(Ithaca, New York) Cornell University student Hannah Shvets, a member of the Communist Party USA, has been elected to the Ithaca Common Council representing Ward 5. Running on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, Shvets won 64% of the vote against independent candidate G.P. “Gepe” Zurenda, according to unofficial results from Tompkins County.
As Independent Political Report noted, Shvets’s membership in the Communist Party’s Ithaca club was confirmed in a People’s World article shared by the organization. She also received endorsements from the Democratic Socialists of America, the Young Democratic Socialists of America, the United Auto Workers, and the Ithaca Teachers Association.
Her campaign emphasized labor rights, affordable housing, and tenant protections. Policy priorities include a city-specific minimum wage, rent stabilization, and a Workers Rights Committee. Before running, Shvets worked with the Tompkins County Workers’ Center on community outreach and education efforts.
The election marks a rare local victory for a declared Communist Party member, though Shvets’s campaign largely focused on progressive labor issues rather than ideological themes. No Republican or Conservative candidate entered the race.
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