November 4 2009
A Seat at City Table
Rooker '10 elected to Ithaca Common Council
Eddie Rooker '10 begins his four-year term as an Ithaca Common Council alderman on Jan. 1.
He won election to the board Tuesday, when 35 voters in the city's Fourth Ward cast their ballots for him, according to the Tompkins County Board of Elections.
Rooker ran unopposed and as a Democrat.
He will earn $9,641 in the post. The Fourth Ward encompasses the commercial/residential neighborhood known as Collegetown.
Rooker, 2009 president of the Cornell Interfraternity Council, has worked as a volunteer in Ithaca through groups including the Ithaca Youth Bureau, the Franziska Racker Center and the University Neighborhood Council.
In an interview, Rooker commented on his post-election plans. "Being so young, I do feel I need to prove myself. So, I'm going to work hard to be the most prepared member of council every week by doing the reading and the research for every issue. After that I will look to push for the changes and the issues that motivated me to run for council."
Other Cornell students elected to the council and their terms of service, said Ithaca City Clerk Julie Holcomb, Josh Glasstetter, 2000 to 2001; Peter Mack, 2002 to 2003; Michael Taylor, 2004 to 2005; Gayraud Townsend. 2004 to 2007; David Gelinas, 2006 to 2007, and Svante Myrick, who began his term in 2008.
"I have found them to have a different and refreshing perspective on issues and they have brought a lot of passion and energy to the floor of Common Council meetings," Holcomb said in an interview.
"Being a council member is not an easy task, there are many meetings to attend, a lot of documents to read, complicated issues to sort through. Being able to balance those duties, in addition to classes and course assignments and some semblance of a social life, takes a lot of discipline, focus, dedication and stamina," she said.
"I truly admire the students who have taken on the task of making sure that the representation of the city's legislative body is balanced and reflects the diversity of the city's residents," Holcomb said.
While Rooker campaigned for office, he advocated for Fourth Ward changes such as:
- Updating building codes to meet higher energy use standards and to increase rental housing quality
- Expanding communication between permanent residents and student residents
- Investing in Collegetown sidewalks, roads, bridges and more public garbage cans
- Increasing density at Collegetown's core and preserve surrounding neighborhoods by curbing the spread of student housing.