AUBURN - Since the time Cynthia Aikman was a child, she was involved with campaigns. This election season, Aikman believes it's her turn to run for Cayuga County Legislature.
“It's my understanding that our democracy works best when we vote and serve on jury duty, when we call and write and communicate with our elected officials and when we take our turn at public office,” Aikman said. “I have the capacity and the energy and the desire and so it's my time to take my turn.”
Aikman is running against incumbent Patrick McIntosh, R-Auburn, who currently represents the 15th district. McIntosh was appointed in March to replace the late Steven Netti, who had held that seat for more than a decade. In his short time in office, McIntosh has been reaching out to successful business people in the community to figure out what the community can do to attract businesses to the area.
Aikman, the Democratic challenger who is also on the independent Auburn Party line, is running on a platform of “cooperative governance,” she said.
“Our democracy works best when it's of, by and for the people. So, my platform is only that which I've heard from the electorate,” she said.
Going door to door in the 15th district, Aikman has seen that people are interested in regular communication with their legislator. They want to work together to solve issues in their neighborhoods and they are concerned about the high tax rates, she said.
Aikman brings 15 years of economic development experience to the table. She spent that time working for the Auburn Office of Planning and Economic Development and has lived in Auburn for 16 years. Aikman has won three separate leadership awards since 1996.
If Aikman wins, her biggest challenge will probably be her impatience, she said.
“I spend a lot of time gathering information, sorting it out ... and I'm used to looking at data, talking to people, seeing how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Once I get a vision of how that process needs to proceed, I like to jump on it and get it going,” she said.
Great things happen when people get together with an attitude of cooperation, collaboration and partnership, and that is what is driving Aikman to run for county Legislature, she said.
“I'm excited about the opportunity to continue public service,” Aikman said.
McIntosh's experience includes the 22 years he spent in the military, which helped him learn how to make tough decisions, he said.
“My dad taught me a long time ago that life is full of difficult decisions and sometimes, you've got to be the one to make them,” said McIntosh, also the Conservative Party candidate. “I am one of those people that can do that.”
Although he will be retiring next year, McIntosh has enjoyed serving his country and sees his role in county government as a way he can continue doing that, he said. His experiences in the Marine Corps, Army National Guard and in the Navy Reserves have built leadership skills and taught him lessons he uses every day.
At the age of 20, while on the field of combat in Desert Storm, McIntosh learned not to take things for granted, to work hard and not to worry about things he has no control over, he said. Those are some of the forces that drive his campaign.
“I work hard to earn honestly what is mine and try to help as many people along the way as I possibly can,” McIntosh said. “Sometimes, it is the simplest things that help people. As an example, (it might be) a simple phone call that helps a citizen in my district get resolution to something he or she has been unable to do on their own efforts.”
Right now is a good time to be involved in politics because there is a lot of change on the sixth floor, he said. He pointed to reciprocation between the county and the city.
“In my opinion, I think we're heading in the right direction and it's a very positive time to be involved. So, I would like to take that momentum that I think we're building on and continue to build on it,” he said.
McIntosh recognizes that there are a lot of issues in the community, but the three he hopes to focus on include revitalizing neighborhoods like the one in the Orchard Street area as well as revitalizing the playgrounds, attracting manufacturing jobs to the area and working as a liaison for the veterans in the community to make sure that service members are receiving the benefits they are entitled to, he said.
“If I could do those three things, in my eyes, I would be successful,” McIntosh said.
Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net
The Candidates
Name: Cynthia Aikman
Age: 46
Occupation: Self employed, owns a consulting firm that helps with strategic business decisions
Education: Bachelor's degree in biology from SUNY Oneonta; Master's degree in public administration with a concentration in state and local finance from Maxwell School at Syracuse University
Family status: Married with two children
Elected office experience: None
Name: Patrick McIntosh
Age: 39
Occupation: Sales engineer/Navy Reserves
Education: Associate's degree in business administration from Cayuga Community College
Family status: Married with two children
Elected office experience: Six months
The Issues
1. What is your stance about the Legislature going into executive session so frequently as well as making many decisions in caucus?
