Zachary Tomanelli
ITHACA – Alienation. As a vocal conservative in a liberal college town, Mark Finkelstein knows the feeling all too well.
He remembers one of the first times he experienced it. The year was 1991 and Finkelstein had just revealed to three of his longtime tennis partners that he was running for mayor of Ithaca as a Republican.
“When I announced that I was running for mayor, they presented me with this letter saying they could no longer play with me because they were supporting my opponent,” Finkelstein said.
Since then, Finkelstein has come to embrace his conservatism going as far to host and produce “Right Angle,” a conservative-oriented public access talk show. Still, he says it is hard not to feel like an outsider in a city like Ithaca.
“It may be something as trivial as walking across the supermarket parking lot— particularly during the Bush years— and just seeing all the anti-Bush or anti-Republican bumper stickers.”
While some may attribute Finkelstein’s claim of Ithaca being a “far-left” town as a conservative crying foul, the facts are on his side.
According to the Tompkins County Board of Elections, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 6,794 to 1,379 in the city of Ithaca—a nearly six to one enrollment advantage. A Republican presidential candidate hasn’t carried Tompkins County since 1980.
These numbers are especially problematic for local conservative Janis Kelly. That is because Kelly is the chairwoman of the City of Ithaca Republican Party. And while she said this job presents her with some unique challenges, Kelly also said she tries to approach the whole thing with a sense of humor.
“It’s kind of entertaining,” said Kelly. “The sheer zaniness of what passes for political thought and discourse among so many people in Ithaca is an unfailing source of amusement.”
Still, as chair of the local Republican party, the challenge Kelly faces is very real. According to the Board of Elections, there hasn’t been a contested local election in the City of Ithaca since 2003, something Kelly is charged with changing.
“I think people are eager to hear the argument on the other side, including in Ithaca,” said Kelly. “Going forward, we are going to contest everything, and we are going to, in much more public ways, put forth a lot of our principles and viewpoints.”
But even Finkelstein admits that getting a Republican elected in Ithaca is a difficult task. When he ran mayor, Finkelstein received 46 percent of the vote — an outcome he sees as unimaginable today.
“Why would you run, except for totally symbolic value,” Finkelstein said.
Even so, Kelly said she sees the lack of political diversity as something that is becoming detrimental to the city.
“The way our city and state government is running now is not sustainable,” Kelly said. “We are going to end up like California.”
Scott Smolinski has also had the experience of being a political minority. Smolinski is the president of the Ithaca College Republicans. Smolinski says he believes the campus tilts leftward, but said he doesn’t think it has adversely affected his studies or his social life. The only difference, he said, is that he is asked to defend his positions more frequently that some his liberal peers.
“If you present a conservative viewpoint in a class discussion you’re asked to defend yourself — people say, ‘Why would you say something like that?’ ” Smolinski said.
Smolinski said he believes there are actually a number of conservatives at Ithaca College, but that many of them are reluctant to say so.
Kelly said she has found a similar phenomena in the greater Ithaca area.
“What I am finding over the last year, is there are a lot people here who are not registered in either party,” Kelly said.
She said hopes to reach those voters on key issues, in an effort rejuvenate the Republican Party in Ithaca. But some of that rejuvenation, Kelly pointed out, would have to begin on the national level.
“What is happening with the Republican Party, I’m afraid, is that the people at the top of the party still don’t get it,” Kelly said. “The people at the top of the Republican Party have dropped the ball. They have turned away from constitutional government. They have turned away from principles like self reliance and small government.”
Finkelstein and Smolinski echoed those sentiments.
“I think the base is ahead of the leadership,” Finkelstein said. “I think there is a very principled base that believes very strongly in a political philosophy.”
Smolinski said he feels the party is becoming inundated with so-called RINOs, or “Republicans In Name Only.” He said he’d like to see the party move in a more conservative direction.
And while the nature of their party is still very much up in the air, all three expressed optimism about the future — especially Kelly.
“I am enormously optimistic about people on the grassroots level.”
Video: Mark Finkelstein talks about “Right Angle” as it heads into its 10th year.
