Thomas “T.J.” McKiernan is a master of regional planning student at Cornell University. He graduated from Binghamton University with a bachelor’s degree in geography. Before beginning his degree program at Cornell, McKiernan worked as a GIS analyst for an investor-owned water utility company. His research interests include water equity & affordability and the impact of policies on small, local water service providers. McKiernan is writing his master’s thesis on the uptick in legislation promoting “fair market value” appraisals for water/sewer system acquisitions, its impact on regulatory rate-making and ratepayers of acquired systems, and the path forward for distressed systems. McKiernan hopes to continue learning more about local government finance and structures to understand better how to develop comprehensive goals and plans for improving urban environments.