Syracuse New Times
Syracuse mayoral candidates squared off Friday, Oct. 21, at the Everson Museum of Art in one of the final official confrontations in the race for City Hall. This time the Syracuse New Times assumed the role of debate sponsor. Panelists asking questions of the contenders included Urban CNY publisher Ken Jackson and WAER-FM 88.3 news producer Scott Willis, with New Times senior editor Walt Shepperd acting as moderator. Audience members also submitted questions to the panel. The debate was broadcast live on WAER.
Throughout Republican Joanie Mahoney and Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins, armed with talking points ranging from the status of living wage to education, challenged the merits and accomplishments of incumbent Democratic Mayor Matthew Driscoll. Driscoll gave them plenty of ammunition in his opening statement. "Syracuse leads upstate New York in job growth," he said.
In response, Mahoney brought up the need for better jobs to remedy the lack of adequate household income in the area. Stalled economic development projects like the Onondaga County convention center and Destiny USA have prevented good jobs from coming to the city, she said. "We need to tap into talent," Mahoney continued. In order to make economic development more customer-friendly, Mahoney plans to bring 20 college students into City Hall to consult with local business owners. Conversely, Driscoll displayed a more conservative attitude: "We need to maintain the legacy of Syracuse," he said.
The next big issue involved the controversial status of local schools. Driscoll, who recently received endorsement by the Syracuse Teachers Association, wasn't immune to criticism on the subject from his running mates. There's plenty of room for improvement, Mahoney charged. "Half the students are not graduating in 2005," she added. Hawkins simply suggested establishing a progressively graduated city income tax, which would help increase the school budget.
In response to another hot topic, this one concerning the Midland Avenue and Armory Square sewage treatment plants, all candidates vowed to make Syracuse more environmentally friendly. Driscoll proposed smart growth--rather than taking the easy way out by dumping sewage into waterways, he believes that pipes should be used to transport raw sewage. Hawkins recommended biological treatment, which is less harmful to the environment and can be harnessed as a potential energy source, as opposed to current chemical methods known to increase toxicity levels in local bodies of water. The key to improving environmental conditions involves maintaining cooperative relationships with the community, he said.
Mahoney noted that neighborhoods in the vicinity of the sewage plant are not represented in City Hall, she added.
One final question directed to the candidates by an audience member asked about City Hall leadership, specifically the need for a director of operations. Underdog Hawkins wants to create neighborhood assemblies that he said will "act as a vessel, a political forum for people who want to get involved." Mahoney wants to put innovative teams in City Hall to work on priorities and community identity. "It's time to restore responsibility in city government," she said, including releasing more information about the local legislative process. Mahoney said a lack of openness has caused concern about a lack of integrity.
This comment increased on-stage tension, and Driscoll quickly pointed out the other candidates avoided answering the question directly. "Yes, I do believe it's important to have a director of operations in City Hall," he said pointedly.
The heated debate lasted about an hour, but both Mahoney and Hawkins commented on a lack of adequate time to discuss all of their ideas. Both agreed that they wanted to delve deeper into the topic of development.
Mahoney especially wished to further discuss the overdue Central Tech project, which could potentially create hope in the school system by increasing the technical skills of students. "I want schools to be something people get into rather than something people are leaving," she said after the debate. Hawkins wanted to talk more about the foreseeable problems of the Destiny USA project. He pictures a people's waterfront, not one with large-scale commercial development.
In light of this, both agreed that citywide debates help candidates to spread out and get their messages to more people in the community. The next debate will be broadcast live on WTVH-Channel 5 Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. Syracuse United Neighbors holds the final debate on Thursday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m. at the Danforth Middle School auditorium, 309 W. Brighton Ave.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To vote, you must be registered with the Onondaga County Board of Elections.
- Anna Deleo
Posted by syracusegreens at October 26, 2005 12:33 PM