ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo has delivered the 2026 State of the City address.

During the Wednesday, Jan. 14 Common Council meeting, Cantelmo discussed “governance and trust” by declaring a commitment to completing outstanding audits in the city. The efforts will include greater transparency, the mayor said.

Hiring a new city controller is also a priority. That position has remained unfilled since the end of 2023. Mayor Cantelmo also addressed his “top policy priority,” which is housing.

Also during the State of the City address, Mayor Cantelmo announced plans to reform zoning.

“Our Council shares my commitment to housing justice and housing reform. With city staff, we will modernize residential and mixed-use regulations citywide. This will establish small-scale multi-unit housing, such as duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, and rowhomes, as permitted forms. It will eliminate or substantially reduce off-street parking minimums, retaining narrow requirements only where there is a demonstrated operational or safety need. And – in 2026 – we will enact legislation to expand the Planned Unit Development framework to encompass the entire city,” Cantelmo said.

Another goal for the city this year is the “revitalization of the West Martin Luther King Jr. Street corridor,” the mayor added.

Cantelmo added, “Too often, we are told that cities like ours must choose between compassion and competence, between ambition and responsibility. I reject that framing. This government believes, plainly and unapologetically, that housing is a human need, that dignity at work matters, and that democracy works best when people have real power over the decisions that shape their lives. Some call this progressive. Some call it socialism. I call it governing with clarity about whose side we’re on. Not the side of speculation over shelter. Not the side of austerity over care. But the side of a city that invests in people, protects the vulnerable, and uses public power transparently and democratically to build a future that works for everyone.”