Board of Trustees

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.

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.

It has been an interesting year, to say the least. I joined the Village Board of Trustees in the Spring of 2020, right around the time when the pandemic was just beginning. After a year of meetings over Zoom, I was excited to attend my very first in-person meeting as a Board member just this past July. My interest in serving as a Trustee stems primarily from understanding that Cayuga Heights is a special place, and wanting to see that it continues to be such a thriving and caring community.
My background is in Finance and Accounting. Before returning to school for graduate studies, I was a Financial Analyst for the Department of the Interior in Washington, DC. As part of my job, I came up with financial reporting policies for agencies like the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and other agencies that helped manage natural resources. I also worked on special projects with the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), helping to set accounting guidance for the federal government.
I first moved to Ithaca in 2006 to do my PhD at Cornell in the Johnson School. I lived just off Triphammer Road, and would walk home from school nearly every day through the Village. After finishing my degree, I moved to Urbana, Illinois with my husband, Michael, where I joined the faculty at the University of Illinois. I was there for just three short years before we were lucky enough to be given the chance to move back to Ithaca in 2014. We immediately knew that we wanted to move to Cayuga Heights, and we now live here with our two young daughters, Maggie and Kate. I currently teach Financial Accounting to MBA and Executive MBA students in the Johnson School. When I’m not teaching, I’m conducting research on how psychological biases affect the decisions of managers and investors. My hope is that my work helps individuals make better financial decisions.
On the Village Board I am a member of both the Admin and Finance Committees. I really enjoy my role on each, and believe that my background and work experiences have given me unique insight into the issues that relate to governmental accounting and financial decision making. I can’t imagine a better place for us to raise a family, and I look forward to meeting many of you in the future and continuing to serve as one of your 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 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.”

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

January 21st, 2025, 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

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DateNameAgendaDraft MinutesMinutes
01/21/2026January MeetingAgenda
12/17/2025December MeetingAgendaDownloadZoom
12/09/2025Joint Meeting (Also See Planning Board Page) Fire stationAgendaDownloadZoom
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11/19/2025November MeetingAgendaDownloadZoom
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11/12/2025Joint Meeting (Also See Planning Board Page)DownloadZoom
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10/15/2025October MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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09/29/2025Special Board MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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09/17/2025September MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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08/20/2025August MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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07/16/2025July MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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06/18/2025June MeetingAgendaDownloadZoom
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06/5/2025Special Board MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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05/21/2025May MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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04/23/2025Special Board MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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04/16/2025April MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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04/01/2025Organizational MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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03/19/2025March MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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02/19/2025February MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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01/15/2025January MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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12/18/2024December MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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11/20/2024November MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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10/30/2024Special MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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10/16/2024October MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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09/18/2024September MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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09/11/2024September Special MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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08/21/2024August MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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07/17/2024July MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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06/18/2024June MeetingAgendaDownloadDownload
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