May 5th, 2022 Daily Headlines
On Tuesday, activists gathered at the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Ithaca Commons to protest the recent draft decision from the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade. The draft, which was leaked to Politico, would overturn Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, two landmark abortion rights cases. Speakers included State Senate candidate Leslie Danks-Burke, 4th Ward Common Council Candidate Tiffany Kumar and Chair of the Tompkins County Democrats Linda Hoffman. The event’s crowd began with older folks and college students. As the event progressed more middle aged people showed up with their young children. Protesters held signs and chanted slogans like “Protect Safe Legal Abortions” and “Abortion is Healthcare. Healthcare is a human right.”
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The Ithaca City Administration Committee has voted to advance Pay Transparency Legislation. According to the Ithaca Times, the measure would require businesses based in Ithaca with 4 or more employees to provide pay ranges for job listings in the city. The legislation was introduced in February by fifth ward councilor Robert Cantelmo. Cantelmo said the requirement would help alleviate the pay gap between women and men and white people and people of color. Third ward councilor Jeffrey Barken was the only dissenting vote. Barken said he wasn’t convinced the government should involve itself in the hiring practices of private businesses. Barken went on to question the effectiveness of the measure saying companies may provide broad salary ranges, and expressed concern that Ithaca may be seen as “unfriendly to business.”
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On Tuesday Governor Kathy Hochul announced Congressman Antonio Delgado as the next Lieutenant Governor. According to the New York Times, previous LG Brian Benjamin stepped down last month after being indicted for a bribery scheme. Delgado has represented parts of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills in New York’s 19th district since 2019. Delgado has been added to the Democratic primary ballot. The Lieutenant Governor nominee is decided by a statewide primary separate from the governor’s primary. The Governor and LG then run on a unified ticket in November.