Democrats are celebrating victories, both in the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County. Not only did city residents elect Syracuse’s first Black mayor, but Democrats will also take control of the county legislature for the first time in decades.
Sharon Owens won more than 70% of the vote to become the first Black mayor in Syracuse history. She spoke late Tuesday night in a historic Syracuse building, under a mural showing Syracuse’s first mayor, Harvey Baldwin, taking the oath of office.
“It was a strategic move that here we are,” Owens said. “55th mayor is a Black woman. The city’s only had one woman as mayor. Before me, Stephanie Miner. I'm the second, but the first Black mayor in the city.”
Owens said it's important for the generation to come to believe that anything is possible. But she said the win is also a seminal moment for the older generation.
“There are elders in our community that have been here, born and raised, in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and I've been running into them all day today,” Owens said. “And they've been telling me how they were so proud to be able to cast a vote for the first Black mayor of Syracuse. That's what this means to me."
Owens, who has been deputy mayor in the Walsh administration for eight years, expects to continue some of his initiatives, but said she will put her own stamp on city government going forward. She said she plans to continue work on several projects, including the fight against poverty, the redevelopment of Interstate 81, and preparations for the arrival of chip manufacturer Micron.
Owens beat Republican Tom Babilon and independent candidates Tim Rudd and Alfonso Davis.
Democrats flip County Legislature
In what was probably the biggest surprise of the night, Democrats gained control of the Onondaga County Legislature for the first time in 45 years, winning all six contested races to take a 10-7 majority.
County Legislature Chairman Tim Burtis said he was surprised at the results.
"We're very proud of our candidates,” Burtis said. “They ran good campaigns, positive campaigns, and they ran hard."
Jeremiah Thompson is one of the Democrats who won a seat in the legislature, defeating Republican Colleen Gunnip with 56% of the vote. He said the result wasn’t that surprising, given the current political situation around the country.
“If anybody's been paying attention to the atmosphere in this country and in this community, if you've been paying attention to No Kings and the energy that's been out in the street, people asking for change, asking for a government that listens to them, that represents them, there's been a hunger for this for a while,” Thompson said Tuesday night. “So, in that respect, it's not that surprising."
Onondaga County Republicans said they’ll evaluate the results in the days to come and begin to make plans for next year, when, because of a new law, all 17 lawmakers will have to run again.
Voters choose to term-limit lawmakers
When county lawmakers run for election again next year, they’ll be running for a four-year term instead of a two-year term. That’s because voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot proposition in Onondaga County to switch to a longer term. The proposition passed with 71% of the vote. Lawmakers will also be limited to three consecutive terms, meaning no lawmaker will be able to serve for more than 12 years in office.
Find results of races from around central and northern New York.