McIntosh: I do not have any issue with the frequency of our executive sessions. There are several matters involving litigation which must be kept in confidence until the outcome(s). Obviously some of the information discussed in these sessions could have adverse effects to the county if it became public knowledge. In regards to the making of decisions in caucus, we do not make decisions in caucus. The caucus meetings allow us to get everyone in the room together at one time and if needed, discuss any concerns or issues that someone might have with a particular issue. I believe that having healthy open communication only adds to the ability to make educated decisions.
Aikman: I want government to be open and accessible. That's paramount. New York state open meetings law determines and dictates when discussions can happen in public. ... There are times when a discussion needs to happen in private. It's my understanding, though, that upon the discussion, the vote happens in public.
2. What are your thoughts on how the county is handling economic development and what would you like to see being done/ what would you do differently?
McIntosh: I believe that the county is doing a lot of good things as far as economic development is concerned. I also believe that we have too many people involved and that things are far too complicated. I think we should take a more simplistic approach to developing our local economies, like asking local successful business people what it is that makes or helps them to be so successful. Then take that information, combine it all into a package/presentation that we can go out and solicit other businesses with and be able to demonstrate how other businesses have thrived in our community as a result of what we are offering.
Aikman: That's a bigger issue than we could talk about nor can it be reduced to a soundbite. It's complicated. It's an area where I'd like to join a team of people working out what's the current status, what are the facts. Let's make some decisions based on research rather than substance and together develop a strategy.
3. What is the biggest issue facing the county and, if elected, what will you do to address it?
McIntosh: It shouldn't be a secret to anyone that our biggest issue facing the county is the cutbacks by the state and federal government, which will adversely affect our local budget. There are major impacts to come as a result of these cutbacks and we as a county need to make very difficult decisions in order to keep any increase of taxes to a minimum. I am willing and very able to make those decisions. We need to work toward sharing of services, look at ways to remove redundancies in our county in ways of personnel, and we will most likely have to cut or reduce some programs. Like I said, some extremely tough decisions need to be made, and if it is for the better of the whole then I will be in support of those decisions.
Aikman: The whole idea of being able to provide all the services everyone wants at a cost that we can afford, and we can't afford to pay any more property tax. But I don't have a canned answer for what to do about it right now other than argue that I'm fiscally conservative.
4. Where do you stand on the Cayuga Indian Nation issue?
McIntosh: The last thing we need is to have real property removed from the tax base in this county. Just look at the Madison/Oneida land claim and the hit that those two counties have taken.
Aikman: I don't know that I have an opinion on it. It's not a concern for the people in the 15th district. So, as I'm asking for their vote, it's not an issue they've brought to my attention. ... I have not dedicated any time and attention to this matter, so I have no opinion.
5. Mental health is a pretty hot topic in the county right now. What types of changes need to take place in the services provided and how do you think the interim mental health director is addressing the key concerns?
McIntosh: I think that we need to have a better control on the services provided to the citizens who need them. I know that our interim (director of community services) is taking actions to ensure that our clinic operates more efficiently, which will help to increase the case load that the clinic can handle. By improving our efficiencies, more people will be able to get the services they need and less people will be turned away. There are several other areas which our interim DCS is addressing that will help us to provide better service to our community as well.
Aikman: I have absolutely no idea.
6. How would you collaborate with the city to solve problems in Auburn?
McIntosh: I would continue what I have been doing since I arrived on the sixth floor, regular communication. I meet with or talk to members of our city council, the mayor and city manager on a regular basis. I know that some of my fellow legislators do that as well and I feel like it has bridged the gap tremendously. Our collaborated efforts can only help to make things better for the citizens of our community. If elected on Nov. 4, I will continue to maintain my relationships with these people.
Aikman: I would be joining a caucus of legislators that represent the city districts and that caucus meets ... on a monthly basis. I continue to maintain relationships with friends from my time as an employee at the city and I will continue to engage in those relationships.
