FINGER LAKES GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTION NOMINEES

Seven candidates have been accepted as nominees for the Finger Lakes Group Executive Committee. There are seven open positions to be filled. The election will take place starting in later November and continuing through December 15. Finger Lakes Group members may cast their ballots electronically (if they have email access) or by mailing the paper ballot in the print newsletter. You may still petition to be on the ballot as a candidate by submitting the signatures of at least 30 Finger Lakes Group members, as long as the signatures are postmarked or emailed by Monday November 10 and are verified. See instructions and timeline at the end of this article. If you have questions about the election process, email us at fl-group@newyork.sierraclub.org 

Candidate Statements for 2025 Election

 

Kate Bartholomew

I have been actively engaged with the Finger Lakes Group ExCom as a member since the day in 2007 when I accidentally stumbled upon a Finger Lakes Sierra Club meeting instead of the Schuyler County Environmental Management Council meeting. Within a few months, I found myself wearing the Vice Chair mantle, and it’s been a non-stop series of environmental assaults to confront ever since. 

Now we face the most monumental, existential crisis humanity has ever seen — most especially because of our part in creating it — so the moral demand to engage in this struggle becomes even more imperative — for the planet, for the future, for all life.

I hope you will continue your support for me as a member of your Finger Lakes Group ExCom where I currently serve as Conservation Chair.

 

 

Susanne Brown

I have been a long-time member and contributor to the Sierra Club. I have been Secretary/Treasurer of the Finger Lakes Group since 2007. My duties include writing the monthly meeting minutes, banking, and compiling the required end of year financial statement for the National Sierra Club. I have helped plan and worked at environmental workshops and programs for our group. I am an avid composter, reuser, and recycler. I feel it is important to support people and organizations who are working to provide future generations with healthier lives by having cleaner land, water, and air.

 

 

Dick Kurtz

I would be honored to serve on the executive committee of the Finger Lakes group of the Sierra Club. My personal environmental focuses have long been water quality and energy efficiency in buildings and transportation. I am active in a Nutrient Monitoring project which provides concise nutrient load data for the NY portion of the Susquehanna River watershed. And because of my long-time interest in energy efficiency, I managed the conversion of a major Ithaca building to heat pumps and ERVs to meet the 2030 Ithaca Electrification Program, the Ithaca Green New Deal. Now planning and will manage execution of further energy efficiency upgrades to that property.  I will contribute further efforts to the Finger Lakes Group if elected.

 

                                                                                                                       

Bill Mattingly

I would be honored to serve another term on the Finger Lakes Group Executive Committee. My current position is chair of the Finger Lakes Group. I’m also an Atlantic Chapter At-Large Delegate. The Finger Lakes Group continues to collaborate with other environmental groups on several pressing issues, such as stopping PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge from being spread on farmland, eliminating energy-wasting cryptomining, closing the ever-expanding Seneca Meadows landfill, and keeping our state government from reneging on its own climate law. While the battle is increasingly difficult, I am firmly resolved.  One area of progress this year—towns and counties across the state enacted bans and passed resolutions to pause landspreading of sewage sludge. I will continue fighting, as part of the inspiring Finger Lakes Group team, until these issues are resolved.

Frank Potter

I have been serving on the Executive Committee for the Finger Lakes Group and would like to continue for the next two years. My environmental background includes 30 years teaching university level environmental science courses, followed by participation in We are Seneca Lakes, as well as People for a Healthy Environment. Climate change is the most pressing issue to be addressed by the Sierra Club. I have 50 years of experience studying the problem and advocate all our energy to focus on the problem.

Ken Sanford

I’m running for the Finger Lakes Executive Committee to help strengthen our region’s leadership in conservation and sustainable development. The Finger Lakes are among New York’s greatest natural treasures, but they face mounting pressure from overdevelopment, pollution, and shortsighted policy decisions. My goal is to be a force for good — advocating for smart land use, renewable energy integration, and policies that balance economic growth with environmental stewardship. 

With a background rooted in community engagement and a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors, I believe our environmental movement must be as pragmatic as it is passionate. We need solutions that not only preserve what we love but also adapt to the challenges ahead. I want to help ensure that the Finger Lakes remain a model for sustainability, resilience, and responsible development for generations to come.

Jim Trondsen

I have been a member of Sierra Club for 24 years and have been on the Finger Lakes Group Executive Committee 22 years. I am a retired materials engineer. I have lived in the Corning area for most of my life and enjoy hiking, biking and fishing in the beautiful Finger Lakes region. My main interests in Sierra Club are water quality, waterways, and outdoor recreation. I believe that the Finger Lakes area has a sustainable economy in large part due to quality of life in our area, and due to the multi-billion-dollar tourism economy. We must work creatively to preserve and protect this quality. We must also think globally by promoting sustainable sources of energy.