ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — After nearly 30 years, Rod Howe is leaving government.
Ithaca’s town supervisor will retire this Friday, Sept. 18. Howe says it’s the right time to step away.
“There’s a lot that goes into the phrase ‘it’s time,” Howe recently said on WHCU’s 607 This Morning. “And I like to think we spent the last 3 months doing the transition planning necessary to make sure everything goes smoothly.”
At the Aug. 24 town board meeting, deputy supervisor Eric Levine was appointed to fill Howe’s remaining term, which ends Dec. 31, 2017.
Before he became supervisor, Howe’s journey into government began as a member of the town’s planning board. He began serving at the turn of the last century.
“It was in December of 199 that I came on the board for a final vote on a housing project at Cornell,” Howe said. “It ended up being a very, very long evening; in fact, I think we had to adjourn because I was going to end up being the vote that decided how to move forward.”
Michelle Wright was voted to fill Levine’s seat on the town board through the remainder of 2026. She’ll appear on the ballot in November for a full term.
FULL INTERVIEW: Ithaca Town Supervisor Rod Howe on 607 This Morning
