Trumansburg Mayor’s vision for the future

By Elaine Springer
Tompkins Weekly

 

This past March, Village of Trumansburg residents welcomed Rordan Hart as their new Village mayor, who, at 42, is the youngest mayor of Trumansburg since at least the 1970s. The nomination came as a complete surprise to Hart, who was nominated by both the democratic and republican parties. Hart ended up running only on the Democratic line after a complication with the Republican Caucus, and the board of elections invalidated the caucus results. After an aggressive write-in campaign by Steve Garner, Hart ultimately won the election with a total of 325 votes. Of his victory, Hart said, “Now it’s time to take my 11 years of experience (as Village Trustee) to see what I can do for the Village.”

A lifelong resident of Trumansburg, Hart’s parents immigrated to the area in the early 1970s; his father from South Africa, and his mother from Taiwan. Both of his parents came to the area to attend Cornell University, where they met. Hart’s mother had already completed her medical training overseas, and after completing her medical residency in Baltimore she worked as the Medical Director at Willard Psychiatric Center in Ovid. On April 1, 1977, Dr. Hart opened her private medical practice on Hector Street, when Rordan was a year old. In 1983 the Hart family purchased a home near the medical office, where they still live today.

Hart’s interest in politics bloomed in 2006 after controversial land use issues developed along the area where he grew up, and he began studying the issues and processes of the Village. He was approached by community members asking him to consider running for Village Trustee, and out of a sense of commitment to his parents and neighborhood he agreed and was nominated in 2007 by the Republican party. Hart said, “I thought that if I won, there were some things I could accomplish on the board.” He did win, and ran unopposed in the following two elections, after being nominated by the Democratic party.

Of his accomplishments on the board, Hart takes very little credit for any of them, and freely gives accolades to his colleagues. “As for projects, I was a part of several but couldn’t take all the credit for any one,” he said. “I was happy to be a part of the move to ambulance billing, which was highly controversial at the time but has proven to be a successful necessity, and I was pleased that we were able to update the Zoning for the first time in over 40 years back in 2012, in spite of the criticism it has received since. I would like to point out that probably the most important Village project in the last 50 years was the addition of a second water source, and Deb Watkins has not received nearly the credit she deserves as she was the primary driving force for seeing that through to completion.”

A registered Independent, Hart maintains his independent status in spite of being asked to join both the Democratic and Republican parties. He believes he will always hold onto his Independent status, and for a very good reason. He said, “In terms of politics itself I’ve always said that when we let our larger political leanings come down to the local community level, I don’t think that’s helpful. Your friends, your neighbors, your acquaintances, and the people you see in the street or in the stores or restaurants can get along on pretty much anything locally. Of course, there will be disagreements, and when there are disagreements it’s on a specific issue. You don’t need to inject with other issues that don’t directly affect the Village to create contention about issues such as water, sewer, sidewalks, employees, EMS, and fire, etc. I have yet to see how (holding to a higher ideology) helps at the local level.” In addition, Hart believes people are more nuanced than the Democratic and Republican ideologies have to offer, so it makes sense to not put a label on any one person’s political affiliation when it comes down to local issues such as maintaining and growing infrastructure and dealing with personnel.

Hart’s work as mayor and community leader in the Village runs parallel with his work in the financial industry, which he has been navigating since his late teens as an investor, professional trader, and licensed broker, and currently as a financial advisor with H&H Financial Group in Trumansburg. Both his roles as mayor and financial advisor require him to think about the future and what individuals, businesses, and the community will look like in five to 10 years, and what resources will need to be available. Equally important is the ability to get to know clients and constituents and have their best interest in mind. Hart recognizes the importance of relationship building, being present and approachable in the community, and having open, honest dialogue, regardless of political affiliation or stance on issues. He said, “If you can get to know the people you live with and serve, then all of your decision making, even when people don’t agree with you, can be more easily justified and can be smoother.”

Hart cited the proposed development project, Hamilton Square, which is the largest and most controversial development the Village has seen in decades, as one of the most important issues facing the Village. He has a unique take on the project that has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with community. That is, no matter what the scope of the project is in the end, the reason we have proposed development is because people want to live in Trumansburg.

Aside from people wanting to live in the Village for the school district he said, “Trumansburg has a unique culture, amenities, walkability, restaurants, the farmers’ market, and a community feel that attracts people. In 2007 my wife Lindsay and I knocked on every door in the Village. We didn’t knock on every door in the Village this time around, but I had a sense of the amount of people who have moved here in the last 11 or so years, and I was intrigued to see the dramatic increase in the number of people who work remotely from Trumansburg. What I’m starting to think about is we market Trumansburg not only as a tourist destination, and not only as a great place to live with a great school district, but it’s also the kind of community that can be attractive to people who have a remote job. You can live in Trumansburg and not give up any amenities you might be used to. You can get twice the house or the same house for half as much here as you can in say, Westchester.”

It is clear that Mayor Hart cares deeply about Trumansburg and puts in countless hours of careful consideration of his family, of his positions as mayor and financial advisor, of his clients, and of his community as a whole. He has a clear vision of where the community has come and the direction it is taking and believes the evolution of the Village has been positive. As for vision, he believes the larger issues affecting the community come down to just that. He said, “…but not vision in the sense of how do we change and what do we need to turn our community into, but more of what is the community today. What has it evolved to become in the last 30 years? Trumansburg is not the same Village it was in 1977 when my mother opened her office, and I believe that all of the changes have been for the better. Yes, we have lost some of what was present at the time in terms of manufacturing businesses, but that has also paralleled changes in American culture and technology. What we have today I think in many ways is more robust, and so in thinking about large issues facing the community today we have to think about how we make sure the Village provides both the tangibles and intangibles that make it the important community in our region that it is.”

When asked about the rewards associated with his service to the community Hart said he finds rewards not in any personal gain, but rather in being effective in making sure all aspects of the Village run well. “There is a lot that goes into the operation of a municipality that most people never see, and are not that interested in knowing about,” he said. “I do have an interest in those things, so if I can be effective in making those things work well, where I live, and for friends and family who live here, that is its own reward. It really has to do with the fact that we live here and we want things to work well and go well, and I do have an interest in seeing how that is done and being able to be a piece of that is its own reward.”

Hart is committed to serving his community and advancing not only the day-to-day operations of but also the existential feel that is Trumansburg. “When you are thinking about your personal motivations, then you start to not concentrate on what’s best for your community, or the office that you hold, and the constituents you serve,” Hart said of the rewards associated with serving the community. “Everyone should hope to leave their office and their community better than they found it. At this point, I like how Trumansburg looks. I like where Trumansburg is at in terms of its current role in the area, as well as the potential for the future. So I’m not thinking in terms of how do I leave it, I’m just thinking in terms of being a steward or a curator of it. I would like to continue to manage and administer what we have that is good, and if issues come up or problems arise then we deal with them as they happen. Trumansburg is a unique community, uniquely positioned, in a unique area of the state. Even though it has evolved and changed over the years, there is something about the people, the geography, and about where we are located. It is a special place. It’s a neat experience to live here. It’s the reason people want to live here, the reason people come back here, it’s the reason people want to move here.”