In a debate its moderator described as "spirited," Auburn City Council candidates explained their sometimes drastically different views on the direction the city is heading and how that should be handled.
The debate took place at a taped forum at Cayuga Community College Tuesday, with former city mayor Guy Cosentino moderating. Each council contender made their cases why they should win one of the two four-year terms up for grabs this year. Councilor Debby McCormick announced earlier this year she wouldn't be running again, but incumbent Councilor Terry Cuddy is seeking reelection.
Two new faces are pursuing the office, Republican Rob Otterstatter, owner of Auburn restaurant and coffee shop Octane Social House and Democrat Ginny Kent, associate development director for the Cayuga Community College Foundation and former Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education member. Rounding out the candidates are Cuddy, a Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES teacher and Democrat who has been on council since 2014, and Tim Lattimore, a Republican who has previous stints on council and is a former Auburn mayor, who is currently on his third and last term as a member of the Cayuga County Legislature.
After each entrant introduced themselves, all four were asked to describe the city in one word and elaborate on why they chose that word. Lattimore did not mention one specific word, but said he never felt unsafe in his previous decades living in the area but feels unsafe now. He referenced the shooting death of Joshua Poole on Delevan Street in 2019 and said changes to state and federal laws were making it difficult for police officers to do their jobs.
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"Tumultuous" was the word Otterstatter chose to describe Auburn, his hometown. He said he was happy to see more businesses downtown when he moved back to the area a few years ago then when he was a child but said he believes the city has an "incredible crime issue" that he didn't recall when he was growing up.
Three separate local business owners have told Otterstatter, he said, that they are considering relocating to other cities due to the amount of crime.
"People are beginning to feel unsafe in Auburn, so I think 'tumultuous' is the word that I'm going to go with," he continued.
Cuddy said Auburn is improving. He added his opponents have previously mentioned the area's population decline, but Cuddy argued that such drops have been happening in "rust belt cities" such as Auburn since 1930. He noted he is a board member with the Auburn Industrial Development Authority and feels his role there has helped bring jobs to the area, such as when Tessy Plastics came in. The incumbent also mentioned the recent announcement that cannabis company Terrapin intends to buy property in Auburn to establish a production facility, with a workforce of about 100 people. Cuddy also said when he has visited constituents during his campaign, he has noticed more young people answering the door.
The word Kent used for Auburn was "upbeat." She mentioned the work she did with the City of Auburn Comprehensive Committee over a decade ago, saying the millions in federal and state money helped realize a lot of "the State Street corridor we see today," mentioning establishments such as Prison City Pub and Brewery and Moondog's Lounge.
"Federal and state funding doesn't come to cities that are in dire straits, necessarily, these kinds of projects," Kent said. "They invest in us because they see us using the money wisely. We're investing in our community."
With council currently consisting of four Democrats and one Republican and the potential for the majority to flip with this election, the candidates made their arguments on why Republicans or Democrats should have the majority.
Kent said the city has been going in a positive direction for the last few years. She said issues Auburn has had are "like any other city," such as the opioid crisis and homelessness, but feels the best way to improve conditions for Auburn's residents is to invest in the city. She said the current council has done that.
Lattimore said having more Republicans could help bring in more industry, which he argued would help reduce taxes. He noted that Walmart is "just inside the city," while Lowe's is just outside the city.
"The taxes, just the property taxes, for the city or the town is another $175,000 for being in the city versus being outside the city. So I'd like to be able to change that around so that we have enough competition that we can get our taxes lowered. I mean, on the county I've lowered the tax rate for the last three years."
Otterstatter said he never ran for public office before this year and to run, "it seemed that you had to pick a side." He said both sides have great thoughts, but argued all Auburnians should be represented, with diversity in thought, gender, race and political affiliation and that "stacking the deck" in favor of one side or the other is dangerous.
Cuddy said he supports the Democratic candidates and the party, but noted he was worked with Councilor Timothy Locastro, who is a Republican.
"We have found common ground. I know that myself, my colleagues, can work together across the aisle," Cuddy said.
Otterstatter, Lattimore, Kent and Cuddy also responded on issues such as public safety, economic development and municipal waste. At the end of the debate, Cosentino said the event was "spirited."
Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.
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October 27, 2021 at 08:45AM
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Auburn council candidates square off in lively debate on the city's future direction - Auburn Citizen
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