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Ithaca Council candidate criticizes city's new parking metersNEWS (HTTP:// ITHACAVOICE.COM/CATEGORY/NEWS/), TOP(HTTP:// ITHACAVOICE.COM/CATEGORY/TOP/) / OCTOBER 20, 2015 / BY BENEDETTA LUCIANA SARACARNAGHI (HTTP:// ITHACAVOICE.COM/AUTHOR/BENEDETTA-LUCIANA-SARA-CARNAGHI/)
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ITHACA, N.Y. — Sean Gannon (http://ithacavoice.com/2015/10/council-
candidate-we-need-to-slow-down-development-in-ithaca/) is running as an
independent candidate for the Ithaca Common Council's Second Ward seat
against Ducson Nguyen, who won the Democratic primary.
Below are the 9 questions we asked Gannon in an interview on Sunday; click on the
one you're interested in to see his answer, or read the entire story in order.
To read our interview with Nguyen, see here (http://ithacavoice.com/2015/07/7-
questions-with-new-candidate-for-ithacas-common-council/).
(Did we miss your question? If so, email us at [email protected])
1 – What's your top priority for Council?
2 – What in your background qualifies you for the post? Why are you
running?
3 – What do you think of how the city has handled the Commons
construction project?
4 – Do you want to address the issue of parking?
5 – What do you think about the Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services
(http://ithacavoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screen-Shot-
2015-10-20-at-8.39.52-AM.png)Sean Gannon, independent Council candidate. (Submitted photo)
project at 210 Hancock Street and the 11-story building proposal for the
Trebloc site on State Street?
6 – What do you think of tax abatements for developers?
7 – What are your thoughts on environmental sustainability in Ithaca?
8 – What do you think of 1) dogs on the Commons and 2) chickens in the
home?
9 –What's your ideal Friday night in Ithaca, and why?
1 – What's your top priority for Council?“My top
priority is
to re-
establish
the
transparency that will build deeper trust and to work with my neighbors
solving our common goals of affordable housing, an equitable local economy,
and increased participation of Cornell and Ithaca College in the costs of
running this beautiful city that is home to us all. The people in the 2nd Ward
want a meaningful voice on Common Council and that is what I am
campaigning to be. I hear in my community a weariness of party dominance
that exhibits hints of victory at the cost of transparency and accountability. I
believe we will be best served in today’s local political climate by an
independent voice and this is why I am running as an Independent
Candidate.”
2 – What in your background qualiPes you forthe post? Why are you running? Why do youthink you are a good candidate?“My professional and life experiences before and after moving to Ithaca will
enable me to serve us well here in the 2nd Ward.
After studying economics at the University of Pennsylvania I worked in real
estate development specializing in the rehabilitation of historical industrial
buildings."
"I gradually shifted my career focus to the arts and found work on a
documentary film project titled Ecological Design; Inventing the Future, on
which I learned about ecology-based technologies. This experience deeply
changed my understanding of the built environment and how we can work
successfully towards sustainability. I have been coming to Ithaca since 1989
for educational purposes and in 2003 began renovations on our duplex home
here. Since then I have been a landlord and in 2008 I became a food and
hospitality business owner. My roots in the community are growing broader
and deeper as I continue on my current venture: the conversion of an empty
property slated to be a parking lot into a community garden and outdoor
performance and art exhibition space."
In sum, I cherish my experiences because they foster in me a strong and
personal empathy with the broad concerns of our community.”
3 – What do you think of how the city hashandled the Commons construction project?“Ask anyone about the Commons Project and you hear an immediate sigh of
relief that it is completed. The entire community is relieved to be back
supporting local businesses on and around the Commons. The reconstruction
would have been very complex even with the process running smoothly.
Unexpected problems exacerbated inherent challenges."
"I applaud the mayor, the city administration, and especially the merchants
who survived the tumult for their tenacity in the face of adversarial
infrastructure surprises. One complaint that I've heard repeatedly from the
merchants on the Commons, a population in the 2nd Ward who pay taxes yet
do not have a vote, that speaks volumes to me is that they wish the
administration had responded more actively to their concerns. If we want
business on the Commons to flourish, we need to listen to those businesses.”
