City of Ithaca Candidates

Jorge DeFendini is the Democratic Nominee to represent the First Ward on the Ithaca Common Council. He currently works as the Program Director for a Workplace Health & Safety nonprofit and is a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).

Jorge was first elected to Ithaca Common Council in 2021, and used his role on council to successfully go after union-busting, pass protections for gender-affirming care, and secure funding to stabilize rents for Ithaca tenants. 

He's running for another term on Common Council to pass vital protections for workers, improve services for Ithacans of all incomes, and make it easier to make ends meet.

As a democratic socialist, Jorge believes that the government should help us meet our daily needs, create regulations to make things more fair, and support our flourishing community.

He rents on the Southside with his fiancee and their two cats.

Joe is a life-long Ithaca resident. He attended Fall Creek and Beverly J. Martin Elementary, DeWitt Middle School, and Ithaca High School. He graduated from Ithaca College in 2011. Joe then attended law school. While in law school, he interned for the industrial division of the Communications Workers of America Union, assisting their general counsel’s office.

Joe is currently an attorney in Ithaca focusing on criminal defense and family law. He is also a defense attorney for the Tompkins County Treatment Court. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Joe is the chairperson of the Advisory Board on Indigent Representation, and is a member of the City of Ithaca’s Board of Zoning Appeals 

Alongside his professional and personal commitments, Joe believes his lifetime devotion to the community makes him uniquely qualified to serve Ward 2 on Common Council. He is keenly aware of Ithaca’s urban transformation. He is cognizant that such growth comes with growing concerns and challenges. Deeply troubled by Ithaca’s high cost of living and lacking housing affordability, he will advocate for continued housing initiatives, while making Ithaca affordable by all.

Pat Sewell moved to South Hill 17 years ago with his partner to raise their son and has grown to love the warm relationships, community values, and beauty of the Ithaca area. 

While living here, Pat has split his time between working at the GreenStar food co-op, teaching at TC3, and volunteering for various organizations. He is President of his local adjunct union, an active participant with the newly formed GreenStar union, and Treasurer for multiple Quaker organizations. 

Pat has been interested in local politics for a number of years, choosing to run as an independent candidate for Ward 3 two years ago and petitioning for rank choice voting last summer. 

He is interested in representing the 3rd Ward to restore a healthy relationship between Common Council, their constituents, and the city staff. He is a strong advocate for good governance, fiscal responsibility and professionalism. His years of experience in the classroom and the service industry have shown him the value of community support and respect, and he will work to be bridge-builder, focusing on people, not politics. 

Website: www.patsewell.org

Website: https://www.instagram.com/robinsrunningforcouncil/

Hannah Shvets is a longtime Ithacan and graduate of Ithaca City Schools, currently attending Cornell ILR’s school. She's running to represent Ithaca’s 5th Ward to fight for affordability and equity, for Ithaca’s working people and families to be able to live and thrive in the city. She supports policies like zoning reform to build more affordable housing, rent stabilization, just cause employment, expanding TCAT services, and fighting to protect Ithaca from attacks from the federal government. She’s worked for labor think tanks like the Climate Jobs Institute and Workers Institute, as well as the Tompkins County Workers Center. Hannah has been organizing around labor, housing, and climate justice for years and is ready to fight for Ithacans on Common Council

Website: hannahforithaca.com