I moved to Ithaca in 1978. I knew immediately this is where I wanted to spend the rest of my life. It was the perfect place to raise my daughter, find stimulating employment, hike and ski in the woods and canoe on the rivers and lakes. I lived in Belle Sherman until 2005 when I married David Woodard, a long-term resident of Cayuga Heights. Until then I had only ventured into the Village to visit my best friend, being careful to drive the same route so I wouldn’t get lost. I quickly fell in love with both David and the Village.
While living in the City of Ithaca I served as a member and then chair of the Natural Areas Commission and was active in the PTA. When I was asked to be on the Board of Trustees, I said yes without hesitation. Two years later when I was asked to replace our former mayor, Kate Supron I tried hard to say no.
I received a B.S. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Loyola in New Orleans and an M.S. in Forestry and Environmental Science from Yale. I worked at Cornell for 36 years as a statistician and computer modeler in a variety of departments: the Division of Nutritional Science, the Ecosystems Research Center and the Center for Advanced Computing. I did not think there was anything in my background that would be helpful as mayor.
I was wrong. A strong and diverse Board and a highly skilled and hard-working Village staff have made up for my deficiencies. I sit on the Public Work and the Admin/HR Committees. It has been a privilege to be your mayor. It’s the best job I have ever had.
I am a 20+ year resident of Cayuga Heights and recently returned to the Village Board having served for six years previously as Trustee and Deputy Treasurer. During my prior tenure, I was a member of the Finance, Communications, Public Safety Committee and Administration Committees, while also helping spearhead the Village codification project and the development of the Emergency Management Plan. My time away from the Board made me realize how much I miss the day-to-day involvement in Village affairs, and I
want to continue to give back to the community where my husband and I decided to raise our three sons. In the course of my time in Ithaca, I have served on numerous community boards. These
include Family and Children’s Services, the Paleontological Research Institute, Ithaca
Public Education Initiative, and various PTAs in the Ithaca City School District.
I hold degrees in economics from St. Lawrence University and The London School of
Economics, followed by a 10-year financial career on Wall Street.
I am newly elected in March 2024; I am excited to represent the Village!
Since my family moved to Cayuga Heights almost eight years ago, I have enjoyed getting to know my neighbors and being involved in this community. I pitch in at the Cayuga Heights Elementary School (CHES)—coordinating the after-school enrichment program, coaching, and generally trying to support our local school. In recent years, I have also been a volunteer tax preparer with an IRS program that provides free tax services for low-income families.
These volunteer experiences continually remind me of how much work it takes to create a vibrant community. I feel grateful to live in Cayuga Heights and be a part of the broader Ithaca area, where so many people contribute to making our community a place we enjoy living.
As my day job, I am a financial planner. I work with families in Ithaca and around the country to help them align their finances with their goals.
My path to my current profession was fairly circuitous; it took me a while to figure out what I most enjoyed and where I could be most useful. Prior to financial planning, I was an economic researcher at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and JPMorgan, a high school statistics teacher in Brooklyn, an education policy researcher at the NYC Department of Education, and a philanthropy consultant.
As a financial planner, I am comfortable with budgets, legal documents, and a multitude of financial matters. As a small business owner, I am used to figuring things out: researching the options, seeking advice, and making informed decisions.
I ran for Trustee on the Village Board primarily because I love living here, and I want to see the Village thriving for many years to come. With my professional experience and community connections, I believe I can help the Village make good long-term decisions for the future of our community. As I start my first term, I am excited to learn about the many Village activities that go on behind the scenes to keep our community running smoothly. I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve the residents of the Village.
I was elected in March of 2026, and am honored to serve on the Village Board of Trustees, representing the residents of Cayuga Heights.
My spouse and I have called Cayuga Heights home since 2014, when we returned to Ithaca after a few years away. We chose this community because of how special and welcoming it is, and it has been a wonderful place to raise our two children.
I have been actively involved in the community through volunteer work at Cayuga Heights Elementary School and service on the boards of several local nonprofit organizations. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to collaboration, careful listening, and thoughtful stewardship of community resources.
Professionally, I work at Cornell University Library, where I focus on archiving websites and developing digital collections to preserve information for future generations. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Iowa and have worked in IT and libraries across government, nonprofit, corporate, and higher education settings.
I am committed to supporting the Village’s tradition of responsible governance, with a focus on transparency, long-term planning, and maintaining the walkable, well-managed character that makes Cayuga Heights such a special place. I look forward to working with residents and fellow board members to help ensure the community continues to thrive.
After living in the Village for 28 years, I was elected to the Board of Trustees this Spring, and now look forward to making my contribution to the welfare of this lovely community.
My wife and family returned to Ithaca in 1993 from the University of Michigan when I was recruited to chair Cornell’s Department of Architecture. My wife, Susann Eshleman, and I both studied at Cornell in the 1960-70’s, and as students, lived in Cayuga Heights. Thus, we knew we wanted to live in the Village, finally purchasing the Weigand home on Upland Rd. As an architect, I was thrilled to have one of the early homes in the neighborhood to care for and restore.
