Highlights of the 12/02/25 Tompkins County Legislature meeting
Published on December 05, 2025
Chief Equity and Diversity Officer position to be added to County Charter
During a public hearing on the adoption of a Local Law that would add the Chief Equity and Diversity Officer (CEDO) position to the Tompkins County Charter, several community members, county staff, and legislators-elect provided feedback on the matter. Following a lengthy discussion among legislators, the resolution passed in an 8-5 vote, with Legislators Lane (D-Dryden), John (D-Ithaca City), Shurtleff (R-Groton, Dryden, Lansing), Sigler (R-Lansing), and Klein (D-Danby, Caroline, Ithaca) opposed. Legislator Nolan (D-Ithaca City) was not present.
Legislator Champion (D-Ithaca Town) introduced the resolution, stating that “if diversity, equity, and inclusion are our values, then this should be a permanent position.”
This sentiment was echoed by Legislator Black (D-Ithaca Town). “This shows our employees and constituents how important DEI work is. Protecting this position means a lot to many of us whose rights are threatened right now.”
Legislator Mezey (D-Dryden) pointed out that “equity shouldn’t be dependent on who is in office and what the budget looks like… equity is not optional, it’s essential.”
Legislator Pillar (D-Ithaca City) referred to DEI priorities in the county’s strategic plan and the Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Committee (WDIC), Team JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), and how “the CEDO position operationalizes our values with their tools and expertise.”
Legislator Koreman (D-Ulysses, Enfield, Ithaca) referenced a quote by Theodore Parker: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” and added that “We as a society need to do something to bend it toward justice. This is one of those times.”
Legislator Brooks (D-Ithaca City) added that “creating this position was the first part, maintaining this position is the next step… this position directly affects our staff.”
Legislator Dawson (D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights) referred to the suggested charter language, pointing out that “it would be up to us what this person would do and how they would do it.”
Other legislators didn’t see a need to add the position to the charter.
Legislator John (D-Ithaca City) reiterated his commitment to the CEDO position “by voting to fund it” in the budget, along with other equity programs.
Legislator Lane (D-Dryden) would support embedding the position within the Human Resources Department and pointed to the value the legislature places on equity work by including a standing WDIC report on their meeting agendas.
Legislator Klein (D-Danby, Caroline, Ithaca) and Legislator Brown (R-Newfield, Enfield) doubted that adding the position to the county charter would make the county as an organization more inclusive or diverse, an area that they both would like to see improved. At the end of the discussion, Legislator Brown supported the resolution.
Other business
Conty Administrator Korsah Akumfi reported that the first week of the Code Blue shelter on Cherry Street, operated by Volunteers of America, went well, serving an average of 20-25 individuals per night. Visit the DSS Code Blue website for more information.
As part of the community engagement plan for the Center of Government project, a public presentation is scheduled for December 8 at 6 pm in the Legislature Chambers. Individuals can join virtually by registering for the Zoom link or viewing the livestream.
Interview teams are being formed to review applications for the County Historian and Chief Equity and Diversity Officer positions.
The Department of Planning and Sustainability, County Administration, and Finance are updating the county’s procurement policy in response to deficiencies identified in the Federal Transit Administration Triennial Review.
A series of bond resolutions was approved for infrastructure projects, motor vehicles, machinery, highway reconstruction projects, and bridge reconstruction.
The legislature unanimously approved 2026 payments for Tompkins Cortland Community College operating budget.
A motion to designate the Ithaca Journal as the county’s newspaper (which was defeated at the last meeting) was reconsidered and approved in a 10-4 vote, with Legislators Koreman (D-Ulysses, Enfield, Ithaca), Sigler (R-Lansing), Brooks (D-Ithaca City), and Dawson (D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights) opposed. Legislators lamented the outdated state requirements that exclude online news publications from designation and restated their intent to send a letter calling for state action to change these requirements.
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