Ben Walsh

The fight over the Christopher Columbus statue in downtown Syracuse continues. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, who decided last year to remove the statue, expects designs for a reimagined Columbus Circle will be done by the end of the year. A lawsuit to stop the city from taking down the statue is pending.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Onondaga County has doubled from a month ago, with more than 1,000 cases. In the city of Syracuse that number has tripled, compared to August, with 365 active cases. Elected officials continue to push for more people to get vaccinated.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh is proposing to use $800,000 in American Rescue Plan funding to go towards construction and technology job training and placement for communities of color, women and veterans.

It’s back-to-school week across central and northern New York. The region’s biggest district, the Syracuse City School District, welcomed students back Wednesday with thoughts of dealing with the pandemic front and center.

The Syracuse Common Council approved around $23 million in projects that are being funded by the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act. The latest series of investments proposed by Mayor Ben Walsh's administration will go towards small businesses, infrastructure and home repairs.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh wants to require COVID-19 vaccinations for city employees. Walsh said he’s meeting with labor leaders to discuss a policy for vaccinations and COVID-19 testing.

On this week's episode of the Campbell Conversations, Grant Reeher speaks with Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. They discuss the continuing battle against COVID-19, the allocation of stimulus money, crime and safety, housing and economic development.

The Syracuse Common Council has agreed to pay the salary increases, benefits and bonuses that were awarded to the city’s police department, after negotiations over the union contract went to arbitration.