The Ithacast with Duc and Seph: Recent Episodes
Ducson Nguyen and Seph Murtagh
City of Ithaca 2nd Ward alderpersons Seph Murtagh and Ducson Nguyen bring you conversations with city hall staff and community leaders
Katharine Celentano is a Policy Coordinator with the Drug Policy Alliance. Based in Ithaca, she helps develop and implement state and municipal efforts to address drug use and opiate overdose. We discuss the status of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) in Tompkins County, the basics of safer consumption spaces, and drug use as a health issue.
This episode was recorded December 4, 2018.
Chapters:
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 4:19 - LEAD
- 20:31 - Safer consumption spaces
- 46:17 - Drug policy
Links:
- Katharine at the Drug Policy Alliance
- Katharine on Twitter
Pete Tyler served as Ithaca Police Department's Acting Chief when John Barber retired in March 2017 and was sworn in as Chief in December 2017. We discuss community policing, militarization of the police, the training that IPD officers have to undergo, IPD's staffing needs, and of course... the contract.
Editor's notes: This episode was recorded September 17, 2018. The Chief mentions an IPD open house on September 30 that of course has now passed. He also refers to shoplifiting in "Southside" but meant the southwestern portion of the city along Route 13 where the big box stores are.
Chapters:
- 0:00 - Intro / Staffing IPD
- 13:22 - Community Policing
- 24:20 - Militarization of the police
- 36:33 - Implicit bias
- 50:10 - The contract
- 1:02:54 - Working with other law enforcement
Links:
Ithaca Voice: Ithaca Welcomes New Police Chief Ithaca Times: Community Members Remember Shawn Greenwood Ithaca Voice: City unanimously approves $100K grant for Ithaca SWAT team equipment, training Ithaca Times: Police say they are at "breaking point" due to understaffing
We chat with Ithaca Voice Managing Editor Jolene Almendarez as she plans to depart Ithaca for her hometown of San Antonio, Texas. What are the challenges of running a local news non-profit organization? What's frustrating about covering City Hall? Where are the best tacos in Ithaca? And somehow, as always, the conversation turns to housing.
Note: This episode was recorded July 4, 2018. On August 20, 2018 Jolene announced her resignation from The Heron.
Chapters:
- 0:00 - State of local news
- 22:52 - Covering City Hall
- 36:36 - The San Antonio Heron
- 44:18 - Missing Ithaca
Change is inevitable in any municipality and it's a planner's job to help manage that change. We chat with Lisa Nicholas, the City of Ithaca's Deputy Director of Planning and Development, about what the Planning Department does, what zoning is, Ithaca's biggest planning challenges, the massive Chain Works project, and Phase 2 of the Comprehensive Plan.
Links:
- City of Ithaca Zoning
- Chain Works
Chapters:
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 6:59 - Zoning
- 14:24 - Urban renewal
- 22:30 - Planning challenges
- 33:45 - Common Council's role in planning
- 50:00 - Chain Works
- 57:30 - Comprehensive Plan Phase II
A chat with Ithaca Festival Executive Director Josh Dolan: his history in the community, behind-the-scenes planning and organization for the Ithaca Festival, what to look forward to at this year's event, and how you can help.
ithacafestival.org
In our fourth episode we talk to Eric Hathaway, the City of Ithaca's Transportation Engineer. We discuss the duties of his role as transportation engineer, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in the city, traffic calming, traffic issues, and much more.
Links:
- Traffic calming form
- City of Ithaca Traffic and Transportation
In our third episode we talk to Dr. Nia Nunn, Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Ithaca College and President of the Board of Directors of Southside Community Center. She shares her history in the Ithaca community, the history of Southside Community Center, and its bright future.
Links:
- Southside Community Center
- NoVo Foundation grant
- Ithaca Times: Unapologetically Southside: How a local institution rediscovered its voice
Chapters:
- 00:00 - Growing up in Ithaca
- 02:13 - History of the building
- 12:16 - Programs at Southside
- 32:23 - Relationship with the City of Ithaca
- 49:28 - How you can help
In our second episode we chat with the City of Ithaca's Historic Preservation Planner Bryan McCracken. We talk about his role in the city, get some background on historic preservation in Ithaca, and discuss The Nines and other future opportunities to designate historic buildings.
Links:
- City page on historic preservation
- Historic Ithaca
- The Chacona Block vote
- The Nines recommended for historic designation
- Redevelopment of Nines property
Chapters:
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 5:44 - Urban Renewal
- 9:41 - Devil's Advocacy
- 12:53 - Chacona Block
- 19:00 - The Nines
- 28:24 - The Future of the Past
This is the inaugural episode of the new Ithacast hosted by Second Ward Alderpersons Seph Murtagh and Ducson Nguyen. Special guest Svante Myrick—mayor of the City of Ithaca—joins us to discuss housing, the opioid crisis, Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, autonomous vehicles, and life in the 2nd Ward.
Links:
- The Missing Middle
- Ithaca planning division proposes shipping container homes
- Vienna's social housing program
- CIITAP
- Common Council contact and agendas
- Stream video of city meetings
- New opioid clinic
- People for the American Way - Svante Myrick
Chapters:
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 1:19 - Ithaca's housing strategy
- 9:36 - The missing middle
- 17:10 - Tax abatements
- 28:04 - Low Income Housing Tax Credit
- 34:58 - Local income tax
- 40:40 - Land value tax
- 42:55 - Rent control
- 46:59 - Vienna's social housing program
- 52:39 - CIITAP
- 1:03:17 - Inclusionary/incentive zoning
- 1:06:11 - How to participate
- 1:07:58 - Seg(ue)ways
- 1:09:07 - Autonomous vehicles
- 1:13:30 - Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion
- 1:14:47 - Opioids
- 1:23:57 - Svante's political future
- 1:26:00 - You know what really grinds my gears?
- 1:30:11 - Svante's second job