Dryden Democrats will be discussing "Local Responses to Rising Energy Costs." We've all seen energy prices climb and keep climbing, and that has a direct effect on Dryden residents' wallets. What can we do at the local level to reduce...
I never got to last week's opinion pages, where there was a lot of Dryden opinion. One piece that's kept me thinking is Mike Lane's letter on the need for a county code of ethics. I've spent a lot of...
New election equipment will cost the county extra, as New York State's painfully slow process for updating its equipment rolls into a presidential election year. To avoid some of that cost, the Dryden Fire Station is going to host more...
This week's news has been fairly quiet, though I need to do a more formal run down. This morning, while Sungiva's sleeping, I just want to make sure I get two quotes recorded here. The first, hopeful, quote is from...
While the White House has been making headlines lately for losing email, this morning's Ithaca Journal takes a look at the problems of email and government closer to home. I'm happy to see that our Supervisor and Town Clerk are...
I'd been feeling a lot more optimistic about this race than the results suggest I should have been: CandidateVotes Charlie Becker (R)157 Don Norman (R)139 Mary Ellen Bossack (D)137 Fred Gentz (D)126 I'd like to stay hopeful, but the Democratic...
Mary Ellen Bossack and Fred Gentz At the Democratic caucus in January, I was delighted to see Village residents nominate a team of candidates with amazing strengths - and a delightful dose of modesty as well. Mary Ellen Bossack...
The polls are open at the Dryden Village Hall, 16 South Street, Dryden (map) from noon to 9:00pm today. Registered voters who live in the Village have a choice of four trustee candidates for two seats. The Ithaca Journal spoke...
I wondered if the presidential primary would have brought out a lot of new registrants in the Town of Dryden, but as it turns out, things here look fairly stable, following the same trend of a few additional Democrats, a...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the latest from the Manos trial. Yesterday's testimony focused on Grace Manos' condition after the bathtub incident, and included testimony from the Varna Fire Company paramedics who treated her. There's also a report on...
Just a quick reminder - the Democratic and Republican caucuses to select candidates for Village of Dryden trustees are both at 8:00pm tonight at the Dryden Village Hall, 16 South Street, Dryden. Republicans will be upstairs, Democrats downstairs. There are...
It's hard for me to imagine that it's election season again, but village elections are in March, with caucuses to select candidates for the Village of Dryden this coming week: NOTICE OF CAUCUS There will be a caucus of the...
This week's Dryden Courier is overwhelmingly loaded with Dryden news. If you have a chance, I'd encourage you to buy a copy, since I can only get so much in here. (Rite Aid and the Mobil usually have it in...
Unfortunately, I was still in Germany when the new Dryden Town Board held its organizational meeting last Wednesday, but the Journal covers our new Supervisor and her outlook for the year this morning. (Board member David Makar posted his report...
2007 had its heart-breaking surprises and its wonderful moments, some strife, and some victories. 2008 will likely be the same - but all different. There's going to be a lot of change around here, as Angelika is expecting a baby...
Apparently Dryden did not have a quiet Christmas - it just took the Ithaca Journal a few days to catch up to news of a fire early Christmas morning. Four residents of Creekwood Apartments, on Lower Creek Road, were displaced...
Between some travel and connectivity problems, I'm a little behind. To catch up... Yesterday's paper reports that the Finger Lake Land Trust will be establishing a 138-acre nature preserve near the headwaters of Six Mile Creek. Looking at the map,...
Today's Ithaca Journal editorial questions New York State's habit of letting elections fall all over the calendar, with elections in March, May, November, and whenever. It's definitely a strange problem to have to convince people that there's an election going...
I got a new pile of election data from the Board of Elections yesterday, though I'm still working to figure out what it means. 1308 of 2967 registered Democrats voted on November 6th, while 1270 of 2700 registered Republicans voted....
This morning's Journal includes Gary Stewart's report on Cornell's modifications to the gas line it will be building to connect its power plant to the pipeline that runs through Ellis Hollow. It sounds like it will be narrower and generally...
The County Legislature passed an amended 2008 budget last night, cutting TCAT funding but adding funding for an additional corrections officer. It sounds like rural bus routes will likely be cut - I'll keep an eye out for changes that...
As I conclude reporting on November's election, I'd like to bring attention to something in the Town Justice race that I think demonstrates the importance of competitive elections. It seems safe to say that before this year, Town Justice Chris...
I was a little surprised to find a comment from losing Republican Supervisor candidate Cheryl Nelson here last night, but the more I looked at it, the more it looked like she's learned well from the kind of Republican story-telling...
There always seems to be more sewage than expected, but there had to be an exception. Matt Cooper reports in this week's Dryden Courier that the Cortland Road Sewer district appears to be sending less sewage to the Village of...
I'm glad to see today's Ithaca Journal editorial on the Pledge of Allegiance, which I think makes a crucial, if perhaps understated, point in its final paragraph, especially the last sentence: The beauty of the First Amendment is that it...
These are still unofficial, but it looks like the Board of Elections counted absentee ballots. The Board of Elections is now showing: Town Supervisor: Mary Ann Sumner 1550 (+71), Cheryl Nelson 1422 (+66) Town Board: David Makar 1601 (+82), Joe...
It's always seatbelt season, really, but State Police are busy enforcing seat belt laws, starting from a checkpoint in front of their barracks on Route 13 in Freeville. The opinion page has two Dryden letters: Cheryl Wagner of Freeville writes...
The election pretty well wiped me out, and I haven't kept up with the past few days of either the Ithaca Journal or the Cortland Standard. Here's a quick look at Dryden-related stories in the Journal: Democrats across the county...
[I originally posted this at Street Prophets, a site on religion and progressive politics, but it definitely belongs at Living in Dryden too.] At the last of our Dryden candidate forums, in the middle of an ugly campaign, a well-known...
I was nervous about last night's results because I knew going in that turnout was tilted toward the more typically Republican districts. Election District 2 around Freeville, and 6, 7, 10, and 11 around and south of the Village of...
