VOTE411 Voter Guide

As a 25-year resident of Cayuga Heights and a long-standing member of the Village Board, I enjoy giving back to the community where my husband and I decided to raise our three sons. Additionally, it is important to me to know as a taxpayer how our money is being spent and that the Village is acting in a fiscally responsible manner.

I know the Trustee position well. I currently chair the Public Safety, Human Resources and Administrative Committees, while also serving as a voting member of the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC). During earlier terms, I held the position of Deputy Treasurer, served on the Finance Committee and helped spearhead the Village codification project and development of the Emergency Management Plan. I have been an active member in the Ithaca community since moving here in 2001, having also served on the boards of Family & Children’s Service, the Paleontological Research Institute, Ithaca Public Education Initiative, PTA President of Cayuga Heights Elementary School and Vice President at Boynton Middle School PTA. I believe my community and leadership volunteer experience, combined with a background in finance, has provided me with a unique, detail-oriented skill set that makes me well-suited for the Village Trustee position.

One of the largest projects with which the Board of Trustees has been charged is the development of a Planned Development Zone (PDZ) for the Upland Estates project. This new zoning would enable the developer of Upland Estates to build attached houses along East Upland Road, a residentially zoned area adjacent to Community Corners. This project requires a lot of public input and iterations. It is the job of the Board to make sure that this new PDZ is an overall benefit to the Village and is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and character of the community.

As both an ITCTC member and a resident who frequently runs and walks the streets within Cayuga Heights, I truly value the importance of walkability within our Village. The future construction of a mile sidewalk along Cayuga Heights Road is an important project that will promote pedestrian safety on this very busy road.

The Board of Trustees is at the point of deciding on zoning requirements for the PDZ. With an upcoming Special Board Meeting (March 5, 7:00 p.m.) to continue our discussion and define all zoning aspects of the Upland Estates PDZ, I would strongly encourage residents with interest in this project to attend and express any further comments.

Meanwhile, the Cayuga Heights Road sidewalk project is moving slower than anticipated and running over what was originally budgeted. The Village will likely look for additional funding/grants or consider scaling back the project.

As a steward of the Village, it is my job to make sure projects are of benefit to our community and carried out in a fiscally responsible manner. As a local government, we routinely pursue grant opportunities and look to streamline costs in best effort to keep from increasing taxes as much as possible.

Communication with residents is an important function of the trustee position. Our Board of Trustee meetings are open to the public and publicized on the Village website, while scheduled public hearings offer residents an opportunity to express their comments and opinions on an issue.

I am also available by email at jbiloski@cayugaheights.gov.

For most of my adult life, I have sought employment and volunteer opportunities where I can serve my community.

Since my family moved to Cayuga Heights almost ten years ago, I have enjoyed getting to know my neighbors and being involved in this community. I pitch in at the Cayuga Heights Elementary School (CHES)—coordinating the after-school enrichment program, coaching, and generally trying to support our local school. In recent years, I have also been a volunteer tax preparer with an IRS program that provides free tax services for low-income families.

Through each of these volunteer experiences, I am reminded of how much work it takes to create a vibrant community. I feel grateful to live in Cayuga Heights and be a part of the broader Ithaca area, where so many people contribute to making our community a place we enjoy living.

I am proud to be a current Trustee on the Village Board. I am running for re-election because I love living here, and I want to see the Village thriving for many years to come. With my professional experience and community connections, I believe I can help the Village make good long-term decisions for the future of our community.

As my day job, I am a financial planner. I work with families in Ithaca and around the country to help them align their finances with their goals.

My path to my current profession was fairly circuitous; it took me a while to figure out what I most enjoyed and where I could be most useful. Prior to financial planning, I was an economic researcher, a high school statistics teacher, an education policy researcher, and a philanthropy consultant.

I eventually found my way to household financial planning after participating in the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for low-income families. I loved the personal connection of working with families and realized how helpful a bit of financial planning could be to many people.

As a financial planner, I am comfortable with budgets, legal documents, and a multitude of financial matters. As a small business owner, I am used to figuring things out: researching the options, seeking advice, and making informed decisions. As a current Trustee, I am familiar with projects underway in the Village.

I view physical infrastructure as the biggest challenge to our community. In many parts of the state and nation, infrastructure is in poor repair. This can lead to unnecessary pollution and safety risks.

