2021 election candidates talk issues

The elections are just 11 weeks away, and there are some great candidates I hope you’ll consider voting for. Just a few are Erin Worsell and Hugh Bahar, who are running for the Lansing Town Board, and County Legislature candidates Randy Brown in Newfield/Enfield and Chris Hyer in the city of Ithaca.

Worsell is a community health nurse. She lives with her fiance Derek Osborne and her daughter near where her grandparents lived in Lansing for decades. Former Lansing Parks Director Steve Colt said she is “invested in our community and wants what is best for us.”

“She’s a great listener and respects the opinions of others, a parent who advocates for children, families and a safe community,” Colt said. “She’s a community health nurse who interacts with people of all ages, an advocate for the economic health and well-being of the people that live in the town of Lansing. She’s willing to serve and help make a positive difference, is honest, fair, dedicated and trustworthy and committed to keeping the town of Lansing a beautiful place to live and work. Erin has the qualities we need to successfully serve on the Town of Lansing Board. Your support is appreciated.”

Bahar just retired from Cornell University after 26 years, most recently as a senior capital project manager. He’s a father, husband and 25-year Lansing resident. He’s a former officer in the U.S. Navy and Merchant Marine.

Bahar pledges to fight for Lansing as an independent town, not a suburb of Ithaca. He will support law enforcement and public safety. He said he will vote on and pass the elements of the Town Comprehensive Plan that passed unanimously three years ago and adhere to the plan.

He’ll carefully consider any new development near intersections and school access roads that may create a public safety concern. He’ll apply lessons learned from Milton Meadows to any future proposed multiunit housing developments.

“I’m running to address the recent and continued developer and business growth pressures in a way that aligns with the 2018 Town of Lansing Comprehensive Plan,” he said. “I’m sensitive to the rural farming history of Lansing and our connection to our land. I want to maintain the safety and peacefulness of our neighborhoods, ensure the safety of our streets and roads and, most importantly, to ensure the safety of our children and our schools. If you want to ‘keep Lansing, Lansing,’ please support me for Lansing Town Board on Nov. 2, 2021.”

Brown is a long-term Newfield Planning Board member and was appointed to the Planning Board to help develop Newfield’s first Comprehensive Plan, helping reach out to the community and over 100 volunteers who participated directly in its development.

Brown served three terms on the school board, giving him a better appreciation for teachers and reinvigorated his commitment to our youth. The main reason Brown is running for legislature? He believes we need to help and engage our youth now.

“We can come together on this and address our children’s needs,” he said. “I believe this is a health issue, and the county has a significant role to play.”

Brown is a fiscal conservative when it comes to taxpayer money. He was at First National and Citizens Savings Bank for 14 years and has hands-on experience with finance, facilities, purchasing and security that will be valuable to our county. He spent 17 years at Ongweoweh Corp as head of operations, recycling for reuse systems and then president.

Hyer is a former volunteer fireman. He was part of the CFR and IPD Explorer Program. A small-business owner, he’s a husband, father of a 3-year-old and a 7-year-old. A lifelong resident of Tompkins County, he’s a volunteer coach for the Ithaca Youth Bureau and an Ithaca High School graduate.

“I’ve lived in Ithaca my whole life,” he said. “The increasing crime has me and my family worried. There was just a shooting in my neighborhood. There was a stabbing not too long ago and a murder last fall. I want it to be safe for my children to play in the neighborhood just like you do. I want them to grow up, go to good schools and not be confronted by the ugliness in the world. I want to work with police to make our community safer for everyone, Black, Brown, white, Asian. We are all Ithacans, and deserve respect and the ability to be free from violence.”

These are just four of our candidates. Next month, we’ll look at Dryden and the Republican candidates there.