It's been quite a campaign, but it looks like the Dryden Democrats did beautifully, and even in our one loss gave a 16-year incumbent a real challenge. The Board of Elections is showing: Town Supervisor: Mary Ann Sumner 1479, Cheryl...
It's election day, and polling places will be open from 6:00am to 9:00pm. Depending on which district you live in (see the district map (597KB PDF)), you can vote at: Etna Fire Station - 26 Wood Road, Etna (map). Freeville...
Mary Ann Sumner has accomplished a lot in her last two years, despite being in a 4-1 minority and then a 3-2 minority on the board, and is ready to take the lead as Town Supervisor. Mary Ann Sumner Mary...
David Makar is a phenomenon. His energy and persistence have amazed me from the day he first decided to run for Town Board. He put up a giant whiteboard with a plan that seemed hopelessly ambitious, and then he went...
Dryden hasn't had a contested race for Town Justice in a long time, but this year's has been spirited. For me, it's an easy choice: I encourage readers to help elect Jason Leifer our next Town Justice. Jason Leifer Even...
There's new data that suggests that Chris Clauson indeed had an election-year conversion to Drug Court. Today's Journal has an article that makes it clear that: Of the 159 Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI) cases...
New York State has recently begun to require political campaigns to file their financial statements electronically. It's not a great system, with problems like Windows-only software that is apparently less than fun to use, but it does mean that anyone...
Back in June, I kept hearing rumors of a possible Republican primary for Town Justice. I knew that Republican Committee Chair Jim Crawford supported Drug Court, but apparently he wasn't the only one. As summer went on, however, it seemed...
Today's Ithaca Journal mentions a TC3 open house that has, alas, already happened today. The rest of the Dryden activity is on the opinion page, in letters to the editor. County Legislator Mike Hattery of Dryden writes to support Cheryl...
Back in June, a pair of motorcyclists waiting to turn into their driveway on Route 13 were rear-ended, winding up in the hospital with traumatic injuries. This Friday, tomorrow, there will be a benefit for them from 5:00pm to 10:00pm...
The lead story in today's Ithaca Journal focuses on a suppression hearing in the Marie Manos case, examining whether an interview she had with police after the drowning of her niece is admissible in her trial. On the opinion page,...
That's the question I was left with at the end of this Journal article about labor issues at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Plant. Town Supervisor Steve Trumbull sounds concerned: Both Valentino and Town of Dryden Supervisor Steven Trumbull said...
The Journal finally gets around to the Community Center funding story, putting it in Briefly in Tompkins. The money will go largely toward infrastructure projects, and it was also nice to see a Republican give credit to a Democrat: Ellis...
Imagine that you're a Dryden political party, say the Republican party, that's facing a tough Town Board election: You, the Republican party, had a really hard time finding candidates. When you finally do have candidates, your Supervisor candidate, Cheryl Nelson,...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that a short-term plan to keep the SPCA doing animal control is in the works, though whether it will keep the SPCA as animal control provider in the long run is definitely an open question....
This morning's Journal report that Dryden greenhouse RPM Ecosystems is producing trees for the Gulf Coast to replace those damaged by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, and has a photo gallery showing more of the operations, which are on 13...
Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk visits Boy Scout Troop 24, welcoming a variety of Eagle Scout projects in the Dryden area, including: a roofed entryway at Covenant Love Church, an information kiosk on the Jim Shug trail, a new deck...
Last night's Meet the Candidates event in Varna was pretty reasonable until around 8:15, when the questions turned from questions about town issues to a sordid demonstration of how local Republicans imitate Karl Rove's ugliest work. Mud in Varna. First,...
This site's been a bit derelict for the past week, as I was in San Francisco. For work, I was at a conference where every other attendee seemed to be either a venture capitalist or someone with big dreams looking...
The new Town Hall will be getting its grand opening ceremony tomorrow, October 18th, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Town Board member David Makar reports that there will be cake. It's at 93 East Main Street, Dryden, about half a mile...
Today, October 12th, is the last day to register to vote for the November 6th election. It is also the last day to change your party affiliation if you want that change to take effect in time for the February...
Yesterday's weather led to a crash in Freeville, between a garbage truck and a tractor-trailer. In good news for the county, Borg-Warner will move 174 jobs to Lansing from Oklahoma, and perhaps that will bring some new people to Dryden...
The Ithaca Journal reports on yesterday's redistricting forum. I'll have a lot more to say on this when I find a moment, but mostly I have to say that I found Assemblyman William Parment interesting but utterly unconvincing in his...
Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk column visits today with Matt Colbert, a Dryden High School student who is aiming for the big leagues. The left-handed pitcher and first baseman has been working with The Baseball Factory and is raising money...
Want to know more about the Dryden candidates? There's lots of coverage in the Dryden Courier and Tompkins Weekly. This week's Dryden Courier (available on newstands until tomorrow) covers the first candidates forum in depth. Tompkins Weekly talks with the...
After three years of being the Chair of the Dryden Democratic Committee, I should probably be cynical enough about Republicans to ignore the mud they throw about candidates, about patriotism, and about the way elections are conducted. Today's guest column...
It's continuing to be a good year for candidates forums, with about 25 people attending Tuesday night's event in Etna. We got off to a bit of a late start, because the Republicans needed to get their projector for the...
If you're reading this as I write it, you're in time to get to the 7:00pm candidates forum at the Etna Fire Station, 26 Wood Road, which the Journal listed in this morning's Briefly in Tompkins. The Journal seems to...
I'm pleased to report that WHCU news director Geoff Dunn has agreed to moderate the Dryden Candidates Forum to be held this Tuesday, October 2nd at 7:00pm at the Etna Fire Station, 25 Wood Road. Once again, we'll have refreshments...
The only thing I see in this morning's Ithaca Journal specific to Dryden is a letter from Iretta Ellis of Dryden supporting Cheryl Nelson for Supervisor. Another article deals with an issue that ties into complaints I've heard from Bethel...
There was quite a crowd at last night's meet the candidates forum at the Dryden Fire Station last night, and I don't think they just came for the cider and cookies. Given that the Historical Society had an event just...