I appreciate the modernization efforts in the Village in recent years—things like LED lighting upgrades to save energy and taxpayer dollars, lead pipe replacements to improve water quality, and improvements at the waste water treatment facility to improve the quality of water released into our environment.

We also have a lot of necessary routine maintenance of roads, stonework, drains, sidewalks, Village buildings, etc. to keep our community looking and performing its best.

Inflation has greatly increased the cost of maintenance and improvement projects in the Village. It has become increasingly important to seek grants and inter-municipal agreements to keep your Village property taxes in check as we seek to maintain the Village and offer high-quality services.

The most important step is to build a team of Village board members and staff who prioritize infrastructure maintenance and improvements. We are very fortunate to have a knowledgeable and dependable staff in our Department of Public Works and an outstanding Village Engineer. We need to continue to invest in our Village staff, so that we can keep existing talent and attract new talent to our community.

Grants and state coordination have played a big role in recent capital projects in the Village. We should be seeking out these funds to aid the Village. Again, it takes a knowledgeable board and staff to identify these opportunities and win the grants.

Much of the work of a Village Trustee is performed through committees and communicated at monthly Board meetings that are public, accessible in-person and online. You can access these meetings here: https://cayugaheights.gov/. The Village also sends out a bi-weekly newsletter, which you can sign up for here: https://cayugaheights.gov/for-residents/vch-enewsblast/.

More informally, I am active in my community. I volunteer at a variety of organizations and am often at Cayuga Heights Elementary School and Boynton Middle School. I strive to always be approachable and hope that residents of the Village will reach out when they have questions or opinions about the Village. Trustee contact information is also available here: https://cayugaheights.gov/village-government/board-of-trustees/

I am running for elected office to contribute to the continued stability and effective governance of Cayuga Heights. We chose to live here because it offers a safe, well-managed, and thoughtfully planned community that makes it an excellent place to raise a family. Since becoming a resident in 2014, I have gotten a clearer understanding of the qualities that residents value, including walkability, responsible budgeting, and careful stewardship of village resources.

I am seeking this role to be more directly involved in addressing community priorities and ensuring that decisions are made with long-term impact in mind. Serving in elected office would allow me to listen to residents, evaluate issues carefully, and support practical policies that maintain the high standards our village expects.

Professionally, I have worked in IT and libraries across government, nonprofit, corporate, and higher education sectors, bringing a broad skillset to the table. My experience on local nonprofit boards has helped develop my skills in collaboration, governance, budgeting, and long-term planning, emphasizing the importance of careful listening and weighing diverse perspectives. Furthermore, volunteering at Cayuga Heights Elementary School has given me firsthand insight into community priorities, reinforcing my commitment to thoughtful stewardship and engagement.

The Village has preserved its walkable, close-knit character while proactively addressing the challenges of aging infrastructure. Maintaining our roads, utilities, and public spaces requires ongoing investment and steady, long-term leadership. I am committed to balancing fiscal responsibility with the needs of residents, prioritizing the safety, accessibility, and strong neighborhood connections that make our community so appealing. My goal is to build on the work of previous board members to ensure this progress continues thoughtfully and sustainably.

In the short term, I would support continued transparent communication about infrastructure projects, timelines, and budget impacts so residents feel informed and included in the process. Careful review of capital improvement plans, prioritization of the most urgent needs, and thoughtful coordination with regional partners will remain important.

In the long term, I would advocate for comprehensive planning that anticipates future infrastructure needs before they become urgent. This includes maintaining reserve funds, seeking grant opportunities when available, and encouraging environmentally sustainable practices in village projects. I also believe in regularly revisiting long-range plans to ensure they reflect evolving community priorities and changes.

Open and accessible communication is fundamental to effective representation. I would encourage residents to share their feedback by emailing the board, attending public meetings, and participating in community discussions. I believe strongly in being approachable and responsive, and I would make every effort to listen carefully to concerns and ideas.

The village newsletter is another valuable resource for keeping residents informed about ongoing initiatives and upcoming decisions. In addition, I would support continued efforts to ensure that meeting materials and updates are easily accessible so residents can stay engaged and informed. A strong community depends on active participation, and I am committed to fostering that engagement.