Tom Knipe announces campaign for Ulysses Town Board

Longtime County resident and local planning and economic development professional Tom Knipe has announced that he is running in the June 24^th Democratic primary for Ulysses Town Board.

Knipe states: “My wife Mary Grover and I and our three kids planted our roots on the Black Diamond Trail in the Town of Ulysses in 2023. I’m running for Ulysses Town Board because I love this community and I want to give back. There are important issues and opportunities facing Ulysses and I think my experience in planning, economic development, and public service prepares me to make meaningful contributions in a policy-making role for the Town”

Knipe has spent the past 14 years in local government and economic development as the County tourism program director from 2011 to 2018 and as economic development director for the City of Ithaca for the past seven years. He has helped build many local programs and institutions, from co-founding Bike Walk Tompkins, Shared Kitchen Ithaca, and the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, to many active transportation, arts and culture, tourism, and economic development initiatives.

Knipe’s community involvement includes service on local boards, including as the past chair of the Susan Christopherson Center for Community Planning and Tompkins County parks and trails network.

Knipe says he is ready to serve Ulysses with a focus on:

• Transparent community-driven decision making and responsible budgeting
• Smart growth, housing, and preservation of character
• Support for community treasures (library, recreation, parks and trails, etc)
• Environmental stewardship and thoughtful economic development
• Collaboration and robust community partnerships
• Inclusive community

Tom enjoys hiking and biking and is an Adirondack winter 46er, musician, writer, gardener and educator. His diverse professional experiences include work as a high school English teacher in Japan and as a not-for-profit director in Portland, Oregon.