More than once I've heard people say there are several Lansings. There's old Lansing, comprised mainly of the farming community. There is wealthy Lansing. There is commuter Lansing. There's the Village and the Town...

I don't buy it. If there were so many Lansings how did we get a community that works so well? There is a high volume of participation in the schools, the fire department, on the things that are important to all the residents here. Sure, there are different demographics, but we all seem to agree on what is truly important. And this has contributed to a remarkable town that accomplishes quite a bit more than you would expect from a community of this size.

So what's the deal on splintering Lansing in County representation? It seems to me that a community with common interests should have appropriate representation to advance its interests. According to the 2000 census the Town and Village had the equivalent of 48.44% of the City of Ithaca's population, yet only 30% of the representatives Ithaca has on the County Board. In part this is because some residents are split into Groton's district or elsewhere. In part it is just an inequitable distribution of representation. Lansing currently has about one and a half seats. It should have at least two.

It has been pointed out that Ithaca may have less interest than Lansing in supporting the Sheriff's Department, for example, because they have their own police force. Without proportionate representation it would be easy for support to erode, which appears to be at least somewhat the case. It is a truism that power bases use redistricting to keep themselves in power. With the growth in Lansing, it will be important going forward to reverse that trend, to make sure that what Lansing residents contribute to the County comes back in services and benefits to the Lansing Community.

----

v1i3