VILLAGE OF LANSING ELECTION - APRIL 28, 2026Voters in the Village of Lansing will be asked to vote for: two (2) Trustees for 2 year terms.Polling Location: Lansing Village Office, 2405 North Triphammer Road, Ithaca, NY; Polls open noon - 9 p.m.For Information and sample ballots: Contact the Tompkins County Board of Elections, 128 East Buffalo Street, Ithaca, NYwww.tompkinscountyny.gov/boeTrustees: The legislative body of a village is composed of the mayor and the trustees. The village board has broad powers to govern the affairs of the village, including: establishing self-organization and rules of procedure, adopting a budget and providing for the financing of village activities, managing village properties, and granting approval of appointments made by the mayor.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate's Name
Kathleen Yen
Current Employment/Occupation
Village of Lansing NY Trustee
Government Experience-elected or volunteer (e.g. committees)
Government Experience: Village of Lansing Board of Trustee; Tompkins County Environmental Management Council; Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization, Climate Smart Communities Taskforce; work on Village Comprehensive Plan update (2026-2036); Past volunteer experience: grant writing - Iowa Arts Council NYS Local Government Records Management Improvement grant to provided funding to a local government which allowed them hire a records management consultant and part-time inventory/data clerk, purchase equipment, purchase records management software modules and provide on-site set-up and training for their Fire Department.
Education
B.S. in Biology and Psychology; BSN; MSED
My family moved to Ithaca in the late 1980's and have lived in the Village of Lansing since 2001. I am currently completing my first two-year term as a Village Trustee.
I am running to to serve the entire community and continue to collaboratively address current and emerging issues to ensure that the Village of Lansing is a welcoming, fiscally sound, affordable, and healthy community to live, work in, and visit.
An important feature of the Village government is their ability to work together with the community, regardless of national political affiliation, to ensure that issues are addressed in a balanced, fiscally responsible and sustainable manner to benefit the entire community.
A priority for the Village government will be the review and update of the Village 2015-2025 Comprehensive Plan, with community input. It will provide the framework for future orderly growth and development and guide land use and zoning decisions.
Adopting an annual budget that meets community needs, appointing board and committee members, staff succession planning. updating the Village Code and policies, including a comprehensive emergency management plan, are sone examples of important Trustee responsibilities underway.
My educational background, employment, and varied volunteer experiences provided opportunities to develop organizational, research, and data analysis skills.
Research and clinical experience at MSKCC, NY Hospital, and the Univ. of Iowa, and public school employment and volunteer district and school committee experience involved working with multiple people in a variety of settings. This required flexibility, and provided additional opportunities to develop assessment, planning, and evaluation skills, and to engage in program development.
Volunteer activities included reviewing grants for non-profit funders such as United Way; grant writing for non-profits to fund a variety of projects in Iowa and New York; and program development (e.g. after-school child care; PTA-sponsored after-school enrichment program; "Child Health & Emergency Care Heritage cable TV series and video tape lending library; and NAEYC accreditation application and coordination.
1. Infrastructure maintenance and improvements (such as water, sewer, roads, stormwater, lighting, village parks, trails, walkways);
2. Affordable, quality, age-friendly housing options (including workforce and supportive housing) and connectivity to retail, health and human services, accessible open spaces, recreational opportunities, education, child care, public transportation and employment.
3. Fiscally responsible and environmentally sound comprehensive planning and decision-making that promotes balanced land use, and development to grow the tax base, provide stable employment, and provide beneficial and accessible services.
LONG-TERM STEPS:
(1) Multi-year capital and fiscal planning and updating the village code in alignment with the recently updated comprehensive plan (2026-2036) will provide the framework for future orderly growth and development, guide land use and zoning laws/regulations decisions, aid in prioritizing capital projects and inform the development of strategies and action steps to required to address existing and emerging issues that impact economic, social, environmental and community health.
SHORT-TERM: Succession planning and hiring to ensure adequate adequate support and training by existing staff.
(2) Ongoing: Proactively work with the planning board to implement the updated comprehensive plan.
(3) Five year capital and financial planning
Recommend sending the Village government meeting notices to the local media outlets in addition to the current "official" daily print newspaper.
Quarterly Village newsletter are sent to village residents.
The Village website has contact information, agendas, minutes, the Comprehensive Plan, Greenway Plan, budget, Village Code (legislation) and link to the Village YouTube recordings of government meetings.
The Village YouTube Channel has recordings of village government meetings and can be accessed via the link on the village website.
Meeting highlights can be provided in cooperation with the Observer Program.
