Tompkins County Legislator Mike Sigler has been universally endorsed by members of the Ithaca Police Benevolent Association (IPBA) in this year’s election for New York State Senate in the 52nd District.
The IPBA is the latest organization to decline endorsing incumbent Lea Webb, choosing instead to support Sigler’s bid for the seat. Covering all of Tompkins and Cortland Counties and most of Broome County, the 52nd District race pits Sigler, a Republican, against Democrat Webb.
“When other politicians actively tried to tear down police or were silent, I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t do that. These officers protect families, businesses, and yes, even people who have broken the law. It’s a hard job that deserves respect and a partnership with elected officials, not derision,” Sigler emphasized.
“Meanwhile, this month my opponent Lea Webb was endorsed by the radical Working Families Party, the same group that led the charge to Defund The Police and implement Cashless Bail. Voters have a very clear choice this November,” Sigler added.
Webb draws considerable support from Ithaca’s community of Marxist & Socialist activists.
The Ithaca Democratic Socialists of America promote their ‘Marxist Reading Group’ on Instagram.
Webb frequently aligns herself with causes promoted by the Ithaca Democratic Socialists, Ithaca Tenants Union, Tompkins County Working Families Party and Ithaca Solidarity Slate.
In the IPBA’s letter of endorsement, union President Thomas Condzella wrote to Sigler, “Having you stand with us, denouncing the proposed abolishment of the Ithaca Police Department, while also supporting practical and meaningful reform efforts, was noticed by the membership of the PBA.”
“There has been a recent push by some politicians to drive a wedge between police unions and other facets of organized labor, in a continued effort to misrepresent our profession and drive us out of the labor movement entirely,” Condzella wrote later in the endorsement.
An example of this can be found in statements made by then Ithaca Common Councilperson DeFendini in a December 2022 Democratic Socialists of America YouTube video.
“One of the trickiest and most clever moves of capital and their protectors, which are the police, of the last couple decades has been to convince the public that the police are laborers. And so the police union is often lumped in with the other unions in ways that make it very very difficult to try and navigate trying to be pro unions,” DeFendini said.
DeFendini endorsed Webb’s previous campaign for State Senate.
Webb’s initial State Senate bid received support from former City of Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick, known for advocating Ithaca’s contentious police reform efforts, including a proposal to disband the Ithaca Police Department. Despite Myrick’s subsequent retraction and apology, 15% of Ithaca Police officers left the department within two months of the announcement.
Sigler, who announced his State Senate campaign in January, has garnered significant law enforcement support, securing additional endorsements from the Tompkins County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, New York State Union of Police Associations, and Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar. Throughout his career in public service, Sigler has consistently advocated for increased funding for police and public safety.
In the 2022 election, Webb narrowly defeated Republican Rich David by a 51-49 margin, marking one of the State’s closest races, with a victory margin of less than 1,500 votes.
The 2024 General Election is slated for Tuesday, November 5th. Early Voting will take place from October 26th to November 3rd.
The IPBA’s endorsement letter can be read in full below.