Mike Sigler

Mike Sigler was born in Boonton, New Jersey. Sigler earned a bachelor's degree from Northeastern University in 1993 and a graduate degree from Columbia University in 1996. His career experience includes working as a sales manager for Park Outdoor Advertising and as a county legislator for Tompkins County, New York. Sigler has been affiliated with the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency, the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, and the East Hill Flying Club.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

A 12 year Tompkins County Legislator, Mike Sigler lives in Lansing, NY with his wife Sarah and daughters. Prior to his public service, Mike lived on Green Street in Syracuse and worked as a WTVH television reporter and producer. After 9/11 Mike decided to enter public service with a run for Assembly and then the Tompkins County Legislature. While serving his Central New York neighbors in the County Legislature, Mike also works for Park Outdoor Advertising, a job which has taken him into hundreds of businesses in the 22nd Congressional district. As a result, Mike uniquely understands the infrastructure, tax, labor, inflation, and bureaucratic challenges facing Central New York.

Mike, his wife and family have roots stretching back five generations in the 22nd District. They worship at Lansing United Methodist Church and have hiked throughout CNY and the Finger Lakes, touring in their 1972 VW bus and enjoying the dozens of festivals in the area. Mike has been in Rotary and is on the Chamber of Commerce board and a member of the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency. An active hunter and private pilot, Mike earned his bachelors from Northeastern University and his Masters in Journalism from Columbia University.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Control Inflation - I do the weekly shopping at BJ’s for my family, mostly produce, a block of New York sharp cheddar, milk and some bread. For the longest time, it’s been $80 every time. It’s now $120. To many, that may not sound like much, but it adds up to $160 a month, almost $2,000 a year. That’s someone’s post-COVID-19 vacation, part of someone’s college savings or half a year of car payments. I’m fortunate to have a wife who’s a saver and was able to pre-buy our heating oil over the summer, locking in the price. Many don’t have the means to do that and are now trapped paying high prices to heat their homes. They’re in those homes more because they can’t afford to fill their cars with gas as prices shoot toward $5 a gallon. Policing - Connie Tuori was killed in her apartment just a block from my old apartment on Green Street. A woman who lived through the great depression, a world war, travelled the world, killed in her own home by a woman who just eight days before had been arrested for attacking a woman. She was released without bail because of bail reform; the judge’s hands were tied with their judicial discretion stripped by the state. John Katko was pushing to tie federal funding to the effort to repeal bail reform which has failed. I’ll continue that effort, just as I pushed back against defund the police as a Tompkins County Legislator. Crime is on the rise. Just this year, Juli Boeheim was robbed in broad daylight in a Destiny USA Mall parking lot. YouImmigration- United States immigration policy is non-existent. If someone were to fly into JFK from another country, burst through security and made a run from the street, they would be arrested and vetted. But we’re not doing that at the US southern border. Thousands, the most in four years, are arriving and being taken to cities and towns in the interior of the US with few checks for criminal backgrounds or infectious disease. In addition to human trafficking that’s going unchecked, the southern border is acting as an open door for the smuggling of opioids which have been a crippling families across the district. You likely know someone, maybe someone in your family, who’s harmed themselves and those around them abusing opioids like oxyco

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Foreign policy, city development, rural agriculture, energy

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Chuck Yeager. I’m a pilot, but what he was able to do in an airplane is remarkable much like what Jimmy Doolittle did before him. Where Doolittle went into the unknown piloting without visual references, Yeager punched through the speed of sound. They follow and are followed by a long line of innovators who changed the world.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

You need to show up. The quote is 90 percent of life is showing up. I win election in my town because I work hard, I get out to my neighbors. I am their voice on the legislature. They may not always agree with me, but they know I come from a good place and that I also know that I am not infallible. I will listen to them. If you make a solid argument, I may adjust my approach or even my position if new evidence presents itself and the argument is compelling enough.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I work hard. I'm a finisher. At everything I do. I decided to get my private pilot's license at 45 after putting it off for two decades. I finished my degrees. I've worked at Park for 20 years, in part so I could serve part-time on the legislature. It's a service position. It's so I can represent my neighbors, my family, my friends. I've never not served my community in some fashion.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Setting the budget. As you mentioned, spending originates in the house. My main responsibility is to represent my constituency. I am the one closest one to them representing them at the federal level. I'm the only one who will be representing Central New York and a good part of the Finger lakes and only those areas in the federal government. Their voice must be heard, and I must carry it to Washington.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I made a difference. To one person, to many. To have mattered.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Gas shortages 1970s. 5-years-old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Busboy. Two years. Lifeguard. Four years. Ice Cream man. Two years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Harry Potter Goblet of Fire. It's when the story turns.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman. I want to be able to fly.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Let it go.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

You have representatives of vast and very different constituencies. What is important in Queens may not be in Montana and yet, the representatives have to balance the needs of their voters with the needs of others.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The continued rise of China.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Energy, Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I support term limits.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Duck walks into a bar. "Got any grapes?"

No... I don't have any grapes.

Next day... "Got any grapes?"

No... I don't have any grapes. And if you come in here tomorrow and ask do I have any grapes, I'm going to nail your bill to the bar." Duck waddles off upset.

Next day... "Got any nails?"

NO... I DON'T HAVE ANY NAILS!

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

The congress must reassert its role in adopting. We can no longer govern by continuing resolution. The budget is how you set priorities. The way we've been going is governing by crisis. One of the main jobs of Congress is to pass a budget We have failed in that.