Aikman is running against incumbent Patrick McIntosh, R-Auburn, who currently represents the 15th district. McIntosh was appointed in March to replace the late Steven Netti, who had held that seat for more than a decade. In his short time in office, McIntosh has been reaching out to successful business people in the community to figure out what the community can do to attract businesses to the area.
Aikman, the Democratic challenger who is also on the independent Auburn Party line, is running on a platform of “cooperative governance,” she said.
“Our democracy works best when it's of, by and for the people. So, my platform is only that which I've heard from the electorate,” she said.
Going door to door in the 15th district, Aikman has seen that people are interested in regular communication with their legislator. They want to work together to solve issues in their neighborhoods and they are concerned about the high tax rates, she said.
Aikman brings 15 years of economic development experience to the table. She spent that time working for the Auburn Office of Planning and Economic Development and has lived in Auburn for 16 years. Aikman has won three separate leadership awards since 1996.
If Aikman wins, her biggest challenge will probably be her impatience, she said.
“I spend a lot of time gathering information, sorting it out ... and I'm used to looking at data, talking to people, seeing how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Once I get a vision of how that process needs to proceed, I like to jump on it and get it going,” she said.
Great things happen when people get together with an attitude of cooperation, collaboration and partnership, and that is what is driving Aikman to run for county Legislature, she said.
“I'm excited about the opportunity to continue public service,” Aikman said.
McIntosh's experience includes the 22 years he spent in the military, which helped him learn how to make tough decisions, he said.
“My dad taught me a long time ago that life is full of difficult decisions and sometimes, you've got to be the one to make them,” said McIntosh, also the Conservative Party candidate. “I am one of those people that can do that.”
Although he will be retiring next year, McIntosh has enjoyed serving his country and sees his role in county government as a way he can continue doing that, he said. His experiences in the Marine Corps, Army National Guard and in the Navy Reserves have built leadership skills and taught him lessons he uses every day.
At the age of 20, while on the field of combat in Desert Storm, McIntosh learned not to take things for granted, to work hard and not to worry about things he has no control over, he said. Those are some of the forces that drive his campaign.
“I work hard to earn honestly what is mine and try to help as many people along the way as I possibly can,” McIntosh said. “Sometimes, it is the simplest things that help people. As an example, (it might be) a simple phone call that helps a citizen in my district get resolution to something he or she has been unable to do on their own efforts.”
Right now is a good time to be involved in politics because there is a lot of change on the sixth floor, he said. He pointed to reciprocation between the county and the city.
“In my opinion, I think we're heading in the right direction and it's a very positive time to be involved. So, I would like to take that momentum that I think we're building on and continue to build on it,” he said.
McIntosh recognizes that there are a lot of issues in the community, but the three he hopes to focus on include revitalizing neighborhoods like the one in the Orchard Street area as well as revitalizing the playgrounds, attracting manufacturing jobs to the area and working as a liaison for the veterans in the community to make sure that service members are receiving the benefits they are entitled to, he said.
“If I could do those three things, in my eyes, I would be successful,” McIntosh said.
Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net
The Candidates
Name: Cynthia Aikman
Age: 46
Occupation: Self employed, owns a consulting firm that helps with strategic business decisions
Education: Bachelor's degree in biology from SUNY Oneonta; Master's degree in public administration with a concentration in state and local finance from Maxwell School at Syracuse University
Family status: Married with two children
Elected office experience: None
Name: Patrick McIntosh
Age: 39
Occupation: Sales engineer/Navy Reserves
Education: Associate's degree in business administration from Cayuga Community College
Family status: Married with two children
Elected office experience: Six months
The Issues
1. What is your stance about the Legislature going into executive session so frequently as well as making many decisions in caucus?
