Terrence Lattimore wants to win the District 6 seat in the Cayuga County Legislature in November's election, of course. But the most important goal of his campaign is to get his ideas into public discourse.
Many of those ideas involve finding ways to clean up Owasco Lake, which the Democratic Party candidate said is one of the main reasons he is running for the seat. Also running is Republican and Conservative Party candidate Roger Mills.
Michele Sedor, the current District 6 legislator, is not seeking re-election.
Lattimore, 55, said that he had no plans to enter politics any time in the next 10 years. But a trip on the lake early this spring changed his mind.
“The lake was in terrible shape - it was just covered in balls of algae,” said Lattimore, who grew up in Auburn and lives in Owasco. “I said that I have to try and do something about this.”
Lattimore deals with environmental issues every day through his businesses, Environmental Services Co. As an environmental consultant, he works with businesses to turn their waste products into eco-friendly, reusable resources.
The key to making changes, Lattimore said, is to find a way to do them, ways that are not only cost-efficient, but will make the businesses money. And he said he knows there are ways that the county can work with its residents and businesses to limit nutrient inflow into Owasco Lake, and make other environmental improvements, while saving the taxpayers' money.
They're doing it right now in Auburn, Lattimore said, where geothermal energy systems have been installed in municipal buildings and a methane digester project is being pursued. Lattimore's brother, Timothy, is Auburn's mayor.
“Nobody is innocent. We are all the polluters,” Lattimore said. “But I think this is a situation that can be turned into a positive.”
Owasco resident Mills said he would also like to see Cayuga County's government become more “actively involved” in preserving the county's watersheds.
But Mills is also running in hopes of bringing more strategic planning to county government. Mills, 57, has worked in banking for 35 years, and describes himself as a “numbers guy.”
“I like to get financial data and analyze it, graph it, anticipate what is going to happen in the future,” said Mills, who works as a loan officer at Tompkins County Trust.
Born and raised around Auburn, Mills first sought public office in 2001 when he ran for Cayuga County Treasurer. Though he lost the election to David Farrell, Mills said he never lost the desire to serve his community.
He wants to improve opportunities for young people by sitting on Auburn's Business Improvement District Board and Cayuga County's Convention and Visitors Bureau. He also currently sits on the Community Services Board.
“There just aren't a lot of opportunities locally for young professionals,” Mills said.
Mills said he would also like to see technological improvements in some county departments, as “antiquated” technology leads to inefficiency.
“We have terrific people working in the county government,” he said. “We just need to give them the right tools.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net
Michele Sedor, the current District 6 legislator, is not seeking re-election.
Lattimore, 55, said that he had no plans to enter politics any time in the next 10 years. But a trip on the lake early this spring changed his mind.
“The lake was in terrible shape - it was just covered in balls of algae,” said Lattimore, who grew up in Auburn and lives in Owasco. “I said that I have to try and do something about this.”
Lattimore deals with environmental issues every day through his businesses, Environmental Services Co. As an environmental consultant, he works with businesses to turn their waste products into eco-friendly, reusable resources.
The key to making changes, Lattimore said, is to find a way to do them, ways that are not only cost-efficient, but will make the businesses money. And he said he knows there are ways that the county can work with its residents and businesses to limit nutrient inflow into Owasco Lake, and make other environmental improvements, while saving the taxpayers' money.
They're doing it right now in Auburn, Lattimore said, where geothermal energy systems have been installed in municipal buildings and a methane digester project is being pursued. Lattimore's brother, Timothy, is Auburn's mayor.
“Nobody is innocent. We are all the polluters,” Lattimore said. “But I think this is a situation that can be turned into a positive.”
Owasco resident Mills said he would also like to see Cayuga County's government become more “actively involved” in preserving the county's watersheds.
But Mills is also running in hopes of bringing more strategic planning to county government. Mills, 57, has worked in banking for 35 years, and describes himself as a “numbers guy.”
“I like to get financial data and analyze it, graph it, anticipate what is going to happen in the future,” said Mills, who works as a loan officer at Tompkins County Trust.
Born and raised around Auburn, Mills first sought public office in 2001 when he ran for Cayuga County Treasurer. Though he lost the election to David Farrell, Mills said he never lost the desire to serve his community.
He wants to improve opportunities for young people by sitting on Auburn's Business Improvement District Board and Cayuga County's Convention and Visitors Bureau. He also currently sits on the Community Services Board.
“There just aren't a lot of opportunities locally for young professionals,” Mills said.
Mills said he would also like to see technological improvements in some county departments, as “antiquated” technology leads to inefficiency.
“We have terrific people working in the county government,” he said. “We just need to give them the right tools.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net
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