This morning's Ithaca Journal print edition notes tonight's candidates forum in its Briefly in Tompkins section. The forum will be at the Dryden Fire Station at 7:00pm, and will be moderated by the League of Women Voters. On the opinion...
The Dryden Democrats and Dryden Republicans will be jointly hosting a series of candidates forums, starting next Tuesday, September 25th at 7:00pm at Dryden Fire Station, 26 North Street, Dryden. This first event will be moderated by the League of...
The Journal seems obsessed with the Town of Ithaca Supervisor's race, but there's much more going on in Dryden this year. We have contests for Town Supervisor, Town Board (two seats), and Town Justice. PositionDemocratic CandidateRepublican Candidate Town SupervisorMary Ann...
This morning's Journal reports something I've seen very rarely: a theft committed by a resident at the William George Agency, better known as George Junior Republic. A BMX bike was apparently stolen from Stewart Park in Ithaca August 13th by...
This morning's Ithaca Journal has two competing views of the Town of Ithaca Supervisor's race on its opinion page. County Legislator Martha Robertson writes to support challenger Herb Engman, while former Dryden Town Supervisor Mark Varvayanis supports incumbent Cathy Valentino....
Former Tompkins County SPCA Director Nathan Winograd will be launching the tour for his new book at their Hanshaw Road facility on Sunday. He hopes to spread the story of how the Tompkins County SPCA euthanizes only the "hopelessly ill...
Today's "All the People" party name made me go back to the latest voter registration data to see what's happening in Dryden. Blank registrations fell the most, and Democratic registrations fell one more than Republican. PartyNumber (Oct 2006)Number (Aug 2007)Change...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reported on the filing of independent petitions for local races coming this November. I didn't quite believe it when I saw "the All the People party in Dryden", but checking at the Board of Elections today,...
Most of the Dryden activity in today's Journal is on the editorial page. Henry Kramer of Dryden writes about possible government consolidation. While I rarely agree with Kramer, there's a lot worth considering in this article. I agree completely that...
This morning's Journal has a photo from the 4-H Fair that's happening on Lower Creek Road north of Route 13. I'm glad to see that the Journal issued an updated article on candidates for local races, this time including candidates...
I know there are a lot of local races in Tompkins County to keep track of, but I was startled to see this false line in this morning's Journal: In Dryden, town board members David Makar (D) and Marty Christofferson...
The Dryden Democrats will be meeting tomorrow night, July 18th, at the Dryden Town Hall, 65 East Main Street (Route 392), Dryden (map) at 7:30pm to hold a caucus and select candidates for: Town Supervisor, Town Board (2 seats), Town...
This week's issue of Tompkins Weekly offers not just its usual one, but three stories on Dryden. The first, on page 3, examines the continuing divide between the east and west sides of Dryden, looking at the question of recreation...
I'm behind in covering the June Town Board meeting, and behind in covering the Dryden Courier. Fortunately Matt Cooper reports on the Town Board meeting in the June 20th Courier, so I can manage them together. The Courier leads with...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that two members of the Dryden Town Board will not be seeking re-election this November: Supervisor Steve Trumbull and Councilman Marty Christofferson. Both are Republicans, initially elected in 2003. Steve Trumbull accomplished at least two...
Ever since the Town Board purchased a large chunk of land in the Village of Dryden for a new Town Hall, there have been rumors and occasional comments that it would be developed as parkland. Everyone loves recreation, but big...
In my earlier post on the May Town Board meeting, I noted that: Peter Schug of Cayuga Press and his attorney Jonathan Orkin came in to discuss the HUD loan that is now in question because the company has moved...
The Town Board meeting stretched past midnight last night, for the first time that I can remember. It was a long meeting, though actually more focused than many recent meetings, and fortunately they took a five minute break at one...
A few years ago, the Town of Dryden secured a low-interest (2%) HUD loan for Cayuga Press to buy some new printers. It was part of the Town's economic development policy, though it came under some fire because of the...
Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk reports on the Dryden Grange's giving Cam Viall their Grange Community Service Award. The mother of 10 children, Viall helped run a variety store, has been active in the American Legion Auxiliary, and worked as...
This morning's Ithaca Journal brings two letters to the editor from the conservative side of the political spectrum. Edgar Seymour of Freeville calls for the prosecution of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for her recent trip to Syria, while...
This morning's Journal looks at the County Legislature's disagreement over budget goals, highlighting two Dryden legislators, Martha Robertson and Mike Hattery. Somehow the Journal lost track of party identification, and lists Hattery as a Democrat when he's definitely a Republican,...
Ithaca Journal columnist Cathy Wakeman celebrates 100 Dryden Town Talk articles with a look forward at some coming events. There will be a student recital tonight at the Dryden Middle School/High School auditorium at 7:00pm, and a Guest Artist workshop/performance...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the Dryden Elementary School Chorus's trip to Albany last Friday, where they sang for "several important people" and then toured the city. How They Voted in the Tompkins County Legislature has more details on...
I'm happy to report that this weblog is succeeding in many of the ways I'd hoped it would when I first started. Those successes are generally modest - people hear of things they wouldn't have heard of otherwise, and sometimes...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on today's Dryden Central School District capital spending vote, which runs from 7:00am to 9:00pm today at the Dryden Middle School/High School Auditorium. Most of the school districts that contain a piece of the Town...
The print edition of this morning's Journal reports that final results are in for the Village of Dryden Trustees' race: CandidateDemocratRepublicanBetter DrydenTotal Randy Sterling183183 Robert Witty171171 Lisa Valentinelli13137168 Elizabeth Gutchess12335158 There's also a letter to the editor from Kate Howells...
An old house I'd always really liked burned yesteday in Freeville. The Freeville, Dryden, Varna, Etna, Groton, McLean and Cayuga Heights fire departments all responded, as did Dryden Ambulance, NYSEG, and the New York State Department of Transportation. There were...
