Former Ithaca Alderperson Jorge DeFendini is running for the city’s common council again.
DeFendi formerly represented the city’s 4th Ward, but was unseated by a surprise write-in candidate, Patrick Kuehl, in 2023.
This year DeFendi is running to represent the 1st Ward.
He is a Democratic Socialist and said the city is dealing with an affordability crisis. He wants to address that by expanding worker and tenant protections.
“I believe that working people, marginalized people, people that the system never had in mind, need a delegate, a voice on that council,” DeFendini said. “I can bring that, with my track record of being an organizer on council, and bringing different stakeholders together to advance popular policy.”
The 1st Ward is currently represented by Alderperson Phoebe Brown. Brown is not running again and has endorsed DeFendini. They are both part of the Solidarity Slate, a progressive Ithaca political group.
Almost half of the seats on the common council are up for election this year.