Legislator Mike Sigler announces re-election intention

Tompkins Weekly Staff

Tompkins County Legislator Mike Sigler, R-6th, has announced he will be running for re-election to the Legislature.

“I’ve worked hard the past four years for the people of Lansing and I am a fierce advocate for the town,” said Sigler. “I’ve worked to keep the power plant on the tax rolls, keep taxes down, and defended the town against a group of folks calling themselves progressives, but who seem more committed to hobbling Lansing’s economy and tax base, negatively impacting our great schools and my constituents’ household budgets.
“I always have the voters in mind when I’m considering a proposal or law change,” he added. “My record shows I’ve been accessible and responsive and will fight for Lansing at every turn.”

Sigler served four years as Lansing’s representative in the Legislature from 2006-2010, but lost in his first re-election bid against Pat Pryor by a handful of votes. He came back four years later to beat Pryor and win his current term. He’s a single father who’s lived in Lansing for 14 years; Sigler works full-time at Park Outdoor Advertising, is a former journalist, received a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and master’s degree from Columbia University.

Sigler said he has made his positions on issues clear to his constituents through a variety of avenues, including attending town board meetings, and sharing his viewpoints on social media and local news sources.
“You may not always agree with my position, but you know what it is and you should challenge me,” he said. “I don’t pretend that I’m always right and I can change my position if you make a better argument.”

One high profile local issue is the potential expansion of the Tompkins County Jail, which has drawn vocal opposition from community members.
“I’m hoping to avoid a further jail expansion, but I believe we need a detox component to the jail,” Sigler said. “I voted to expand the jail by seven beds. That’s seven people who we’re holding temporarily who have better access to family and legal counsel, instead of being shipped off to another county.”

He is opposed to replacing the Affordable Care Act without a better plan in place.
“When the Affordable Care Act came to a vote, I voted to keep it in place until a better plan could be passed by Congress,” Sigler said. “I challenge the idea that the ACA is sustainable without changes. I’ll continue to advocate for people with pre-existing conditions and for lower premiums and deductibles.”

He noted his support for the Cargill mine, voting “for it to get tax incentives that will keep spending on the new shaft in New York state and increase the chances of it staying open. I did that with the risk of alienating some small business owners who I responded to in the Ithaca Journal.”

Sigler also highlighted his effort to fight the shuttering of the power plant, and calling for its repowering with natural gas.
“While progressives in Tompkins advocate for the shuttering of the power plant, I collected more than 1000 signatures and delivered them to the Governor, calling for the plant’s repowering,” he said. “I’ve been heavily involved in the pilot negotiations and continue to advocate for the plant’s repowering with natural gas.”

In other local efforts, he noted his work with the Lansing town and village officials to end a moratorium on new Lansing gas connections, his votes against consolidating the Ithaca Police Department and Tompkins County Sheriff’s department because he saw “no benefit to the town of Lansing.”
Sigler has also worked with the Finger Lakes Land Trust to try to have the state Department of Environmental Conservation buy the Bell station property to be turned into a state forest. (The owner doesn’t want to sell at this point.)

Other initiatives he highlighted included lobbying the state for airport upgrades and expansion, and a focus on making roads and pedestrian travel more safe, including improving school crosswalks, addressing ditch issues along the state roads and installing lights at dangerous intersections.
“I’m your partner in making Lansing better,” Sigler said. “I think we’ve done good work together for the past four years and I hope you’ll hire me to serve you for the next four.”