On Wednesday night, Leadership Cayuga celebrates its 20th anniversary. Currently operated out of the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, more than 400 people have gone through the program that not only teaches leadership skills, but highlights the community's assets and allows for the networking of class members. The program has been remarkably successful and continues a great run.

As a matter of disclosure, I was in the first class in 1989 with the likes of future city councilor Ann Bunker, councilor and county legislator David Dempsey, legislator Ann Petrus, Auburn school board president Judy Freeman, current Auburn Democratic Committee Chair James Dacey and former chair Debbie McCormick. That doesn't include those who have run for office, including Dean Furnia and Joyce Triola.

The program was created by Ellen Mousin, who was then the executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, who saw the Leadership Saratoga program and thought it could be replicated here. At the time, Auburn and Cayuga County were in transition on many levels. The most often heard complaint may have been that the “old boy network” controlled everything and that if you weren't politically networked in and subservient to the powers that be, you didn't get anywhere on your projects or your politics.

Mousin found a willing listener and funder in The Citizen's then publisher, Jack Palmer, who not only assigned his staff to the project, but helped give it legs with coverage and funding, as did Auburn Steel's William Humes and Cayuga Bank's Robert Steigerwald, among others.

The program was not universally embraced at that time. One local Democratic Party official thought it was a farm system to recruit Republicans for office and a couple Republicans thought it was Democratic cabal. What it was, was a way to nurture future leaders #- many of whom either have run for office and won or more importantly sit on dozens of community boards and/or head numerous not-for-profits and businesses.

On Wednesday Leadership Cayuga holds its 20th anniversary party at the Springside Inn. It is open to anyone, but especially graduates who might wish to attend. Tickets are $40 for the dinner that starts at 7 p.m. and will conclude by 9. With so many graduates, not all may have heard about the event, but they can still make reservations by contacting program director Ginny Kent at 252-7291.

Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com