An Experienced Elected Legislator

Nate and his family have lived in the Finger Lakes region and understand the unique beauty of the area. He has remained in the Southern Tier and is proud to help support local communities. Nate built upon his love of the region and has served on the Tompkins County Legislature for over six years. He currently serves as the county legislative Vice-Chair. Nate has led the county’s Budget & Capital Committee, Government Performance & Workforce Relations Committee and the Health & Human Services Committee. For two years, Nate served as a legislative aide to Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton where he solved constituent concerns and helped develop policy on healthcare and environmental issues. While in the County Legislature and with Assemblywoman Lifton, Nate has sustained a consistent record fighting to conserve the environment, expand job growth and broaden health care access.

A Healthcare Reformer

For nearly three years, Nate has served as a Director for a nationally recognized non-profit hospital system distinguished by high quality and low costs. He’s pushed for developing a new culture of safety in healthcare focused on collaboration, critical thinking and transparency. These efforts have resulted in decreased infection rates, fewer medical errors and greater employee safety than most other hospitals in the nation.

Nate has brought this health care expertise to government where he has worked to broaden health care access, reduce costs and improve quality. While Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, Nate successfully helped fight then Governor Pataki and the Governor’s proposed closure of Lakeside Nursing Home, a skilled nursing home that serves mostly Medicare and Medicaid patients.

An Economic Development and Job Growth Leader

Nate has served for the past two years on the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency and the Economic Development Corporation. While on the seven-member board, over $56 million in job-growth investment has been brought into Tompkins County. Nate has also served on the Healthcare Subgroup of Governor Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council. Understanding the connections of regional transportation centers and economic development, Nate served as Vice-Chair for the Air Service Board of the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, during which time air transportation became more affordable and regional services expanded.

An Environmental Leader

As a leader whose career in healthcare has brought him throughout the Southern Tier, Nate has spoken with and heard the environmental protection concerns of many residents. The Southern Tier is strong because of the relationship its residents have to the land and its natural beauty. Much of the region’s economic strength is dependent upon the connection future residents and visitors feel with our environment. Meanwhile, the health of Southern Tier residents depends upon the purity and protection of our water and land. Nate has been a bold and long-term opponent to hydraulic fracturing techniques for natural gas extraction. Fracking puts our land, water, families and property values in danger.

As a Tompkins County Legislator, Nate has experience advocating for environmental cleanup. Nate knows the effects upon communities resulting from environmental sacrifices and short-sighted financial promises. Nate knows we must learn from the mistakes of the previous century and build our region’s strength while vigorously protecting the value of our land, people and environment.