You can attend the meetings of the Tompkins County Legislature. We meet on the first and third Tuesdays, beginning at 5:30. Or watch meetings live on the Government Channel, channel 15 on Time Warner Cable.

Tompkins County improves service to its residents when you take part. Visit our committee meetings and advisory boards. Voice your opinion. We are always looking for people willing to take the time to participate in County Government. If you are interested in finding out more about Advisory Boards, Committees and Councils, click here.

As the Tompkins County Legislator from District 5, I serve on committees and boards, representing the interests of district residents and the entire County. Balancing the needs of various constituencies, I've supported livable wage, aquifer studies, annual assessments, alternatives to incarceration, certified apprenticeship programs, public transportation, renewable energy sources, economic development and sustainable tourism. I have opposed Off Track Betting, an additional non-dedicated mortgage tax, and a $20 million dollar jail project.

In 2006, I serve as the Chair of the Government Operations Committee (GO), which is responsible for the Tompkins County Legislature, Charter and Code, Human Rights, Administration, Operational Policies, Code/Board of Ethics, Law, Finance,  Public Information, Assessment, Board of Elections, Libraries, County Clerk, Dewitt Historical Society, and County Historian. The current membership consists of myself (Chair), Mike Sigler (Vice Chair), Greg Stevenson, Dooley Kiefer, and Duane "Tyke" Randall. The GO Committee meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 3 p.m.

I also serve as Vice Chair of the PDEQ Committee, with Martha Robertson (Chair), Frank Proto, Duane "Tyke" Randall, and Jim Dennis. This committee is currently responsible for the Environmental Management Council, Land Management, Workforce Development, Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD), Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), Chamber of Commerce, Arts, Tourism Program/Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Strategic Tourism Planning, Ithaca Downtown Partnership, Celebrations, and Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT). The PDEQ Committee meets on the third Thursday of each month at 3 p.m.

This year, in addition to having been reappointed to the IDA, and serving for the fifth year on the Board of Directors of TCAT, I have been appointed to the Workforce Investment Board.

In 2004 and 2005, I served as the Chair of the Planning, Development and Environmental Quality Committee (PDEQ). The membership consisted of me (Chair), Frank Proto (Vice Chair) Mike Lane, Nancy Schuler, and Barbara Blanchard. The committee's responsibilities included the Planning Department,  Municipal Planning Organization, Soil and Water Conservation District, Flood Control/Water Quality,  Environmental Management Council, Land Management, Workforce Development, TCAD, IDA, Chamber of Commerce, Arts, Tourism Program/Convention and Visitors' Bureau, Strategic Tourism Planning, Ithaca Downtown Partnership, Celebrations, Department of Transportation relocation, and TCAT.