Some days all you can say is argh... New results, after this afternoon's canvassing of absentee ballots: CandidateDemocratRepublicanBetter DrydenTotal (Change) Randy Sterling181181 (+19) Robert Witty169169 (+18) Lisa Valentinelli13137168 (+3) Elizabeth Gutchess12335158 (+4) There are still two military currently ballots uncounted,...
The Villages of Dryden and Freeville will be having elections tomorrow. Freeville's elections are uncontested, while Dryden has a contested trustees race and an uncontested mayor's race. In Freeville's non-partisan elections, incumbents Rachel Dickinson and Lloyd Purdy are running for...
This morning's Ithaca Journal carries more letters on next Tuesday's Village of Dryden elections. Paul Simonet seems concerned that national politics might affect the Trustees' race, and encourages voters to support the Republican incumbents. Les Cleland also writes in support...
This morning's Ithaca Journal editorial praises Anondo “Binji” Mukherjee and Jed Glosenger for their heroic deeds during a fire on Hickory Circle Sunday. Former County Legislator and Village of Dryden Mayor Mike Lane writes a letter to the editor whose...
I seem to be getting the Dryden Courier later and later in its weekly cycle, and combining that with my being out of town Monday and Tuesday means that the issue I'm about to write about isn't the one in...
This morning's Cortland Standard reports on the Village of Dryden. There's an overview of upcoming elections, in which two Democrats (Lisa Valentinelli and Elizabeth Gutchess) and two Republicans (Bob Witty and Randy Sterling) are running for two trustee seats. The...
I didn't get to covering yesterday's Ithaca Journal - it was just too busy a day! There was an article exploring how the Town of Dryden plans to coordinate its many stakeholding boards for the zoning process. The current plan...
The Dryden Democrats started the race for village offices with a bang: great turnout at a caucus that unanimously nominated two strong candidates for Village Trustee: Lisa Valentinelli and Elizabeth Gutchess. Lisa Valentinelli is the principal of the MacCormick Secure...
I was just on WHCU 870 talking about tonight's Village of Dryden caucuses. Here's a recap. Village of Dryden residents are invited to caucuses for choosing candidates for the Village of Dryden's March 20th election. Three positions held by Republicans...
Dryden Schools Superintendent Mark Crawford has a letter in today's Journal questioning the state's placing Freeville Elementary School and Dryden High School on their "in need of improvement" list, citing problems in the data collection and interpretation process which had...
This week's issue of The Shopper includes opportunities for Village of Dryden and Town of Dryden residents to get more involved with their community. Village of Dryden residents are invited to caucuses for choosing candidates for the Village of Dryden's...
I missed the Dryden Town Board organizational meeting, so last night was the first time I got to see the newest version of the Board together. Newcomer David Makar joins Marty Christofferson, Steve Trumbull, Steve Stelick, and Mary Ann Sumner...
The Village of Dryden tree-lighting will be tonight at 7:00pm, at the Village Green between the Methodist and Presbyterian churches near the intersection of Routes 13 and 38. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be coming in their usual fire truck....
This week's Dryden Courier reports on David Makar's victory Tuesday night in the Town Board race, and Cortland resident Dennis Wright's shopping spree, which he won from Dryden Rotary, enjoyed at Clark's, and donated to the Dryden Kitchen Cupboard. Inside,...
I spent most of yesterday driving and calling all over Dryden in the final election day push. I ended the night, as I usually do, at the District 2 polling place in Freeville. Why Freeville? Because it generally doesn't raise...
Every year brings a new crop of candidates to consider, and the Dryden sample ballot this year includes eleven columns of candidates. I'd like to focus on three local candidates, and the difference I believe they can make. Working with...
Apparently Democratic voters in Cayuga County - not too far to our north - are getting calls telling them to go to the wrong polling place. Cheerful. If you'd like to know where to vote here, you can safely visit...
If you'd like some idea what you'll be seeing in the polling place, the Board of Elections has posted a Dryden sample ballot. There are lots and lots of lines and eleven different positions to fill. There don't appear to...
The Dryden Courier has always done a great job of giving candidates for local office space to explain who they are and what they're hoping to accomplish, and I strongly recommend finding a copy if you haven't yet decided. The...
I never got to cover Friday's Ithaca Journal, which included a heartwarming story of a Cortland man's shopping spree for the Dryden Kitchen Cupboard. Dennis Wright won the spree - at Clark's Food Mart - from Dryden Rotary. Kitchen Cupboard...
This morning the Ithaca Journal has a two-page opinion section but still felt the need to list letters and publish them online. Unfortunately, all the letters for Town Board wound up in the online pile. Dawn Potter - a Bethel...
I last looked at Dryden voter registration back in January, after the Board of Elections had expunged a lot of voters who hadn't voted in too long a time. That expunging had cost the Democrats 37 more voters than the...
While traveling last week, I seem to have missed reporting on a slew of opinions about and from Dryden, as well as a news story on an accident on North Road. Among the many letters to the editor last Thursday...
This morning's Ithaca Journal also offers a "Meet the Dryden Town Board Candidates" article talking with Democrat David Makar and Republican Dan Tier. They explore issues from emergency services to community centers to commercial development. There's more comparison on the...
This morning's Ithaca Journal has two letters on the Town Board race. The first comes from Christa Downey of Dryden, supporting Democrat David Makar. The second, from Republican Town Board member Marty Christofferson, supports Republican Dan Tier. There's also a...
This morning's Ithaca Journal notes that the Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund will be accepting grant applications through the end of October, with decisions to be made by the end of November. The online edition of Briefly in Tompkins lists tonight's...
A Journal news update announces the candidates forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters. They'll have candidates for County Sheriff, County Clerk, and New York State Assembly from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Ithaca Town Hall (map) on Thursday. It'll...
This morning's Ithaca Journal has a letter from Kathy Zahler endorsing Democratic candidate David Makar for Town Board. I can readily second this: I've rarely met a candidate so willing to educate himself about the workings of town government. David...
This morning's Journal has an overview article on the Assembly race, talking with incumbent Democratic Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and Republican challenger Jim Rohan. There's also an article on New York's rainy summer. Ithaca has had 34.54 inches of precipitation this...
