Editorial
Weekend Getaway?
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Last Thursday, Ithaca was featured as a “haven” in the Great Homes and Destinations section of The New York Times.
While the publicity is certainly a boon for a small town that can use all the economic influx it can get, the portrayal of Ithaca as a resort town for wealthy second-home owners is troubling.
Many visitors (and students) struggle to understand why Ithacans sometimes resent the presence of outsiders. After all, tourists are the ones who keep much of this town employed and worthy of New York Times write-ups. But what they don’t see is the disconnect between Ithaca as a tourist attraction and Ithaca as a community.
It’s easy to forget that the rural landscapes you drive through to get here are home to many lower-income families, struggling to heat their homes through the winter, pay for their kids’ school clothes and keep food on the table.
Ithaca has long been a place that embraced this part of the community, and places like the Farmer’s Market and the Commons were created to give artisans and farmers a better shot at making profit. But more than that, they were places where Ithacans could connect. The influx of well-off vacationers, while good for some, has led to higher prices that leave lower-income members of the community feeling like outsiders in a place that used to embrace them.
The demands of home owners and students accustomed to more urban lifestyles can also be a cause for concern among the grassroots populations that make up much of Ithaca’s popularity. While a lack of chain stores may frustrate outsiders, it is a main reason why many die-hard Ithacans moved here in the first place, and believe it or not, they prefer it that way.
The Cornell and alumni populations are not oblivious to this concept. In fact, programs like Into the Streets are aimed at helping and preserving the Ithaca community and address the seriousness of the socio-economic divide. But the effort to preserve Ithaca needs to extend year-round. The Times article brings to light the uneasy balance between a desire to package Ithaca as a playground —“Home of the ice cream sundae!” “Progressive oasis!”— and a fear that commercialization will destroy the quirky funkiness that defines it.
Students and alumni are vital to Ithaca, and for the most part, they are welcomed. An increased consciousness of what native Ithacans hold dear — and why — would go a long way towards returning the favor. Go ahead, drink your Starbucks coffee. But the next time you find yourself complaining about what Ithaca doesn’t have, go out and experience the unique things it does — before it’s too late.
wow
It is very surprising to read an article like this without some mention of the fact that Cornell, being the largest landholder in the area, uses the excuse that it obviously also provides economic health to the area when anyone questions why the give so little money to the Ithaca community when they pay no property taxes. This forces the taxes onto the few homeowners in Ithaca, making the property taxes unbelievably high and forcing both native Ithacans, Senior Citizens, and even the middle class staff to be forced out of Ithaca....leaving the homes in Ithaca affordable only to professor, wealthy parents, and wealthy outsiders who buy up homes as investments here.
This has been a recipe for disaster in many other cities and it is here as well, and the small additional actions Skorton is taking are nowhere near enough to alleviate a problem that is forcing many local Ithacans and Cornell and IC staff to leave this area.
Fine, you might argue that
Fine, you might argue that Cornell's charitable donation isn't big enough for your liking, but Ithaca's "10 miles surrounded by reality" is funded by students that are here for no reason other than Cornell happens to be located in Ithaca. Period. This community would not exist in the vibrant manner it does without the introduction of so much outside capital. There simply does not exist the industry and resources in this community to ever do otherwise. Guess what, I'm a student who's landlord pays property taxes, who shops in local stores that pay taxes and works at a local job under which I pay taxes. So screw you, Ithaca wouldn't be Ithaca without Cornell.
Don't the laws that allow
Don't the laws that allow non-profits like Cornell and IC to not pay property taxes also apply to churches, non-profit agencies, American Legion and VFW posts, etc.? How would you structure a law that would force Cornell and IC to pay property taxes but doesn't hurt organizations like those I mentioned? Where would you place the cutoff point? Imagine the work for lawyers and accountants as non-profits scramble to be judged to be below a certain line in order to avoid paying property taxes. Your cure might be worse than the disease.