Longtime county legislator Bill Kinne lost his race for County Executive Tuesday, but Onondaga County Democrats celebrated other wins last night.
Kinne said he does not plan to run for public office in the future, saying he's looking forward to spending time with his wife and kids.
"I'm humbled by my supporters who work tirelessly for me but, you know, you don't always win," Kinne said.
Max Ruckdeschel, chair of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee, said while they were disappointed about the race for County Executive, he thinks Democrats did well county-wide, noting Marty Masterpole's reelection to county comptroller and Democratic wins for both family court seats.
"We kept all of our county leg seats, which is no small feat in itself just because we had five different retirements this year," Ruckdeschel said. "So we had five new candidates that we needed to get out there in front of voters and have them win their first races for office."
One new Democrat to the county legislature is Nodesia Hernandez who won the District 17 seat as Linda Ervin did not seek reelection.
"My slogan is 'Picking up the torch and continuing the fight,'" Hernandez said. "And we are making all kinds of history tonight. And tonight I will be the first Afro-Latino county legislator, someone that's also going to be representing our Hispanic community in Syracuse, New York, in Onondaga County, New York."
In the city of Syracuse, voters elected Councilors Rita Paniagua and Chol Majok to the two at-large seats. Patrona Jones-Rowser and Corey Williams won their District races.
"It's new energy," Williams said. "I think the city is moving in the right direction. I think that we've got a lot of really great things to come and I'm proud and excited to be a part of it."
City of Syracuse voters also approved the ballot proposition concerning the City Auditor's ability to subpoena and hire independent counsel.