Following my undergraduate years at Cornell, I joined the Peace Corps and spent time as an architect in Micronesia. On my return, I attended the Yale Graduate School of Fine Arts, and after a brief academic appointment at Cornell (while my wife finished graduate school), I joined the architecture faculty at the University of Michigan. In 2020, after 27 years, I retired from Cornell, having been Professor of Architecture & Chair, as well as having been Cornell’s Dean of Students from 2001-2015. Presently, I am getting used to the luxury of my own schedule, spending lots of time in my wood shop, and with my cars. And not least, I am pleased and honored to have the time and opportunity to serve the Village as one of its Trustees.
My family and I have resided in the Village of Cayuga Heights for over 24 years. Since 2013, I have been a member of the Village Board of Trustees, and served on the Finance, Public Works, and IT committees. I reside on Forest Drive, with my wife, Catheryn, where we have raised both our children. Prior to my retirement from Cornell, I served as the Associate Dean for Administration and Finance at the Cornell Law School with responsibility for directing the financial, accounting, budgeting, human resources, capital construction and facility functions at the School. I began my career at Cornell in the Division of Nutritional Sciences overseeing the computerization of the business office accounting system.
I earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University. Prior to relocating to the Ithaca area, my background and training was in health care administration, working in research, clinical studies, and direct patent services. While a resident of Tompkins County I have served on a number of community organizations, including the Tompkins County Health Planning Council, the Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County, the Ithaca Child Care Center, and Temple Beth-El.
I strongly believe in engaging with the community where we reside and giving back to the community using my skills. Cayuga Heights is a special place to live and I am proud to be providing my services to the Village.
Trustee Peter Salton has lived in Cayuga Heights since 1996 and in the Ithaca area for most of his life. He attended Ithaca schools and is a Cornell University graduate. After careers in publishing and computer sales, Trustee Salton graduated from the University of New Hampshire School of Law, is a local attorney, and has been in private practice since 1997. Before being elected to his first term as Village of Cayuga Heights Trustee in 2013, he served on the Board of Directors of Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca for seven years. He has served as Deputy Mayor and serves on the Village’s Public Safety Committee. In addition, Trustee Salton also serves the Village as Secretary and Executive Committee member on the board of directors of the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium. “It has been a privilege to have served the Village and I am always available to help our citizens any way I can.”
The Board of Trustees meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. All Board of Trustee meetings are held at Marcham Hall, 836 Hanshaw Road. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise advertised.
Please note: the following policies are in effect for all public meetings held by the Village of Cayuga Heights:
Rules Governing Public Access To Meetings
Privilege Of The Floor At Meetings
Meeting Dates, Minutes of the Board
May 20th 2026, at 7:00 p.m., Marcham Hall Zoom Link password VCH836
Agendas will be posted as soon as they are available. Minutes will be posted after they have been approved by the Board of Trustees, which is typically during the next regular meeting. If you would like to request a copy of the draft minutes, please inquire at info@cayugaheights.gov
To view our current list of Meeting Minutes and Agendas, please refer to the table below. Click on the desired link to download documents in PDF format of any current meeting minutes and agendas.
For past minutes and agendas, click here to access the public portal. What is Laserfiche WebLink?
***Please note, first time users will be directed to the portal sign on page. Please sign on under “Cayuga Heights Public” repository. User name and password will automatically populate. Once you are connected, hit the browse button in the top left corner.
Village of Cayuga Heights Rules and Procedures on Video Conferencing.
Meeting Minutes & Agenda
Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to view these documents. Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free download.
| Date | Name | Agenda | Draft Minutes | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/20/2026 | May Meeting | |||
| 04/15/2026 | April Meeting | Agenda | Download | Zoom |
| 04/01/2026 | Organizational Meeting | Agenda | Download | Zoom Download |
| 03/18/2026 | March Meeting | Agenda | Download | Zoom Download |
| 03/5/2026 | March Special Meeting | Agenda | Download | Zoom Download |
| 02/18/2026 | February Meeting | Agenda | Download | Zoom Download |
| 01/21/2026 | January Meeting | Agenda | Download | Zoom Download |
| 12/17/2025 | December Meeting | Agenda | Download | Zoom Download |
| 12/09/2025 | Joint Meeting (Also See Planning Board Page) Fire station | Agenda | Download | Zoom Download |
| 11/19/2025 | November Meeting | Agenda | Download | Zoom Download |
| 11/12/2025 | Joint Meeting (Also See Planning Board Page) | Download | Zoom Download | |
| 10/15/2025 | October Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 09/29/2025 | Special Board Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 09/17/2025 | September Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 08/20/2025 | August Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 07/16/2025 | July Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 06/18/2025 | June Meeting | Agenda | Download | Zoom Download |
| 06/5/2025 | Special Board Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 05/21/2025 | May Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 04/23/2025 | Special Board Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 04/16/2025 | April Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 04/01/2025 | Organizational Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 03/19/2025 | March Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 02/19/2025 | February Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 01/15/2025 | January Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 12/18/2024 | December Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 11/20/2024 | November Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 10/30/2024 | Special Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 10/16/2024 | October Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 09/18/2024 | September Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 09/11/2024 | September Special Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 08/21/2024 | August Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 07/17/2024 | July Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |
| 06/18/2024 | June Meeting | Agenda | Download | Download Zoom |