CONTENT CONTINUED BELOW
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4 – Do you want to address the issue ofparking?“Can we please return the coin meters and move the new systems to more
appropriate locations around the city? For many segments of our community
their operation requirements are unwieldy or prohibitive. I am hearing all
over the ward that the new parking system has people frustrated enough to
refuse going to the Commons. Merchants echo this concern. In our attempt
at streamlining we are inadvertently alienating people dear to our
community and turning a deaf ear to their needs.”
5 – You said in a speech at City Hall Wednesdaynight that development in the city wasproceeding too rapidly and must bereconsidered. What do you think about theIthaca Neighborhood Housing Services projectat 210 Hancock Street and the 11-story buildingproposal for the Trebloc site on State Street?“We need affordable housing now and we need a variety of housing types for
different economic situations. I love that the 210 Hancock Street project is
addressing this urgency. However, the community's acceptance of the project
moving forward does not mute ongoing concerns. Some adjacent property
owners question why the town-homes are planned for creek side while the
more controversially scaled buildings face their homes. Can this be reversed
to achieve appropriate context? Can the height of the buildings be softened
with upper story setbacks? And, given our desire for food security in Ithaca
I’d support INHS enthusiastically if they encouraged garden permaculture.
"I wholeheartedly support density development in downtown Ithaca, and
specifically the development of the Trebloc Site with a multistory building.
The current proposal is being met with substantial resistance by most of the
2nd Ward constituents with whom I've spoken. It is the base of our Commons
and restaurant district, the entrance into our city for residents and visitors
alike, the intersection of students from Ithaca College and Cornell, and it
deserves a building that reflects these converging populations. As a
community we have presented deep concerns about the monolithic size and
single demographic market and the developer has answered with cosmetic
alterations. I hope that they continue the conversation with a more holistic
approach. The tax abatement scenario has been more troublesome to my
neighbors."
(http://ithacavoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Screen-Shot-2015-
10-15-at-8.43.01-AM.png)
"We need to be more informed of the reasoning behind these decisions
beyond the simplicity of what has been presented. Residential real estate
development is profitable in Ithaca as evident by the high demand and giving
away our tax dollars may just be gravy.”
6 – It’s cool that you mentioned taxabatements, because that was going to be mynext question. What do you think of taxabatements for developers?“For that particular place I think the tax abatement can be an effective tool to
influence the development. Tax abatements are literally our tax money dollar
for dollar; so, the abatement needs to be used to achieve community goals
beyond density. We are stalwart in our desire to have local people employed.
We have a keen interest in green technologies. We want to crown our sixteen
million dollar Commons with a suitably dynamic building. If we award an
abatement it should be to accomplish these things.”
7 – What are your thoughts on environmentalsustainability in Ithaca?
“I mentioned in my background that I worked for a film called Ecological
Design. I also worked on other media projects exploring sustainable urban
planning and keep informed on emerging ecological technologies. Many of
these can be used to create light industry. I think we can use tax abatements
for attracting and fostering eco-tech light industry. We are already nationally
recognized as a great place to live. Let's strive to become a great place to
work with some of the most advanced ecological technologies. People will
want to live here doing that kind of work.”
8 – What do you think of 1) dogs on theCommons and 2) chickens in the home?“I think walking a dog through the Commons is fine and merchants support
this. The question of stopping and shopping while walking a dog through the
Commons is a good discussion.
"As for chickens, food security is essential. I would be thrilled to trade some
of my kale for someone’s eggs. We just need clear guidelines regarding issues
such as minimal yard size and proper housing for the hens.”
9 – What's your ideal Friday night in Ithaca, andwhy?“This is a funny one for me because due to the nature of the hospitality
business my Friday nights are usually spent ensuring that other people's
Friday nights are enjoyable. My Friday is often Monday or Tuesday. Which is
cool in that there is no wait for the restaurants I like to eat at and my friends
and I often get 'private' screenings at Cinemapolis.
Currently I am preparing for two art exhibitions and in December you will see
a show of my work at Gimme Coffee on Cayuga and then at The Shop in
February.”
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