Tom Conlon Runs for Ward 5 in City of Cortland

Tom Conlon (D) is running to keep his role as Alderperson of Ward 5 in Cortland. He has been really happy to be able to help his own neighbors, he said.

“This is the kind of thing I enjoy,” Conlon said. “I enjoy the work of the council, the analytical side of it, but just getting things done like helping a neighbor get his ‘child with autism’ sign that was stolen get replaced. That kind of thing is really fulfilling.”

His top priority, if re-elected, is improving the relationship with codes and the city to address issues with housing.

“In the fifth ward, there’s a lot of issues with landlords not upkeeping property, and obviously there’s a lot of impacts to the neighborhood from that.”

Getting people engaged is the key to the council making better decisions, Conlon believes. He has had a few board meetings, and 30 or 40 community members have attended.

“I think I add a bit of diversity to the council, from an age perspective,” Conlon said. “I’m 31. I also think this is stuff that I am passionate about, and have some experience as a staffer at the state level. I think I can do a good job of representing the ward on the council.”

X101 News has reached out to his opponent, John Banowicz (R), but has not heard back.