Most of the Dryden news in this morning's Ithaca Journal is political. Republican Congressional candidate Raymond Meier visited the A-1 Restaurant yesterday to talk with around 20 Republicans about the race. On the opinion page, Gary Rith of Etna writes...
The opinion page of this morning's Ithaca Journal includes two letters to the editor supporting candidates in the November 7th election. Ian and Melissa Garrett write in support of David Makar for Town Board, while County Legislator Martha Robertson writes...
It's been a week since the renewable energy law passed, and I haven't found time to do the detailed story on the hearing that I wanted to do last Friday. Since I'm not likely to get to that, here's a...
This morning's Ithaca Journal looks at the 24th district Congressional race, highlighting candidates Michael Arcuri and Ray Meier but apparently forgetting Etna resident and Libertarian candidate Mike Sylvia. There's also a look at the national activity around this seat, and...
If you'd like to know what the new rules for windmills and other alternative energy conversion systems in the Town might look like eventually, you can read the proposed Renewable Energy Facilities Law of the Town of Dryden, New York....
I'm finally catching up to yesterday's Ithaca Journal, which mentioned the Dryden Town Board race in an editorial on local elections to be decided this November: The rest of the Tompkins County card includes a contest in Dryden for a...
While the groundbreaking for the new Town Hall, which will use geothermal heating and cooling, proceeded, a law meant to allow town residents to install alternative energy systems is still in the works. Town Board member Mary Ann Sumner reports...
I had a very hard time at this month's Town Board meeting. It was long, though not terribly long - done by 10:30, sooner than some. It wandered a number of times, but not that wildly. I'd missed the July...
I never got to covering yesterday's Journal, so here's two days of stories. Cathy Wakeman continues her discussion of local foods, visiting Back to Basics on 13 at Irish Settlement Road and Ludgate Farms on Hanshaw Road. She also notes...
On Tuesday night, the Dryden Democrats gathered for a caucus at Dryden Town Hall and nominated David Makar to be our candidate for Dryden Town Board this fall. David has run his own website business for three years, with customers...
I noted Local Food Week earlier, but Cathy Wakeman goes one step further and explores the local food options in the Town of Dryden itself. I've wished for a while that there were more ways to enjoy food that's produced...
I was on my way to Boston when this month's Town Board meeting took place, and I haven't seen the Journal report on it. Fortunately, Town Board member Mary Ann Sumner posted a a thorough summary, ranging from the Dollar...
Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk visits the Dryden History House, and recommends its new model airplanes display as a good stop during Dairy Day this Saturday. (There are also some excellent new exhibits on raising chickens in Dryden.) Wakeman also...
The Ithaca Journal, never a paper to shy from controversy, calls their article on Democratic endorsements Dems endorse Valenti for fifth term as county clerk. Valenti got lots of praise at Thursday's meeting for the excellent work she's done, but...
There isn't much Dryden news in today's Journal, but there is a fair amount of county news worth exploring. Former Ithaca investigator Brian Robison announced his run for sheriff yesterday, running as a Republican against two-term incumbent Democrat Peter Meskill....
This morning's Ithaca Journal has a long article on the Dryden schools' school lunch task force, looking at what students are buying, what the force recommends, and nutrition guidelines. There's a report on a roast held for departing radio show...
On the Dryden Democrats weblog, Town Board member Mary Ann Sumner has a piece on how a draft becomes a law, looking over the process of how the town passes new laws. She's also written on Natural Features Focus Areas,...
I see in this week's issue of The Shopper that the Dryden Sertoma Club will be having a dessert reception to honor former County Legislator Mike Lane for his many years of service to the Dryden community. They'll be having...
This morning's Ithaca Journal leads with the news that Cayuga Press is leaving its Hanshaw Road facilities for an Empire Zone in Cortland. The Town Board passed a resolution Thursday night that their departure was for reasons that couldn't readily...
The Dryden news in this morning's Ithaca Journal all seems to gravitate toward Ithaca somehow. County Legislator Martha Robertson is quoted in her role as a member of the Tompkins County Industrial Agency Board about a moratorium on applications for...
I flew to Texas for a conference right after the March meeting of the Dryden Town Board, and I'm still getting my notes in order. Fortunately, Town Board member Mary Ann Sumner has posted an excellent summary of what happened...
There were nine absentee ballots in the Village of Dryden race, plus one affidavit ballot, and a margin of ten votes between Mary Ellen Bossack and Randy Sterling. That meant a trip to the Board of Elections this afternoon, though...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on yesterday's village elections, in which incumbents won their races across Dryden and Freeville. In Freeville, 24 people voted, and Mayor Lotte Carpenter, Trustees Diana Radford and Penny Beebe, and Village Justice Arthur Marchese were...
I was delighted to see Democratic incumbent Village Trustee Mary Ellen Bossack hold her seat tonight with 148 votes, while Republican incumbent Dan Wakeman held his seat with 140. Republican challenger Randy Sterling had 138, and Democratic challenger Jim Willer...
If you live in the Village of Dryden or the Village of Freeville, you have an opportunity to vote today. Freeville's four races are uncontested, while Dryden has two Democrats and two Republicans running for two 2-year Village Trustee seats....
If you live in the Village of Dryden or the Village of Freeville, you have an opportunity to vote tomorrow. Freeville's races are non-partisan and uncontested, while Dryden's are partisan and contested. Elections will be held at the Dryden Village...
As part of a three-day series highlighting Sunshine Week, the Ithaca Journal reports on how residents can participate in their local government meetings. It opens with one of the usual suspects who attend meetings: To Simon St. Laurent, being part...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the Dryden and Freeville village elections. For Dryden, a contested race, the Journal talks with Democrats Mary Ellen Bossack and Jim Willer and Republicans Dan Wakeman and Randy Sterling. Incumbent Bossack and challenger Willer...
The March 8th issue of the Dryden Courier leads with two stories about Dryden schools. The first explores plans for "Poem in Your Pocket Day" and other poetry events to be held at Dryden High School and Middle School later...
