In the immortal words of Admiral James Stockdale:
“WHO AM I AND WHY AM I HERE?”
Wife, mother, grandmother, animal lover, student of history and architecture, FDR Democrat, ardent Bernie supporter, reluctant Hillary voter, founding member and Executive Board member of Tompkins County Progressives, Tompkins County Democratic Committee member, Village of Lansing Community Party member, . . .
My roots in Upstate NY go back to growing up in Western NY and attending Wells College, where I graduated in 1973. I fell in love with Ithaca back then, and never forgot it. When my husband and I started looking for a place to retire, I immediately thought of Ithaca. Fortunately, my Texas born-and-bred husband loved Ithaca too, and was willing to relocate and become a Yankee. Gotta love that man!
Between college and retirement in 2009, I was a social worker, Army Reservist, and law student in Buffalo. I worked for the Department of Justice in Washington DC, a large private law firm in Winston-Salem NC, the Resolution Trust Corporation in Tampa FL, the FDIC and the Federal Trade Commission in Dallas TX, and the FDIC in Pasadena CA. I’ve litigated civil cases in Federal courts, criminal cases in the Federal Courts of Appeal, and managed litigation in state and Federal courts around the country. I’ve also served as an administrative assistant to the Deputy Assistant Attorneys General of the Tax Division (DoJ), general counsel for S&L’s in Federal receivership, and advisor to an FDIC business committee overseeing the management of an $8 billion pool of distressed bank assets. I was also a union steward, officer, and contract negotiator at the FDIC, whose employees were unionized.
In an attempt to “recover” from my legal career, I worked at a local yarn store, taught knitting classes, and even sold some of my knitted creations. I even volunteered at the SPCA. Then I got involved in local government. One of my neighbors asked me to participate on a citizens’ advisory committee here in the Village of Lansing early in 2012. It was a totally absorbing, stimulating, and rewarding (albeit sometimes frustrating) experience. As a result of my participation on that committee, I was asked to become a Planning Board alternate, and I became a full member of the Village of Lansing Planning Board in 2014. I was also a member of a small subcommittee responsible for updating our Village Comprehensive Plan in 2015.
I LOVE working in local government: the issues have immediate and visible impact; debates and disagreements tend to be more issue-oriented than partisan; and results are apparent in relatively short order. For me, personally, there is an additional advantage: I get to apply my legal training and career experience to issues that make a difference in the daily life of my community. I look forward to bringing my enthusiasm and experience to the County Legislature.
