Republican View

Elections are near!  Early voting will start in just a month on October 28^th.  There are many races around the county, for mayor of Ithaca, city council, town supervisors, town board members, and New York state Supreme Court.

For New York State Supreme Court, 6^th district, Cheryl Insinga has been campaigning for more than a year.  She’s been to Tompkins multiple times, walking in parades and meeting voters at fairs and markets.  Insinga says “The individuals who appear in State Supreme Court deserve to be heard by a judge with knowledge, experience, compassion, and impartiality. I’m running for this position to bring my decades of relevant experience and qualifications to serve all those whose circumstances may place them in State Supreme Court.”

Insinga has 25 years of legal experience and has practiced in State Supreme Court. She currently serves as a partner at the Binghamton-based law firm Coughlin & Gerhart.  Her primary focus at the firm is representing schools, towns, villages, counties, authorities, fire/EMS agencies and other municipal entities. She has also served as an Adjunct Instructor of Education, Law, and Ethics at Binghamton University.

Insinga has also dedicated considerable efforts to volunteerism to help others in her community, including serving on the Boards of Directors of the Greater Binghamton Education Outreach Program, Southern Tier AIDS Program and Broome County IDA and LDC. She’s a graduate of

Catholic University of America and the University of Buffalo School of Law.

In the city of Ithaca, Janis Kelly is running for mayor and Zach Winn is running for city council.  Both are concerned about the crime that is now growing in the city.  Kelly is a Cornell graduate who stayed in Ithaca after graduating in the late 1960’s.  She’s a founding member of Cornell’s first gay student group.  She’s married and has a daughter.

Winn grew up in Ithaca and works in the food service industry.  His main issues surround homelessness and getting those in need of help, to get off drugs or suffering with mental issues, the help they need. 

Both are concerned that the Democratic Socialist wing of the local democratic party will take over the city council.  This wing proudly says it is much further to the left than the traditional democratic party and will be calling for racial reparations, rent control, a defunding of police and a hands-off approach by police when it comes to homeless encampments.  

The city recently voted to allow camping in the jungle and to put in permanent bathroom facilities and acknowledged there will be very little oversight of the area by police.  This is not much of change from where the city is now except it’s putting in bathroom facilities.  This move comes after the kidnapping and death of Thomas Rath, a resident of the jungle.  Both Winn and Kelly had hoped that his death would lead the city to a policy of protecting those in the jungle, but that was not how the vote on council went.

In Lansing, Dennis Griffin, long-time member of the Lansing Fire Department, is running for town supervisor and George Fenner is up for town council. Running unopposed are Debbie Munson for town Clerk, Mike Mosley for Highway Supervisor, and John Howell for town Justice.

Griffin has lived in Lansing for 47 years and has been in the fire service for over 50 years serving as Lansing’s Assistant Chief, past Fire Chief, and as a Fire Commissioner. Griffin says, “One of my concerns is the growth in Lansing and how we balance that growth with the wishes of the people that live here. I think we should look at ways to bring in new businesses to Lansing that would help create better jobs and alleviate higher taxes.”

Fenner is a lifelong resident of Lansing, graduating from Lansing Central Schools where his wife and 5 children also graduated, and he’s worked at Lansing Schools for 28 years. He’s been head custodian for 25 years and was recently promoted to director of facilities. He says, “The town should grow, but we need to retain the character of Lansing. We need safe schools and a safe community. We’ve always been a farming town and I want to see us stay that way.”

In Dryden Tom Corey is running for town supervisor. Fred Stock and Tim Arnold are running for town board and Henry Kramer is running for Town Justice.

In Newfield, Chris Hyer is running for Town Board and in Enfield Barry Rollins is running for Highway Supervisor.

In Caroline, Shari Conover is a democrat running on the Republican line for town board.  She is the owner of Muddy Kotton Custom Apparel and Sign shop in Brooktondale.

Early voting starts October 28^th, and you can apply for an absentee ballot if you know you won’t be able to vote in person.