I still haven't seen any news at all of Freeville's village elections, but ads about the Village of Dryden elections have been running in The Shopper for the past two weeks. A week ago, Democrats Mary Ellen Bossack and Jim...
Town Board member Mary Ann Sumner has posted a summary of the February Town Board meeting that covers a lot of ground, including the ever-popular question of speed limit reductions in populated areas. Definitely worth a vist....
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on progress toward a new Town Hall. Jennie Daley reports on progress on contracts with architects and engineers, as well as a current cost estimate from $2 million to $2.4 million. (The 2002 estimates were...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that Janice Cortright, 70, was killed while crossing Route 13 at Livermore Road yesterday. I have enough trouble getting my newspaper and mail from across Route 366, and walking along 13 is even scarier. State...
This week's edition of The Shopper lists Democratic and Republican caucuses for Village of Dryden Elections. Each caucus is a gathering of village residents to select candidates for the March 21, 2006 village trustee elections. Registered Democrats can participate and...
I didn't get the sense that the presentation of a possible Town Hall layout was a final set of drawings for approval - and I don't remember the board taking any action - but WHCU's web site says: Dryden Drawings...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the appointments of Dryden County Legislators Mike Hattery and Martha Robertson to the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency, and includes a fair amount from them on what they hope to accomplish. For Hattery, it...
It was just three months ago that the Republicans were campaigning on open government, and already I'm seeing some signs that at least one Republican doesn't find that notion very interesting. Town Supervisor Steve Trumbull introduced former Town Board member...
This week's Dryden Town Talk takes a look at planning for "the top secret party known as the Senior All Night Extravaganza 2006, also known as SANE. This event is an adult-chaperoned post-graduation environment for safe celebrating," which will be...
When I did the story on Libertarians meeting, I wanted to check on how many there were in town. In October it was two, and as of a week ago it's now three, according to the voter registration data from...
When I posted my October review of voter registration, I accidentally left out Libertarians, as they hadn't existed in my database before. There were two then, though. There are three of them in Dryden now, and one, Michael Sylvia of...
Mary Ann Sumner has already reported on highlights from Thursday's meeting, but here are some pictures of both newly appointed Town Board member Dan Tier and plans for the new Town Hall. Town Clerk Bambi Hollenbeck swears in newly appointed...
Town Board member Mary Ann Sumner has written recently on the Dryden Democrats weblog about her first few weeks on the Board. She has a report on last week's organizational meeting, as well as a piece on her recent visit...
This morning's Ithaca Journal notes in Local Briefs that Village of Dryden Police Chief Margaret Ryan will be receiving the Michael Padula Award from the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission at a dinner on January 28th. The rest of the...
Dryden's Town Board organization meeting this afternoon started with the swearing-in of returning incumbent Steve Stelick and newcomer Mary Ann Sumner. After repeating the oath of office, they had to sign cards (for the county) and sign a book as...
In this morning's Ithaca Journal, Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk visits the Dryden Youth Commission, which "is on the front lines of creating successful programs for our kids, and is seeking a volunteer who lives in the Town of Dryden...
This week's Dryden Courier (December 21st) leads with Margaret Brownell Lorenzen's latest Slinky Slithertail book, Petunia Patch Pockets and the Golden Locket. Lorenzen wrote the first version of the story back in 1961, but this version, with illustrations by Jocelyn...
I'm just getting around to yesterday's Ithaca Journal, and finding a few stories that mentioned Dryden. A story on last-minute shopping includes a picture of Samantha Hornbuckle, whose mother Mary lives in Dryden. Dryden is also mentioned in an article...
This morning's Ithaca Journal visits Nancy Carver and Lorraine Buonviri's Christmas spectacular in their home in Freeville. Fifty Santas on a piano? Is that enough? Perhaps not. It takes three days to set up the decorations, starting the day after...
Last night's Cortland Standard has an article, "Dem seeks Dryden seat", on page 3. Sure enough, the "Dem" is me. I was hoping Paul Lutwak, an independent who ran as a Democrat in November, would apply, but then John Curatolo...
I started to report on this week's Dryden Courier when I realized that I hadn't yet reported on the previous week's issue (November 16th), so thought I should do that first. The Courier led with an article on custodian Dave...
This morning's Ithaca Journal visits the Freeville United Methodist Church Thanksgiving meal, talking both with guests and those serving the food. Yesterday's article on Thanksgiving traditions noted that the The Antlers restaurant was open for a Thanksgiving dinner as well....
I didn't think it would help anything to publicize the worst things I saw in the County Legislature races during the election, but now that the votes are counted, I'd like to make certain that these pieces get on the...
This morning's Ithaca Journal has a lot from last night's Town Board meeting, with an article on Mike Lane's concession speech and another piece on possible development north of the Village of Dryden near TC3. One plan, proposed by Bill...
One of the problems with writing this blog is that I frequently have to write on news that saddens me. Tonight is definitely one of those times. County Legislator Mike Lane conceded the District 14 election to Town Board member...
This morning's Journal reports on the dwindling of Mike Hattery's lead over Mike Lane to 20 votes in the District 14 legislative contest, with 30 possible ballots still out there. A report on snowmobile safety starts with a quote from...
Last night, I thought Mike Lane was ahead of Mike Hattery by 10 votes. This morning, the Board of Elections reported Hattery ahead by 41. When I arrived at the Board this afternoon, the difference had changed to 36, as...
Today's Journal notices the November 8th election. The "Wilkinson wins DA race" across the top is hard to miss, as is the picture of County Legislator Martha Robertson congratulating Gwen Wilkinson, who defeated incumbent District Attorney George Dentes by a...
Last night was a night of ups and downs. It looks like Dryden will once again have a Democratic member of the Town Board, as Steve Stelick (R) and Mary Ann Sumner (D) led the field. Our numbers last night...
I thought I'd already said this, but: Vote today! I've published the polling places list for Dryden if you need to find out where you need to go....
