TCIDA Board of Directors

Rich John

Chair

rjohn@tompkins-co.org
607-256-9794
First appointed to IDA: 1/14/16
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/21
Tompkins County Legislature

 

Rich has spent twenty years as a general practice partner in a local law firm, and nine years serving as the general counsel and vice president of compliance for a global product testing and inspection company, Intertek. Currently, Rich John is a member of the Government Operations Committee and serves as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee.

Martha Robertson

Vice Chair

mrobertson@tompkins-co.org
607-592-3119
First appointed to IDA: 2/20/06
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/21
Tompkins County Legislature
Martha Robertson has been on the Legislature since 2002 and has served as Chair of the Legislature for six years, from 2010 – 2013 and 2018 – 2019. She was also Chair of the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency, from 2010 – 2013. Martha chairs the Program Oversight Committee of the Community Housing Development Fund, a partnership among Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and Cornell University, to support construction of affordable housing for the county’s residents.
During her tenure, Martha’s legislative priorities have included expanding housing choice and affordability, creating jobs through local efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, and providing strong, effective alternatives to incarceration to build a safer, more just community. Martha’s leadership on the issue of hydrofracking included co-founding Elected Officials to Protect New York, a bipartisan group of 800+ local elected officials from every county in the state.
Jeff Gorsky

 

jgorsky@swcllp.com
607-272-5550
First appointed to IDA: 12/15/20
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
IAED Board  Appointment

 

Jeff Gorsky, CPA, is a partner at Sciarabba Walker & Co., LLP. He joined the firm in 1992 and has been a partner since 2001. He is head of the firm’s Consulting department and leads the High Technology group. His primary emphasis is on small-business consulting and taxation issues.

Over the years, he has assisted clients in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, financing, and new business startups. Jeff graduated from Villanova University and previously worked for Chase Manhattan Bank in the Operations & Systems Management Development Program.

Mike Sigler

Mike Siglermsigler@tompkins-co.org
607-339-7978
First appointed to IDA: 2/8/18
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/21
Tompkins County Legislature

 

Mike Sigler has served on the Tompkins County Legislature for two non-consecutive terms from 2006 to 2010 and then from 2014 to present. Mike also works for Park Outdoor Advertising full time. Mike worked in television, as an Anchor, Reporter and Producer.

Todd Bruer

Todd Bruer

Business Manager
IBEW Local 241
134 Cecil A Malone Drive
Ithaca N.Y. 14850
( 607 ) 272-2809
tbrueribew241@gmail.com

First appointed to TCIDA: 2/4/21
Current TCIDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
Organized labor Representative

 

 

John Guttridge

john@urbancoreithaca.com
607-277-8585 x 00
First appointed to IDA: 6/4/18
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
At-Large Director

John Guttridge founded Brightworks Computer Consulting (then Black Box Computer Consulting) in 2004 as a one-man operation based in his dining room and grew it to a 16 employee operation. He is deeply involved in the ongoing redevelopment of downtown Ithaca. He serves on the Board of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (where he chairs the Downtown Operations Committee), the Board of the State Theater of Ithaca, and is President of the State Theater Foundation Board. He is also integral to the team of people that works to bring Wizarding Weekend to life.

Laura Lewis

Secretary/Treasurer
Laura Lewisllewis@cityofithaca.org
607-279-2075
First appointed to IDA: 2/8/18
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
Elected Municipal Official

 

Laura Lewis is a 40-year resident of the City of Ithaca. She worked at Cornell University in student services in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations for 30 years. She retired in 2016. She sat on the Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS) Board of Directors for many years, and at one point served as the board’s president. Laura was elected to the City of Ithaca Common Council in November 2017 where she represents the City’s 5th Ward.

2020 TCIDA Board Self Evaluation summary results

TCIDA Organizational Chart

TCIDA Administrative Director

The Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency is managed by Ithaca Area Economic Development.

Heather McDaniel
Administrative Director, Tompkins County IDA
President, Ithaca Area Economic Development
401 East State/MLK Jr. Street, Suite 402B
Ithaca, NY 14850
heatherm@ithacaareaED.org
607-273-0005

TCIDA Administrative Policies

Bylaws

Code of Ethics 

Compensation, Reimbursement and Attendance Policy

Defense and Indemnification Policy

Investment Policy

Procurement Policy

Property Disposition Guidelines

Real Property Acquisition Policy

Recapture Policy

Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy and Complaint Form

Travel and Discretionary Funds Policy

Whistle-blower Policy

TCIDA Legal Counsel

Russell Gaenzle – Attorney at Law
Harris Beach PLLC
99 Garnsey Road
Pittsford, NY 14534
585-419-8801

TCIDA Advisory Committee

Katherine Borgella

Tompkins County Planning Department

Katherine Borgellakborgella@tompkins-co.org
607-274-5560

Jason Molino

Tompkins County Administrator

jmolino@tompkins-co.org
607-274-5551

Richard Snyder

Controller, Tompkins County Finance Department

Richard Snyderrsnyder@tompkins-co.org
607-274-5545

Additional TCIDA Committees

Finance & Audit Committee
(Audit Committee established 2008;
Finance & Audit Committee established 2018)
Rich John
John Guttridge
Jeff Gorsky

Housing Committee
(Housing Committee established 2019)
Laura Lewis
Martha Robertson
John Guttridge
Nels Bohn (IURA)
Joe Bowes (INHS)
Seph Murtagh (City of Ithaca)
Jennifer Kusznir (City of Ithaca)

Governance Committee
(Governance Committee established 2008)
Rich John
Mike Sigler
Laura Lewis

Labor Committee
(Labor Committee established 2020)
Mike Sigler – Chair
Martha Robertson
Anne Koreman
Todd Bruer
Tim Logue, City of Ithaca representative