In addition to this year’s Syracuse mayoral race, campaigning is also taking place across the city for Common Council elections.

The Common Council serves as Syracuse’s legislative branch of government. Nine members and a president serve on the council.

The president and four at-large councilors are elected for four-year terms. The other five members, district councilors, serve two-year terms. Each elected member leads one Common Council committee.

Democratic, Republican, Green Party and Independence Party candidates will all be on the ballot this November. The general election will be held Nov. 7.

Here’s a breakdown of the councilors in each of the races:

Presidential candidates:

Helen Hudson (D)

Helen Hudson, 57, is a current at-large common council member. She is the chairwoman of the Public Works Committee and is a member of the Education and Human Development, Neighborhood Preservation and Public Safety committees.

Hudson is also heavily involved in community service initiatives. She is the co-founder of Mothers Against Gun Violence and sits on the Onondaga Historical Association’s board of directors.

Hudson hopes to use the new position to act as a mentor for young adults interested in policy and government, she has said, according to Syracuse.com. Hudson could not be reached for comment.

Councilor-At-Large candidates:

Khalid Bey (D)

Currently a common councilor for District 4, Khalid Bey is chairman of the committee on economic development.

Born and raised on the city’s South Side, Bey also is an author and manager of a business that focuses on empowering low-income families in Syracuse. Bey could not be reached for comment.

Timothy Rudd (D)

Timothy Rudd grew up in Syracuse, living in multiple city areas, including the North Side.

If elected councilor-at-large, Rudd said he wants to double the number of Syracuse youth summer jobs available.

There is no reason a young person who wants to get a job can not get one, Rudd said. It’s also a way to combat concentrated poverty in Syracuse and help people make friends, he said.

Rudd has been endorsed by the Democratic Party, Working Families Party, Veteran’s Party, SEIU 1199, United Automobile Workers and the Greater Syracuse Labor Council.

“I see a lot of potential in Syracuse, and I think the government has a large role to play in it,” Rudd said.

Frank Cetera (Green Party)

If elected councilor-at-large, the Green Party candidate said he hopes to make an impact on individuals, the city and region.

Cetera is working on legislation to create an employee-ownership business development department. It would help families who own start-ups, worker cooperatives and older baby-boomer businesses, he said.

He also believes Syracuse needs to formally declare itself a sanctuary city and create new legislation and policy accordingly, Cetera said.

“We hope to have (a proposal) ready to create an enforceable mission to keep everyone in Syracuse safe,” Cetera said.

Norm Snyder (R)

Norm Snyder, an Eastwood resident, has run for Common Council multiple times before.

Snyder believes the problems Syracuse is currently facing can be fixed by increasing the number of police officers and pursuing policies that promote property values and growth, according to the Syracuse Republicans website.

Philip Bryant | Contributing Photographer

District 1 candidates:

Joseph Carni (R)

Joseph Carni, the District 1 incumbent, is the Intergovernmental Service Consolidation chairman. If re-elected to the Common Council, Carni said he will “continue to focus on constituents.”

Andrea Bolin Wandersee (D)

Community safety and small business development would be a few of Andrea Wandersee’s main priorities if elected to the Common Council, per her website.

Wandersee plans to improve inclusive hiring practices and diversity training in the city, according to the website.

Supporting local businesses would attract more people to the area, create jobs and improve quality of life, Wandersee said on her website. She also is an advocate for the sanctuary city status and the state’s Interstate 81 community grid option.

District 2 candidates:

Chad Ryan (D)

Incumbent Chad Ryan, a long-time resident of Tipperary Hill, works for his family’s locally-owned business, according to his campaign’s Facebook page. Ryan has been elected twice to the District 2 seat. Ryan could not be reached for comment.

Eric Graf (Green Party)

Eric Graf, a proponent of grassroots democracy, said his biggest concern in Syracuse is poverty, per Syracuse.com.

He supports a progressive income tax for city workers and residents, part of the Green platform. The income tax would be between one-half and one percent, according to Syracuse.com. This is Graf’s first time running for public office.

District 3 candidates:

Susan C. Boyle (D)

Susan Boyle, the District 3 incumbent, is chairwoman of the Education and Human Development Committee.

Boyle admired the responsiveness of the city government even as a volunteer, before she became involved with Common Council, she said.

“It’s just been a passion of mine, community-building,” Boyle said.

Over the next year, Boyle hopes to alleviate Syracuse City School District transportation issues. Some students have to walk more than a mile to get to school each day, she said.

Boyle lives in a valley neighborhood that contains environmentally protected trees and freshwater streams, she said.

Often, Boyle said, sediment builds up in streams there, running through private properties. The city, technically, is not allowed to maintain them, she said. Boyle has been working with Onondaga County to resolve the issue.

Boyle has been endorsed by the Democratic Committee and Working Families Party.

Emma Comtois | Digital Editor

District 4 candidates:

Serena Seals (Green Party)

Serena Seals is a leader of the local Black Lives Matter movement. She has helped organize protests and community outreach events across the city, including a recent rally condemning hate groups that assembled in Charlottesville, Virginia, this summer.

Her campaign focuses on “economic justice” and strengthening the Citizens Review Board, Syracuse’s police watchdog agency, among other things.

Seals’ father held the District 4 seat for eight years before Bey, the current councilor, was elected in 2011.

Quante Wright (Independence Party)

Quante Wright, who spent almost five years in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges, including attempted murder, according to Syracuse.com, said he’s been given a second chance. He works on the South Side, where he grew up, supporting youth groups and speaking out against violence.

He has interned with Bey, learning more about local government and the Common Council, he said. Wright recently graduated from Bryant and Stratton College.

Wright said he realized he could make a difference after watching the community. He could be “a new voice” for the people, he said.

Latoya Allen (D)

Latoya Allen, who clinched the Democratic Party nomination earlier this month, organizes a mentorship program on the city’s South Side to help kids learn manners and work skills.

Precious Lily and Brotherhood Foundation, Allen’s program, was founded seven years ago. Allen grew up on the South Side and still lives in the area.

“I need Syracuse to be as safe as possible and as productive as possible,” Allen said.

District 5 candidates:

Joseph Driscoll (D)

Joseph Driscoll, a musician by trade, plans to address the concentration of poverty in Syracuse, consolidation of city and county services, lead in Syracuse homes and the community grid plan that may replace Interstate 81, per his website.

Driscoll said on his website he would prioritize education. He also aims to increase investment in the arts and improve local environmental health, according to his website.

Published on September 27, 2017 at 12:58 am

Contact Sandhya: ssiyer@syr.edu