New leadership set: Shawna Black elected chair, Deborah Dawson vice chair of Tompkins County Legislature

Tompkins County legislators selected their 2026 leadership at the first meeting of the year on Jan. 6. Shawna Black was elected chair following a paper-ballot vote in which the clerk read individual ballots; the reported tally was 13 votes for Black and 3 for Mike Sigler. Greg Mezey served as temporary chair while the paper ballots were collected and read aloud.

Deborah Dawson was nominated by Legislator Travis Brooks and seconded by Legislator Judith Hubbard for vice chair; the legislature closed nominations by unanimous consent and conducted a roll-call vote that resulted in a unanimous 16–0 election of Dawson as vice chair. Dawson said she planned to shepherd and integrate the eight new legislators elected this term.

The chair and vice chair delivered brief remarks outlining priorities; Black emphasized county staff, community well-being and responding to federal program changes, while Dawson framed her role as supporting the chair and new legislators. The leadership elections were procedural items governed by the legislature’s rules and recorded in the meeting minutes.

No legal or budgetary actions were tied to the leadership votes; they are internal organizational decisions required to conduct county legislative business.