ITHACA, N.Y. — Two members of Ithaca Common Council have launched a podcast to keep the community informed about local politics and governance.
Ducson Nguyen and Seph Murtagh, representatives of Ithaca’s Second Ward, will be co-hosting the podcast, called The Ithacast.
The first episode “None of us are experts here” launched Monday with an hour-and-a-half long show that covered a wide range of issues, including tax abatements and housing, zoning, autonomous vehicles, the soon-to-launch Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program and the opioid crisis.
Nguyen starts the podcast by asking Murtagh, “Seph, why are we doing this?”
He responds, “Well, we thought it would be a good idea to broadcast the conversations that we have on a regular basis as representatives on Common Council. We’re always talking to people … and in the interest of transparency, we thought it’d be a cool idea to do a podcast … so that people could listen in on the conversations that we have on an every day basis.”
“Plus we’re always looking for new ways to connect with our constituents,” Nguyen added. “It’s notoriously hard to get people engaged. This is one way using the increasingly popular podcast format to get some real discussion between two elected officials.”
The podcast will focus on current events and policy debates on Common Council and will occasionally feature a guest from city government, a news release said.
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick joined Nguyen and Murtagh for the first episode, recorded in Nguyen’s dining room.
If the name sounds familiar, it is.
The first Ithacast was created by a group of Ithaca College students. Later, it was hosted by former Ithaca Voice reporter Mike Smith.
Check out the podcast on Facebook, at their website, on Youtube or add https://ithacast.podbean.com/
Featured photo: From left, Seph Murtagh, Svante Myrick and Ducson Ngyuen.