From the Board of Elections listing, polling places for each of the districts are: Etna Fire Station - 26 Wood Road, Etna (map). Freeville Fire Station - 21 Union Street, Freeville (map). Dryden Fire Station - 26 North Street, Dryden...
Tomorrow we have a choice among candidates for District Attorney, and I'm delighted with Gwen Wilkinson. She wants to ensure that violent criminals of all kinds are prosecuted, and that even difficult cases get a close look. I like what...
County Legislator Martha Robertson has brought tremendous energy to her job, whether she's speaking at a Town Board meeting, collecting information from constituents to improve road safety, or developing new ideas for lowering the cost of healthcare in Tompkins County....
I've enjoyed this year's relatively quiet Town Board race, and I think voters have an opportunity for change for the better this year. Mary Ann Sumner and Paul Lutwak both bring financial skills and a focus on doing a lot...
This morning's Journal is quiet on Dryden news, but carries two Dryden letters on the opinion page. They left out County Legislator Mike Lane's final piece out on Saturday, and include it today. Lane notes a number of ways in...
I first met Athena Kalandros at a Groton Democratic Committee meeting where they were looking for candidates. If I remember right, Bob Walpole had talked with her about the possibility of running while she was getting her kids on to...
I missed covering last week's Dryden Courier, and there are only a few days left to get the current issue. I've chosen some especially unfortunate issues to cover late. If you want to get a feel for all the candidates...
The race for County Legislature 14, most of the eastern half of Dryden, is between a conservative Democrat and a conservative Republican, between two candidates who bring considerable if very different experience to the table. I'm delighted to encourage voters...
Yesterday's Ithaca Journal gave county candidates one last chance to get their message out to voters, and published a set of letters from candidates. Once again, they've published it online as one huge file, but County Legislature candidates Martha Robertson...
The Republican Meet-The-Candidates event advertised in The Shopper the past couple of weeks didn't look all that different from the Democratic event, except that the Republicans had balloons and cookies from Googer's. (Not my favorite Googer's half moon cookies, but...
This morning's Ithaca Journal has a long and detailed editorial on the District Attorney's race (in tiny print), but concludes that: The decision before Tompkins County voters is an enormous one. The District Attorney's office is the people's representative at...
Today's Ithaca Journal has lots of politics, including lots of Dryden politics. The Town Board race gets a meet-the-candidates article, and there's an article on the 14th district legislature race, but unfortunately the profiles of County Legislator Mike Lane and...
This morning's Ithaca Journal features Hall Pass, a group of Dryden teachers who play jazz together. If you want to hear them, they have a "semi-official gig on the second Friday of the month at the Dryden Hotel." The rest...
I always find it strange that local politics is frequently so, well, local. At least when it's convenient for someone's argument, they don't look beyond the borders of their own municipal unit to see if anyone else is sharing the...
Tom Hatfield, the Town of Dryden Republican Committee Chairman, was just on WHCU, and I learned a lot about the Coalition for Change: Their organization includes one Democrat, the treasurer, who Tom claims will be more visible in the next...
The Town Board approved the budget on Thursday night with minor corrections (which I've added to the list). The budget has a property tax rate of $1.436410 per thousand, down from $1.477628, for a decrease of 2.8%, while the tax...
Perhaps living up to their name as "the Grand Old Party," the Dryden Town Republican Committee will be having a Meet the Candidates event this next Friday night, November 4th, from 7:30pm to 9:00pm at the Dryden Fire Hall (map)....
The Tompkins County SPCA's Hanshaw Road facility is bulging with dogs and cats in need of homes. Built for 38 dogs, they now have 54, as well as 291 cats. The usual fall drop-off in occupancy hasn't happened this year,...
I've received two invitations today to Dryden events where the public can meet Democratic candidates running for county office. One is for the District Attorney candidate, Gwen Wilkinson: Gwen Wilkinson, the Democratic candidate for District Attorney, will be having a...
I just got the latest voter registration data from the Board of Elections this morning. I thought I'd compare registration in Dryden to last year, and was pleasantly surprised. PartyNumber (Oct 2004)Number (Oct 2005)Change Blank (Independent)18851843-42 Conservative8169-12 Democratic30423033-9 Green13099-31 Independence280277-3...
This week's Dryden Courier leads with a picture of last week's press conference at which County Legislator Mike Lane and Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton announced $50,000 in funding for firefighting equipment at Dryden's Neptune Hose Company and Freeville's W.B. Strong. $35,000...
As I'd announced earlier, the Dryden Democrats held a Meet the Candidates forum at the Varna Community Center on Wednesday night. Democratic District Attorney candidate Gwen Wilkinson, County Legislator Martha Robertson, and Town Board candidates Paul Lutwak and Mary Ann...
The only Dryden-related item in today's Ithaca Journal is in Briefly in Tompkins, which notes that the Dryden Senior Citizens will be holding their fund-raising bazaar on Saturday from 9:00am to 2:00pm at the Dryden Fire Hall (map). The race...
I've been slack in covering the Dryden Courier lately, and I should cover it while it's still available. This week, it's even been available for free at the XtraMart at the Sunoco station on the Route 13/366 overlap with any...
I'm extremely late getting to today's paper, but the Journal does something unusual, issuing a correction to letter to the editor, one with sad relevance to Dryden. The letter stated that: Dentes has prosecuted successfully a decade of criminal cases,...
The Dryden Democrats will be hosting a Meet the Candidates event at the Varna Community Center (map) on Wednesday, October 19th at 7:30pm. We'll be serving refreshments and attendees will have the chance to talk with Democratic candates, including: Town...
I know, I know. The bit at the end of an ad that says "I'm George Bush, and I authorized this message" isn't the most exciting bit of political advertising. But these days, especially when nominally "non-partisan" groups are out...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on Thursday night's Town Board meeting, where the comprehensive plan passed with modification to the trails. The Journal also notes that the New York State Department of Transportation will be reducing speed limits on Route...
I was late getting there, unfortunately, but Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and County Legislator Mike Lane held a press conference today announcing $50,000 in state funds for equipment for Freeville's W.B. Strong and Dryden's Neptune Hose Company fire departments. Assemblywoman Barbara...
Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk column looks at tomorrow night's "Barbershop Stories with Bob and Beachy", talking about McKeon's barbershop where many of the tales were told. The Dryden Town Historical Society will be hosting the event, tomorrow at 7:30pm...
This morning's Ithaca Journal front-pages Thursday night's Town Board vote on the Town Comprehensive Plan. The article mentions the eminent domain controversy which appeared in a letter to the editor last month. Supervisor Steve Trumbull says on the trails that:...
Today's Journal is largely quiet about Dryden, though the Groton Town Talk notes food pantries from 1:30pm to 2:30pm on October 8th and 22nd at the McLean Community Church. There will also be a steak dinner fund-raiser at the McLean...
Dryden resident Nancy Suci writes that: We need to leave Iraq. Our time there diminishes our reputation in the world. Our actions in Iraq increase the anger and resentment that erupts in terrorist acts. And we are neglecting our own...
There isn't much in today's Ithaca Journal about Dryden, except a reminder that school taxes in Dryden are due Saturday to avoid a penalty. (In the Ithaca district, they're due October 31st.) There's lots of county news, however. A front...
Dryden has three county legislative districts. Two of them, those held by Mike Lane and Martha Robertson, are completely within the Town of Dryden. The third, currently represented by George Totman, includes the corner of Dryden north and east of...
I was planning to spend this weekend catching up on a number of stories, but instead wound up resting (for the first time in too long), painting and fixing storm windows, and replacing my windshield wiper blades after a chunk...
Today's Ithaca Journal is quiet on Dryden news, but there are two pieces on the opinion page with Dryden connections. One comes from Freeville resident Jennifer Semo, and only appears in the print edition. Semo writes, about the St.Patrick's Four:...
This morning's Ithaca Journal doesn't report much about Dryden, but there's news on two county labor fronts. The county and its white collar CSEA unit have come to terms, and the contract was approved 13-1 last night by the County...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that the County Legislature approved applying for an Empire Zone that includes part of the Town of Dryden as well as Lansing and the City of Ithaca. County Legislators Martha Robertson, Mike Lane, and George...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the death of a 25-year old Freeville woman on Route 13 Sunday night when she apparently crossed the road in the path of a pickup truck. In brighter news in Dryden, the SPCA appointed...
Athena Kalandros, running as a Democrat for the District 9 County Legislature seat against Republican Duane "Tyke" Randall, will be having a meet the candidate event from 7:00pm to 9:00pm next Monday the 26th at the Benn Conger Inn (map)...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports that today is the last day to donate to Hurricane Katrina victims through the drop boxes at school and athletic offices in the Dryden schools. An article on Town Supervisors candidates notes that Dryden Town...
This morning's Ithaca Journal leads with results from yesterday's primary election. The only election in Dryden was for the Republican contest for County Legislator in District 9, which included eastern Lansing, Groton, and northeastern Dryden. Challenger Duane "Tyke" Randall II...
I didn't get to look at yesterday's Ithaca Journal until today, and it has two stories I'd definitely like to highlight. One is about Linda Lavine welcoming former Ithacan Rona King into her house after her house in New Orleans...
This week's issue of The Shopper adds another item to Saturday's busy schedule of Dryden events: the Etna Community Yard Sale, which will be Saturday from 9:00am to noon at Houtz Hall in Etna. There's also a schedule for the...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on two big events to be held this Saturday: the Ellis Hollow Fair, from noon to 4:00pm, and the Freeville Harvest Festival, from 8:00am to 3:00pm. Briefly in Dryden lists even more events, with a...
With the Labor Day weekend, I almost forgot to report on last week's issue of the Dryden Courier. It leads with articles on the Dryden School District's rush to finish renovations on the elementary schools, and with the successful completion...
This morning's Ithaca Journal reports on the upcoming Town Board election, talking with all four candidates about what they'd like to accomplish. The Republicans running are incumbent Steve Stelick and newcomer Dan Tier. The Democrats running are newcomers Mary Ann...
At Thursday night's caucus, the Dryden Democrats nominated Paul Lutwak and Mary Ann Sumner as their candidates for the November election for Town Board. Mary Ann Sumner has lived in Dryden on Neimi Road for 30 years, raising children while...
Gwen Wilkinson, the Democratic candidate for District Attorney, will be on the Village Green (map) in Dryden from 5:00pm to 7:00pm on Wednesday. It's a great chance to meet the candidate, talk about what you'd like to see in a...
Today's Journal is mostly quiet on Dryden (except for a correction announcing that the Ellis Hollow Fair will be September 10th), but there are stories on two important fronts in county news. County Legislator Mike Lane is quoted in article...
The Dryden Democratic Committee will be holding its caucus on Thursday night at the Dryden Town Hall (map) at 7:30pm on Thursday. We'll be selecting candidates for Town Board (2), Town Supervisor, and Highway Superintendent, and then having a regular...
Kimberly Gazzo, who became Town of Dryden Historian earlier this year, has an article in today's Ithaca Journal that explores the accomplishments of her predecessors as Dryden Historian. It's a wonderful introduction to a job many people don't realize exists....
Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk column introduces the incoming Methodist minister, Alan Kinney. She also announces Intergenerational Band performances August 13th and 14th, swimming lessons, and Etna Community Church's Vacation Bibe School. Phoenix Books had a small fire on their...
It was a perfect morning for a highway cleanup, with clear skies and comfortable temperatures. Around ten Democrats helped clean up Route 366 between Varna and the Route 13 intersection, working in small groups to clean up debris. Signs of...
I complained yesterday that the Journal didn't provide a breakdown of who voted how at the county legislature, and today they make up for that with both analysis and a list of votes on tobacco bond restructuring, an increase in...
Cathy Wakeman's Dryden Town Talk looks at schoolgirls of yesteryear, the Drydenettes, a group of female Dryden High School alumnae who will be having a reunion July 30th. (If female alums would like to make a reservation to join the...