Judy Drake: Lansing Town Board a way to give back

Lifelong Town of Lansing resident and human resources veteran Judy Drake (D) is set to serve as a member of the Lansing Town Board following her unanimous appointment at the Board’s Jan. 17 meeting.

Beyond her temporary appointment, Drake will seek a full four-year term when the Board seat is on November’s ballot. She is currently filling the seat vacated by former Town Board member, and current Town Supervisor Ruth Groff

Drake, 54, a seventh-generation resident of the Town, has served as the human resources manager in the Town of Ithaca, for 27 years.

Drake also manages human resources, payroll, and employee benefits for the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium, in addition to Bolton Point, the water system serving the Towns of Dryden, Ithaca and Lansing, and the Villages of Cayuga Heights and Lansing. Drake has also served on the Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals for 10 years.

“The public sector is very important,” Drake said of her experience working in local government. “We are here to serve the public.”

Drake highlighted the prominent role of government in public life, noting this sector is often responsible for amenities like parks and well-kept roadways.

“I just like being able to provide service,” Drake said of her decision to get involved in town government. “I also like knowing what’s happening around us.”

The idea of helping provide great service also goes deeper than that, and comes from her experiences as a native of Lansing.

“I’ve always been serving in some way and I like it,” Drake said, referencing jobs she held at area restaurants and food-related businesses in her youth. “The nice part about my job is my customers are really our employees. If I hire good employees, and make them happy, satisfied and engaged in their jobs, they’re better able to serve the public.”

As an elected official, Drake said she is most interested in evaluating government processes and operations, and helping optimize them to best benefit the Town’s residents.

“I don’t run for office because I want to fix something or to add a park or a walking trail,” she said. “I always felt like I could give back to my community by delving into the operations. I understand the budget, how we make money, and how we spend money.”

In turn, Drake added, evaluating how Lansing works could translate into more efficient spending and best use of grant funding.

As for the future of Lansing, she says one of the most important developments in the town is the fate of the Cayuga Salt Mine, owned by Cargill. The multinational company is seeking to potentially offload the mine, according to a report from The Deal.

Although she said she has a vested interest in the mine’s continued operation, in part because her husband has been a Cayuga Salt Mine employee for 37 years, Drake hopes to see the mine continue operating, whether that is under Cargill or a different company.

“We can’t be a bedroom community, “ she added. “Cargill brings in traffic to the area and income to our businesses, and that’s important. Cargill does a lot for Lansing, and has done a lot for Lansing for many years.”

Drake said state entities need to ensure a potential sale takes into account the Cayuga Lake’s health, and that all proper rules and regulations are followed.

“I’m hoping whoever buys it is a good employer and community sponsor,” she said.

In brief:

The Lansing Community Library Programs for Adults Committee meets Feb. 7, 7-8 p.m. The Committee serves as a roundtable discussion hub to cultivate community by planning events and public programs for adults at the Library https://lansinglibrary.org, 27 Auburn Road.

The Library is also offering free supplies to combat the spread of COVID-19, including Self-test COVID-19 kits, Adult KN-95 Masks, and Children KN-95 Masks.

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Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

The Library is also providing free supplies to address COVID-19, including:

• Self-test COVID-19 kits

• Adult KN-95 Masks
• Children’s KN-95 Masks