Supervisor

Don Barber (Democratic, Working Families)
RELEVANT PERSONAL INFORMATION: Small Business Owner, Farm 65 acres with draft horses, 16 years experience as Town Supervisor, serve as President of Board of Directors of Tompkins Health Insurance Consortium and  NYMIR (NY Municipal Insurance Reciprocal), and Board member for Tompkins County Area Development and Sustainable Tompkins, serve as Committee member for Coop Extn Ag Committee and Get Your Green Back
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE?: We are living in a time when the US economic system and USDA policies are draining wealth from rural areas. Also, state and federal governments are handing down mandates to local governments with no financial aid.  Further, our climate is changing and the Town of Caroline has had three 50 – 100 year flood events in the past decade.  I understand the pressures we are under as citizens and local government advocating for our citizens.  I recognize that local government can’t solve these problems, but we can facilitate a community coming together to save its independence.  I want to help in this process.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO TACKLE IN THE POSITION YOU ARE SEEKING?:  Discovering the role of local government with the challenges listed above.

Councilperson (Vote for 2)

John Fracchia (Democratic, Caroline)
RELEVANT PERSONAL INFORMATION: I’ve lived in the town of Caroline for 17 years and work at Ithaca College as the Associate Director of Career Services.  In my time at IC I’ve been a member of the Board of Trustees and also taught in the School of Business.  I’m a past President of my regional professional association, the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers  (EACE), and a current board member of both Ten Thousand Villages and Twin Tiers Honor Flight.  In my past I’ve served as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and was appointed to the Broome County EMS Advisory Board. The arts are very important to me and I’m actively involved in them as a musician, filmmaker and founding member of ComedyFLOPs, Ithaca’s improv comedy troupe.  My educational background includes a Masters Degree in Business Administration (Binghamton University) with a concentration in marketing as well as a Bachelor of Arts (Binghamton University) with dual majors in Psychology and Cinema. My wife Nancy (Kane) and I live in a fine old Greek revival built in 1832 along with our six cats and consider ourselves fortunate to be members of a vibrant, caring and engaged community.
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE?: I’m running for town council because I want to help Caroline continue its transition into becoming a model for the successful 21st century rural community.  To do so we must preserve our rural character while still providing infrastructure and services that allow our community to grow in a sustainable way.  To get there it’s not only critical to maintain the integrity of our water, soil, air and infrastructure but also for us to champion new agricultural models.  I am intrigued by the increasing number of microbreweries and distilleries in our region and believe that Caroline farmers could supply many of the key ingredients (hops, barley, rye) used in the production of these products, ingredients that we used to grow here a century ago.  As a member off the Caroline Communication, Information and Technology committee I’ve worked hard in the effort to bring broadband internet access to our community, which is particularly important for the success of our school children and small businesses.  Additional information about my candidacy can be found on my website: www.carolineforward.org
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO TACKLE IN THE POSITION YOU ARE SEEKING?: A fundamental challenge facing Caroline and other small municipalities, is how to provide important services such as support for the food bank, library, EMS and youth programs; maintaining good roads, etc., in light of budgetary pressures from pension obligations, increased health care costs and unfunded state mandates.  It’s a challenge that is going to require us to continually examine our priorities while also advocating on behalf of our citizens to our state representatives.

Gregory Harrington (Republican)
RELEVANT PERSONAL INFORMATION: I am a lifetime resident of the Town of Caroline. I served on the town board from 1999 to 2003. I have been a volunteer firefighter and paramedic for the Slaterville Volunteer Fire Company and Slaterville Ambulance for 30 years. I have also served as a member of Caroline Elementary School’s “Safe Schools” Committee, as a member of the Fire and EMS Chiefs Association of Tompkins County, as the vice president of Fountain Manor’s Board of Directors, and as a member of the Caroline Emergency Planning Committee.
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE?: Community involvement is a family tradition, as my father served both as a Judge and Councilperson in the Town of Caroline.  He instilled in me the principle of “Don’t just sit there and complain, do something.”  Our community is changing, and there is a need to embrace the positives of changes without losing those qualities of life that make our community a great place to live and raise a family.  We will need to define our priorities and develop strategies to help the Town of Caroline maintain its sense of community.  I would like to be actively involved in that process and believe that I can constructively contribute to the role that local government must play in such planning and operations.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO TACKLE IN THE POSITION YOU ARE SEEKING? Without question, the economics of running a government will be the most crucial factor in and basis for any future planning and operational decision-making.  The need to define a government’s “mission critical functions” and then effectively strategize to assure continuation of those activities will need a collaborative and cooperative approach.  Hard decisions will need to be made on what local government can afford, and what it cannot no longer support.  Simply “raising taxes” is no longer a responsible option; defining community-agreed upon priorities and developing realistic (and creative) approaches to assure continuation of those priorities will mandate a government willing to make tough budgetary choices.

Mark Witmer (Democratic, Caroline)
RELEVANT PERSONAL INFORMATION:  I’m a biologist and educator at Wells College. I am also currently the Project Manager for Solarize Tompkins Southeast, a grassroots program to inspire adoption of solar energy systems in Caroline, Danby, and Dryden. My wife, Ann, our two daughters, and I live in Caroline because of the wonderful community and rural beauty.
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE?: Caroline has a diverse and inclusive community where folks pitch in in all kinds of ways. This includes our town government, which has adopted a forward-thinking Comprehensive Plan that reflects our community’s commitment to maintaining rural landscapes and livelihoods, and has passed a local law banning gas development. These proactive measures are foundations for maintaining and strengthening the sustainable, independent livelihoods of our town. I want to do my part to keep Caroline a place that people treasure.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO TACKLE IN THE POSITION YOU ARE SEEKING?: I see the biggest challenge as finding ways to end our fossil fuel addiction while strengthening our agricultural sector that is responsible for our sustenance and our unspoiled lands. This is already happening with the growth of small farms in Caroline. I would look for ways to support and enhance this trend. Maintaining a ban on industrial gas development is essential to this goal.

Justice

Harold Phoenix Sr. (Republican)
Did not respond to request for information