ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – A new candidate for Common Council emerges in Ithaca.

The Ithaca Voice reports Pierre Saint-Perez intends to run for a two-year seat in the Third Ward. He’s a native Ithacan, a graduate of Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS) and currently studying at Cornell Law school. He returned to the area in 2021 after graduating with two degrees in public policy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Saint-Perez says the city is in the midst of a profound transition, and he’s running to address rising poverty and the housing crisis. He also wants to rebuild community in neighborhoods, something he thinks the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on.