the USA, San Francisco Chapter. Song founded and led two non-profit organizations, Masks for All and SF

WARD 5 — 2-YEAR SEAT

Sun Staff Writer

Clyde Lederman ’26 was first inspired to run for Common Council after watching Cornell deny an eight percent increase in funding for the TCAT last December. With a platform built on fighting for affordable housing and quality public transportation, Lederman would be the youngest alderperson at 19 years old. In addition to increasing TCAT funding, Lederman is involved with the “Make Cornell Pay” campaign, a resolution presented by the Cornell Student Assembly asking the University to increase institutional support to the City of Ithaca. Ledermen is also involved on campus through the Cornell Prison Education System and the Office of Assemblies, as a clerk. To help aid Ithaca’s housing shortage, Lederman proposes accessory dwelling units that would improve Ithaca’s one percent rental

vacancy rate. “[Accessory dwelling units] are the opportunity to create zoning permissions that would allow anyone to turn [a space] like a garage, basement or attic into an additional unit,” Lederman said in an interview with The Sun. “They’ve done this in California and it’s been really successful in increasing the housing stock.” As a Nyack, New York local, Lederman acknowledges that although he has only lived in Ithaca for around a year, he is committed to serving the city. “I think my interest in improving the community is genuine,” Lederman said. “[I’m continuing to reach out to all the residents because I think folks who make sure they talk to everyone are the ones who are sort of best able to navigate the nuanced and challenging issues we have.” Samantha Johnstone can be reached at sjohnstone@cornellsun.com.

Samantha Johnstone can be reached at sjohnstone@cornellsun.com.

WARD 5 — 2-YEAR SEAT

Jason Houghton

Clyde Lederman SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE

Change, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through all of her work, Song maintains a strong commitment to helping the Ithaca community. Endorsed by the Working Families Party, Eleanor’s Legacy and the Cornell Democrats, Song is hoping to use her role as a Cornell student to her advantage. “I want to create an Ithaca where we all thrive,” Song said in an interview with the Ithaca Voice. Song plans to protect the rights of tenants via Good Cause Eviction Laws and an Emergency Tenant Protection Act, increase ADUs, reform zoning and reform parking minimums to make housing more affordable and decrease displacement of residents. Additionally, she hopes to increase public infrastructure funding for the TCAT and Reimaging Public Safety, address climate change and flooding to lower clean-up costs for residents and renegotiate Cornell’s MOU.

SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE Sun Staff Writer

Jason Houghton has lived in the Ithaca area for over 17 years and is running at what he calls a “critical point” – high property taxes, rent prices and city staffing issues are plaguing the city. “Here, [those issues] are compounded by the fact that such large portions of the city are tax exempt,” Houghton said in an interview with The Ithaca Voice. In a public statement, Houghton expressed that if Cornell and other tax-exempt institutions contribute more to Ithaca, it would allow city employee wages to be brought up to market standard. Houghton also believes that completely decarbonizing the city by 2030, as laid out in the Ithaca Green New Deal, is too ambitious and wants to focus

Page E3 | The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, October 31, 2023

on resolving fundamental issues in the city before tackling such a feat. Another internal city issue Houghton wants to focus on is police reform, especially regarding the controversial search for a new police chief. He is hoping a new chief will be chosen soon and supports the idea of having some unarmed responders in most situations. Houghton’s platform will involve elements from initiatives such as Re-Imaging Public Safety, the Green New Deal and further research into Electric Community Choice Aggregation. He hopes to draw upon his legal, analytic and project management backgrounds to serve Ithaca as a positive, impactful alderperson. Samantha Johnstone can be reached at sjohnstone@cornellsun.com.

Inside Look Into Common Council Council Agrees to PILOT With Cornell, Reduces Term

Alderpersons amended the proposed MOU to reduce the term by five years, effective immediately By SOFIA RUBINSON and GABRIEL MUNOZ Sun Managing Editor and Sun News Editor

Ithaca’s Common Council amended the duration of Cornell and Mayor Laura Lewis’s proposed memorandum of understanding to 15 years from 20, decided in a 9-1 vote on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The decision was met with mixed emotions from the nearly 40 community members in attendance. “They forced us to choose between eating a terrible deal, continuing to allow Cornell to starve the city and displace marginalized people for 15 more years, and raising taxes and firing public workers — consequences that will affect working class people first — taking food off their tables now,” said Alderperson Tiffany Kumar ’24 (D-Fourth Ward), who voted to approve the memorandum. This perspective was shared by several members of the Common Council, including Alderperson Jorge DeFendini ’22 (D-Fourth Ward), who asserted that the University had all the leverage in their relationship with the city. “We are in a hostage situation with Cornell University,” DeFendini said. “The fact of the matter is, we don’t have the ability right now as a city to take on Cornell University with their tax exempt status and their army of lawyers.” DeFendini ultimately voted to approve the modified memorandum.

Before the MOU was voted on, the Common Council also voted 9-1 to approve an amendment introduced by Alderperson Robert Cantelmo grad (D-Fifth Ward) to adjust the length of the new MOU to 15 years, with an expiration date set for June 30, 2039. The amendment will also oblige the city to “not commence or support litigation seeking a change in that

JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Council convenes | Alderpersons gathered on Oct. 11 to amend the proposed memorandum of understanding.

