The mayor of Ithaca, NY (Rated as America’s #1 Collegetown) has lost support from the left.

Benjamin Rutkovsky from the Cornell Review reports.

Review of Ithaca Mayor Myrick: A Pro-Growth Democrat

In December of last year, I discussed how local government authorities lifted zoning regulations related to parking in Ithaca and the positive effect this will have on Collegetown residential development. These pro-growth policies that are in place do not end at the decrease in zoning regulations.

Mayor Svante Myrick, a 27-year old Democrat and graduate of the Cornell Class of ‘09, has led the way in the recent spout of development in Ithaca. Though a Democrat, Myrick has taken strides to push forward economic development in the city, and the politicians in support of him are not who you may think. Largely due to his pro-growth economic and city development policies, Myrick has lost support from the left-wing of the local Democrat Party and drawn support instead from local Republicans. However, it is hard to disagree with a politician overseeing a city with microscopic unemployment rate of 3%.

Myrick seems to genuinely care about the citizens of Ithaca, and yearns to provide the town with more affordable housing, a major point of contention for the local community. For this to happen, Myrick realizes that the city must increase the supply of housing to satiate the growing demand, thereby decreasing rents and home prices. The development of high occupancy apartment complexes will decrease the cost of housing across the board.