Onondaga County residents will be able to cast their vote for several city and county leadership positions during Tuesday’s election.

The positions of county executive and district attorney, as well as several seats on the common council, are up for grabs. Here is everything you need to know about the candidates, finances and polling locations involved in this year’s election:

County executive 

Democrat Tony Malavenda, a local businessman, is running against Republican incumbent Ryan McMahon in the race for county executive.

McMahon was appointed as county executive on Nov. 1, 2018. Joanie Mahoney stepped down from the position in the middle of her tenure.

Malavenda would be the first Democrat to hold the position of Onondaga County executive, according to Syracuse.com. 

McMahon’s campaign raised more than $800,000 as of Sunday, according to state election data. Malavenda has raised more than $75,00and donated more than $1 million to the campaign.

McMahon began his career in politics in 2005 when he was elected to the city council. In 2012, he moved to the Onondaga County Legislature, where he was elected chairman.

McMahon’s campaign is based on his PIE plan — poverty, infrastructure and economic development. As county executive, he has negotiated an extended sales tax sharing agreement between Syracuse and the county, developed a plan to give panhandlers the opportunity to work and created a local development corporation to seize tax-delinquent commercial properties to be redeveloped.

Malavenda worked the past 40 years running Duke’s Root Control, a private company that removes tree roots from municipal sewers, Syracuse.com reported. He has also served on the boards of at least six nonprofits, according to Syracuse.com.

His campaign platform focuses on fixing the county’s infrastructure, creating economic opportunity for all and improving the functions of the government, according to his campaign website.

District attorney

Two candidates are running to unseat long-standing incumbent District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who was first elected in 1992.

Fitzpatrick faces opposition from Democrat Chuck Keller and Republican Gary Lavine. Keller, a criminal defense attorney for more than two decades, has focused his campaign on prison and bail reform.

Fitzpatrick told The Daily Orange that his career as DA has focused on determining factors behind crime and conviction rates. During his time in office, he has promoted eight diversion programs, which process cases involving adolescents and at-risk groups.

This election has not been without controversy. Lavine, counsel to Syracuse-based Bousquet Holstein PLLC, distributed campaign mailers accusing Fitzpatrick of covering for former DA investigator Peter Rauch.

Years after the alleged cover-up, Rauch killed a teenager while driving drunk. Lavine, who is running for “restoring integrity” to the DA’s office, said there are several controversies that deem Fitzpatrick unfit for the position. 

Common council

Six candidates are vying for two at-large spots on the Syracuse Common Council, as well as seats for the 2nd and 3rd districts.

Steven Thompson lost his at-large seat on the council in the democratic primary, which he’s held since 2015, according to Syracuse.com. Councilor Michael Greene and School Board Member Rita Paniagua won the democratic at-large bid and will be on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Running against Paniagua and Greene are Jason Zeigler,Norm Snyder and Frank Cetera of the Green Party and Thomas Babilon of the Libertarian Party.

Bryn Lovejoy-Grinnell, of the 3rd district, lost her primary race to Chol Majok, a former refugee from South Sudan. Majok is running against Emad Rahim, a former refugee from Cambodia, of the Working Families party.

Whoever wins will be the first former refugee to serve on Syracuse’s common council, according to Syracuse.com. Foreign born persons make up 12.5%  percent of Syracuse’s population from 2013-2017, according to Census data.

The 3rd district includes the southern tip of Syracuse and includes much of Syracuse University’s South Campus, as well as much on the city’s Southside.

Three candidates are competing for the 2nd district seat currently held by Chad Ryan. Ryan declined the democratic nomination in April and said he would not seek reelection, Syracuse.com reported.

Democrat Patrick Hogan, Green Party candidate Bill Bass and Libertarian Party Candidate William Martin are on the ballot.

The second district includes the northwest part of Syracuse, which includes Destiny USA.

Where to vote

Syracuse University students in all Main Campus residence halls except for the Brewster/Boland/Brockway Complex can vote at Huntington Hall. Students living in BBB can vote in the Toomey Abbott Towers lobby.

South Campus and Skyhall residents can vote at Drumlins Country Club. Students in Oren Lyons Hall can vote at the Spiritual Renewal Center at 1342 Lancaster Ave.

Polls on election day are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Published on November 3, 2019 at 9:36 pm

news@dailyorange.com