[tax-exempt] status.” The Common Council also unanimously voted to approve two amendments — one which will include Ithaca’s city manager position in Cornell’s sitting working group, and one which will require Cornell to make

their first payment under the new MOU no later than July 15, 2023. The Common Council also voted against a proposed amendment introduced by Alderperson Cynthia Brock (D–First Ward) to increase annual payments from Cornell to the city to include a two percent yearly increase on top of the inflation-adjusted $4 million for a shorter overall duration of seven years beginning in 2023. The amendment was voted down 8-2, with opponents fearing it would make the MOU unapprovable by Cornell. Brock was the sole member of the Common Council who voted not to approve the amended MOU. “The deal is much improved from where we started, so I’m grateful for that and the work of the community and my colleagues to help us get what we have right now,” Brock said in an interview with The Sun. “But I do think that this is a deal accepted under duress and we didn’t have any choice but to accept it.” Brock mentioned that she hopes Cornell voluntarily modifies their offer to the city to be more in-line with the community’s and Common Council’s goals, specifically adding a reopening clause to make the agreement more flexible. To continue reading this article, please visit www. cornellsun.com. Eric Reilly can be reached at ereilly@cornellsun.com. Sam Johnstone can be reached at sjohnstone@cornellsun.com.

New Policy Sanctions Homeless Encampments By DALTON MULLINS Sun Staff Writer

The Common Council unanimously passed a policy on Wednesday, Sept. 20 sanctioning a camping location within the local homeless encampment known as the “Jungle” in response to the steady increase of homeless individuals in the City of Ithaca in recent years, leaving some nearby communities both dissatisfied and wary. The one-year pilot policy aims to relocate homeless encampments out of main city property and instead into a newly established camping site located on a 28.83 acre plot of land near the Walmart and Lowe’s, approximately 680 feet from Nate’s Floral Estates, a mobile home park. This authorized camping site has been used by the homeless for years, making up part of what is known as the “Jungle.” During the winter of 2022-2023, a record number of homeless individuals sought emergency shelter to escape the frigid temperatures, according to the meeting’s agenda. The agenda also reported multiple instances of as many as 240 unhoused individuals seeking shelter in a single night. The vast homeless population has led to the formation of a growing number of unauthorized encampments on city property. Many residents share a number of concerns surrounding the unauthorized encampments, including a potential spread of diseases, an increase in criminal activity and sanitation concerns. Fourth Ward Alderperson Tiffany Kumar ’24 (D) told The Sun that in order to facilitate the movement of encampments from city property and into the proposed campsite, the policy uses an incentivization centered approach, providing amenities such as toilets, showers, cooling and warming stations, as well as needle exchange. “I think there are plans to move [in] showers, charging stations — something that I’ve been very adamant about — as well as having a cooling or warming station,” Kumar said. Though the passed homeless encampment policy aims to reduce unauthorized homeless encampments within the rest of Ithaca, the policy’s intended goal

of pushing more homeless individuals into the local encampment has sparked uneasiness with the community surrounding it. Crystal Weiner, an employee Nate’s Floral Estates, described the negative impact that the proximity of the encampment has had on the community in an interview with The Sun. “We’ve had to deal with homeless people trespassing, coming onto the private property of the mobile home park [and] stealing stuff right off their porches,” Weiner said. “One of the homeless people [stole] fuel from one of our tenants.” Weiner explained that the proximity of the authorized homeless encampments have made some residents, particularly senior citizens, feel unsafe. “We have a lot of tenants that are seniors, because this is a 55 and up mobile home park, and we have tenants in here who aren’t able to defend themselves,” Weiner said. The local branches of Walmart and Lowe’s declined to comment. Acting Chief of Police Ted Schwartz described additional impacts that the authorized homeless encampments have had on both the community and local businesses in an interview with The Sun. “I know a lot of the retail stores that are adjacent to the “Jungle” are experiencing a lot of theft — disposal of hypodermic needles in the grass or on the ground,” Schwartz said. “The smoke [from the Jungle] impacts the nearby residents [when] someone’s burning tires or garbage, for example. That toxic smoke blowing into other people’s houses that are nearby — we get those complaints sometimes.” Though the new homeless encampment policy will push more homeless individuals into the encampment by making it unauthorized to camp elsewhere in the city, Schwartz said it is not the city’s intention to worsen the negative consequences for the nearby communities. “The city is trying to reduce the areas where they’re going to allow people to camp or set up a shelter,” Schwartz said. Both Kumar and Schwartz stated that the newly passed policy is not a final solution, but rather a step

towards alleviating the ill effects of homelessness, with Kumar saying the policy is just one in a number of steps to manage the growth of the Ithaca homeless population. To continue reading this story, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Dalton Mullins can be reached at dmullins@cornellsun.com.

JASON WU / SUN SENIOR EDITOR

Abandoned | Scraps of garbage scattered across the “Jungle,” the homeless encampment to be sanctioned.

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