Local News for Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Democratic PAC to Spend Big in NY’s 2024 Midterms

A Democratic PAC will be spending big in New York next congressional races—including here in the 19th district. According to the Ithaca Voice, the House Majority PAC will spend some $45 million on races throughout the state. While the predicted “red wave” didn’t come to pass in the 2022 midterms, Republicans flipped six congressional seats in NY, enough to give the party the majority. CJ Warnke from the House Majority PAC told the Voice, “we will flip these New York districts blue and take back the House.”

Ithaca Area Water Treatment Short-staffed 

Ithaca’s public worker shortage is affecting an often overlooked and less-than-glamorous essential service, water treatment. According to the Ithaca Voice, Five out of 11 positions at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility are unfilled. A new working group has formed to address the shortages including representatives from the city of Ithaca, the town of Ithaca, and the town of Dryden. The prevailing wage for water treatment workers in the US has skyrocketed since the onset of the pandemic and pay at Ithaca’s facility has lagged. Superintendent of Public Works Mike Thorne says while staffing shortage need to be addressed in the short term, there’s no crisis affecting the plant’s operation.

Watkins Glen Candidates Announced

Finger Lakes Daily News is reporting that the candidates for Watkins Glen’s upcoming elections have been determined. Acting Mayor Louis Perazzini will run on the Republican side. Perazzini has served as Acting Mayor since fellow Republican Luke Leszyk resigned in July following allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of power. Trustee Laurie DeNardo is running for mayor on the Democratic ticket. Peter Cherock, Margaret Schimizzi, and Jerri-Lynn Chronis will compete for two four-year terms on the Village Board.