McIntosh: I do not have any issue with the frequency of our executive sessions. There are several matters involving litigation which must be kept in confidence until the outcome(s). Obviously some of the information discussed in these sessions could have adverse effects to the county if it became public knowledge. In regards to the making of decisions in caucus, we do not make decisions in caucus. The caucus meetings allow us to get everyone in the room together at one time and if needed, discuss any concerns or issues that someone might have with a particular issue. I believe that having healthy open communication only adds to the ability to make educated decisions.
Aikman: I want government to be open and accessible. That's paramount. New York state open meetings law determines and dictates when discussions can happen in public. ... There are times when a discussion needs to happen in private. It's my understanding, though, that upon the discussion, the vote happens in public.
2. What are your thoughts on how the county is handling economic development and what would you like to see being done/ what would you do differently?
McIntosh: I believe that the county is doing a lot of good things as far as economic development is concerned. I also believe that we have too many people involved and that things are far too complicated. I think we should take a more simplistic approach to developing our local economies, like asking local successful business people what it is that makes or helps them to be so successful. Then take that information, combine it all into a package/presentation that we can go out and solicit other businesses with and be able to demonstrate how other businesses have thrived in our community as a result of what we are offering.
Aikman: That's a bigger issue than we could talk about nor can it be reduced to a soundbite. It's complicated. It's an area where I'd like to join a team of people working out what's the current status, what are the facts. Let's make some decisions based on research rather than substance and together develop a strategy.
3. What is the biggest issue facing the county and, if elected, what will you do to address it?
McIntosh: It shouldn't be a secret to anyone that our biggest issue facing the county is the cutbacks by the state and federal government, which will adversely affect our local budget. There are major impacts to come as a result of these cutbacks and we as a county need to make very difficult decisions in order to keep any increase of taxes to a minimum. I am willing and very able to make those decisions. We need to work toward sharing of services, look at ways to remove redundancies in our county in ways of personnel, and we will most likely have to cut or reduce some programs. Like I said, some extremely tough decisions need to be made, and if it is for the better of the whole then I will be in support of those decisions.
Aikman: The whole idea of being able to provide all the services everyone wants at a cost that we can afford, and we can't afford to pay any more property tax. But I don't have a canned answer for what to do about it right now other than argue that I'm fiscally conservative.
4. Where do you stand on the Cayuga Indian Nation issue?
McIntosh: The last thing we need is to have real property removed from the tax base in this county. Just look at the Madison/Oneida land claim and the hit that those two counties have taken.
Aikman: I don't know that I have an opinion on it. It's not a concern for the people in the 15th district. So, as I'm asking for their vote, it's not an issue they've brought to my attention. ... I have not dedicated any time and attention to this matter, so I have no opinion.
5. Mental health is a pretty hot topic in the county right now. What types of changes need to take place in the services provided and how do you think the interim mental health director is addressing the key concerns?
McIntosh: I think that we need to have a better control on the services provided to the citizens who need them. I know that our interim (director of community services) is taking actions to ensure that our clinic operates more efficiently, which will help to increase the case load that the clinic can handle. By improving our efficiencies, more people will be able to get the services they need and less people will be turned away. There are several other areas which our interim DCS is addressing that will help us to provide better service to our community as well.
Aikman: I have absolutely no idea.
6. How would you collaborate with the city to solve problems in Auburn?
McIntosh: I would continue what I have been doing since I arrived on the sixth floor, regular communication. I meet with or talk to members of our city council, the mayor and city manager on a regular basis. I know that some of my fellow legislators do that as well and I feel like it has bridged the gap tremendously. Our collaborated efforts can only help to make things better for the citizens of our community. If elected on Nov. 4, I will continue to maintain my relationships with these people.
Aikman: I would be joining a caucus of legislators that represent the city districts and that caucus meets ... on a monthly basis. I continue to maintain relationships with friends from my time as an employee at the city and I will continue to engage in those relationships.
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are 1 comment(s)
quest wrote on Oct 28, 2008 5:30 PM:
MY MINDS MADE UP WHO I'M VOTING FOR, THE GUY WITH A GOOD HEAD ON HIS SHOULDERS!!! "