Deb Mohlenhoff, assistant director of community service and leadership development at Ithaca College, was appointed by nomination to fill the remainder of Robin Korherr’s term to the Common Council of Ithaca. Korherr resigned in September. Mohlenhoff ’92, a resident of Ithaca for more than 20 years, said she hopes to bring more collaboration between the college and the city.

Contributing Writer Natalie Rubino spoke with Mohlenhoff about her love for the city, balancing both jobs and improving community service among college students.

Natalie Rubino: How will your experience at the college help you as a member of the Common Council?

Deb Mohlenhoff: I have a great community network. My job allows me to have multiple interactions on a regular basis with all kinds of community agencies and community organizations. They are familiar with the work that I do [at the college]. They are familiar with my style and commitment with serving, not only serving myself, but also sort of empowering and encouraging others to serve.

NR: How will you balance both jobs?

DM: The Common Council job seems like it is an overwhelming role, but it’s really only about 10 to 15 hours per week of work. It is important for people who are on city council to be active employees in the city. It’s a very different perspective that you are able to look at things through. When you are serving as a resident you are representing someone who is employed in a full-time position, so [by being employed] you are better able to be a representative of the constituents that you are trying to serve.

NR: What can the college do to help the city?

DM: The city and the college interact in a number of different ways. I know that the downtown area has a lot of desire to have formal connections with the college. It would be great if the college were participating, at least, in the discussion of the redesign of The Commons and take a look at transportation issues between the college and the city. In my role, I hope to connect people together, start conversations and make sure that people have a seat at the table.

NR: How do you plan on getting college students and Ithaca residents working

together more with community service?

DM: When I work with college students here on campus we do a lot of really amazing things, like work on trails and paint houses and work on a number of different projects, which is great and significant work. What I try to get is why do [we] have to be doing these things in the first place? As I found myself trying to educate students, I kind of felt like [I was being] hypocritical. For me, I am now getting to a point where I’m one of those decision makers who’s writing legislation and policy that is moving social

issues more to the elimination phase.

NR: What was one thing you enjoyed about the city of Ithaca as a student?

DM: One of the things I love about Ithaca is that you get big-city stuff in a small city. The Hanger Theatre is one of my absolute favorite things about Ithaca. They put on some of the best theater productions I’ve seen. It’s pretty wonderful to be able to be in a city where not only can you access restaurants, theater and culture by getting to The Commons, but in the same amount of distance [you] have access to the waterfalls. The way the city has integrated itself into the natural environments of the area is what makes the city special.