It seems that everyone running for local office this year is talking about the cost of housing. Gepe Zurenda, running for Common Council’s Ward 5, is one of the few with the knowledge, experience, and perspective to actually do something about it. A long-time nonprofit volunteer and therapist who created a sober house for Cornell students, Gepe has spent years working with people with substance abuse issues, including those experiencing homelessness. He also has years of experience working in and running a manufacturing facility with 300 employees, making payroll while meeting the bottom line. Kind of a unicorn in his mix of experience and qualities, the City of Ithaca would be lucky to have him on Council!

As a County Legislator myself for 20 years, I worked to make housing more affordable every way I could. It’s a complex, expensive, and time-consuming challenge. Platitudes won’t work. Promises of free stuff are false promises; someone has to pay for them! Gepe Zurenda will bring the compassionate and pragmatic vision and experience that Council desperately needs.

Martha Robertson

Tompkins County Legislator 2022-2022