Big changes coming for local elected boards due to redistricting, retiring members 

The next general election takes place Nov. 4, and the Tompkins County Legislature is poised for a big change.

The legislature will have a sea of new faces in 2026, as many legislators have announced that they will not run for another term.

“By mid-April, we should have a good handle on who the candidates are for all the local offices here,” said Stephen DeWitt, Tompkins County Board of Election’s Democratic commissioner for the past 22 years.

On Jan. 8, five legislators — Amanda Champion (District 12), Susan Currie (District 3), Deborah Dawson, (District 10), Dan Klein (District 7) and Anne Koreman (District 5) — announced in a joint statement that they will not be running again.

Democrats Rich John (District 4) and Susan Currie (District 3) have also said that they will not be seeking another term.

“It is changing,” said Tompkins County Democratic Committee Chair Linda Hoffman. “It is a very positive thing. … The people who are in the legislature who are stepping down — that is their decision. I’m not critical of them at all.”  

There are 64 offices up for election in November, 16 of which are in the Tompkins County Legislature, which will increase by two members after the upcoming election. “Another 48 or so [offices] are split up among the other municipalities,” DeWitt said.

Five seats on Ithaca Common Council are up for a vote in November. 

Petitioning to get on the ballot begins Feb. 25, with petitions due to the Board of Elections on April 3.

“Theoretically, someone could decide on April 1 that they want to run for legislature and get the minimum number of signatures and get them filed, and they’re good,” DeWitt explained.

The towns of Newfield, Groton and Dryden hold democratic caucuses, and the towns of Ithaca and Dryden have Republican caucuses to choose which candidate will be on the ballot. The other municipalities have primary elections, which occur when more than one candidate for the same party successfully petitions to be on the ballot. Primaries will take place June 24.

Hoffman said that she encourages voters to find out which district they reside in, since redistricting will go into effect for the first time this November.

Tompkins County was redistricted as required by law following the 2020 Census. An independent redistricting commission took a multitude of factors into account, including minimizing the population differentials between districts, adhering to existing municipal boundaries where possible and considering communities of interest — groups of people who share common interests, values or goals.

Many of the county’s districts have changed, and the districts are numbered differently in this election.

Hoffman encouraged voters who have questions about which district they are in or any other aspect of voting to contact the county Board of Elections at 607-274-5522.

“It is time that we come into 2025, and we really need to hit the ground running,” Hoffman said, adding that she would encourage those who are considering running for office to contact the official who currently holds the seat they are interested in.

“Anyone and everyone who’s interested should run,” said Champion, whose district is in the town of Ithaca. “We need people to step up in my district, which will turn into District 14. There’s not a lot of interest yet, so I’m getting a little concerned.”

Republican legislator Mike Sigler (District 6) has announced he will run again, as has his colleague, Republican Randy Brown (District 8).

Sigler will be running in what is now called District 8, which has district lines that are very close to the former District 6 that he represents now (which encompasses a portion of the town of Lansing).

“I love serving the Lansing community and my neighbors, and I hope they’ll turn out again and vote for me in November,” Sigler said.

For those who have decided not to run again, leaving the legislature is bittersweet.

“I think it’s time for younger people to step up, because you’re the ones who are going to be living with the long-term consequences of whatever the legislature decides,” said Dawson, who represents the villages of Lansing and Cayuga Heights.

“I think it would be a good thing if, for example, we had some younger people who are raising families,” Dawson said, adding that because of the time commitment required, local politics tends to attract those who are older or, on the opposite end, people in their 20s.

“I think [the legislature] should be representative of the community — people who have families, who are a little younger,” agreed Koreman. “So, I just think it’s time for the next set of folks to get in there.”

“The problem,” said Dawson, “is that economics and the demands on people’s time when they’re raising a family, for example, means that the people in what I consider my sweet spot rarely have the time and energy to do the work on the legislature or [Ithaca] Common Council.”

Dawson said that she feels especially close to the group of five legislators who were also elected for the first time in 2017, including Champion and Koreman.

Henry Granison, who was also part of that group, passed away in 2022.

Democrat Shawna Black (District 11) also joined at that time and has announced that she will run again. Incumbent Democrats Travis Brooks (District 1), Veronica Pillar (District 2) and Gregory Mezey (District 13) have also announced bids for another term. Tompkins Weekly is not aware of any statements by current legislators Michael Lane (District 14), a Democrat, or Lee Shurtleff (District 9), a Republican, regarding their potential candidacy.

“I think when the original five came on board … some of our colleagues who were more experienced may have found it trying to deal with us,” Dawson said. “And when the latest new crop came on, that shook us up, too.”

“The job in and of itself is inherently full of conflict,” Champion said. “I think that’s good — we want people who are strong willed and opinionated, and I’m definitely that — but after eight years, I’m definitely ready for a rest.”

Champion said that some of her proudest accomplishments in the legislature had to do with new environmental initiatives, including helping to institute green policies within county government, such as an environmentally preferred purchasing policy.

“I give all the props to the staff, because they’re the ones doing the work that is going into the policies that the legislators are implementing,” Champion said.

Koreman also mentioned advancing more environmental goals when asked what she is most proud of.

“The airport is now geothermal, the highway department has geothermal heating and air conditioning, and we’re working on — hopefully, if we get a grant — for the [Tompkins County] Department of Emergency Response to be geothermal,” she said. Koreman also said that she is very proud to have spearheaded labor representation on the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and pushed for a labor policy for the IDA, which states that any local development receiving a tax abatement must use 75% local labor.

Dawson said that some of her greatest accomplishments in the legislature have been working with former legislators Martha Robertson and now-New York State Representative Anna Kelles to establish a Climate and Sustainable Energy Advisory Board and securing funding for a county chief sustainability officer.

She said that she looks forward to seeing what the future holds for local politics.

“Fully half of the next legislature could be new people,” Dawson said. “That’s going to be huge.”