Hawkins for Auditor

Howie Hawkins, Green candidate for Syracuse City Auditor, will be out campaigning all day on election day holding signs at intersections and talking to voters. He can reached at his cell phone: 315-200-6046.

Hawkins plans to vote at 9:00 am at his polling place in Seals Community Center in Kirk Park on Syracuse's South Side.

When the polls close at 9:00 pm, Hawkins will join the Green Party for an election night party and to wait for election results at the Syracuse Polish Home, 915 Park Ave., Syracuse.

Green Party Halloween to Feature Local Food, Drink, and Music by Grajak, Malvinas and Utility Life

What: 4th Annual Green Party Halloween Themed Fundraiser: “Vote Green, Not Machine.” $10-$100 donation at the door (free for members of the media). Local food and drink served, including sumac tea, choke berry jam, and Middle Ages beer.

Music by Syracuse Ukelele Ensemble (Folk), Grajak (Reggae) and Utility Life (Crunk/Folk)

When: 7-10 pm, Friday, October 30, 2015 

Where:  The Cosmopolitan Building, 1153 W. Fayette St. Syracuse, NY 13204

Who: Syracuse Green Party candidates: Howie Hawkins (Auditor), Frank Cetera (2nd District Councilor),  Lance Denno (Councilor at-Large), Caleb Duncan (Commissioner of Education), Ray Blackwell (Commissioner of Education)

The Green Party is hosting this fundraiser to raise funds for final Get Out the Vote expenses and to celebrate the final campaign push towards Election Day. 

Hawkins Wants Audits To Address City's Big Problems 

Calls for External Audit of the City Auditor's Office

Howie Hawkins, the Green candidate for Syracuse City Auditor, released today a list of high-priority topics for city audits and special projects by the City Auditor's Office. The list is appended at the end.

“The City Auditor's Office could be doing so much more to the help the city. It should be the voters' public interest research group. Given its limited resources, it should prioritize audits and special projects that help the city address the big problems its faces, including struggling schools, failing infrastructure, high poverty, and fiscal distress,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins to discuss Audits he wants to do as an Independent Watchdog

Who: Howie Hawkins, Green candidate for Syracuse City Auditor

What: News Conference

When: Wednesday, October 28 at 11:00 am

Where: Green Party Office, 2013 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Howie Hawkins will release and discuss a list of priority topics for audits and special projects he want to pursue as City Auditor.

Among the audits he will discuss is an external audit of the Syracuse City Auditor's Office, which the city charter requires every other year, but which has not been done for decades.

“The City Auditor's Office should be an independent watchdog for city taxpayers and residents. It's the city voters' public interest research group. As a Green in a city where every elected official is now a Democrat, I will enter the office clean of any personal obligations to the people or the party currently making decisions as to how money is spent and what the policy priorities are. I want to prioritize audits that address the big problems the city faces, such as the timeliness of financial reporting and its impact on budget management and the costs of doing business on a daily basis with lenders and contractors, including external auditors,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins is challenging the incumbent Democrat, Marty Masterpole, in a two-way race. No Republican is running.

In response to a WAER report on Thursday, Howie Hawkins, the Green candidate for Syracuse City Auditor, agreed with the Democratic incumbent, Marty Masterpole, that Masterpole's record needs to be set straight.

Below are excerpts from Masterpole's claims in the WAER written and audio reports, followed by Hawkins' responses.

Democratic Former City Officials Endorse Hawkins for City Auditor

Hawkins Promises High-Impact Audits on the Big Issues

Video of the news conference

Howie Hawkins, the Green candidate for Syracuse City Auditor, received the endorsements today of a former deputy city auditor and two former city councilors.

The former city officials are Lawrence Bott, Deputy City Auditor from 2004 to 2010 and an analyst in the city budget office in the administrations of mayors Lee Alexander, Tom Young, and Roy Bernardi; Pat Hogan, a Democratic 2nd District Common Councilor from 2006 to 2013; and Lance Denno, who served as a Democratic Common Councilor for the 5th District and then Councilor-at-Large from 2008 to 2013. Denno is running for Councilor-at-Large in this year's election as a Green candidate.

Facing camera l-r: Lance Denno, Howie Hawkins, Lawrence Bott, Pat Hogan

Says Debate Needed to Address City Issues and Increase Voter Turnout

Howie Hawkins, the Green candidate for Syracuse City Auditor, today urged media and civic organizations to hold a City Auditor debate to be broadcast on TV and radio.

The other candidate is the incumbent Democrat, Marty Masterpole. No Republican is running.

Time Warner Cable News reported on Oct. 9 that Masterpole as well as Hawkins were willing to debate before the Nov. 3 election.

Howie Hawkins, the Green candidate for Syracuse City Auditor, said today that the incumbent auditor, Marty Masterpole, is under-producing, has not hired professionally qualified staff, and is not an acting as an independent watchdog.

“The main issue in this race is simple. Marty Masterpole is not doing the job. I will,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins said that as a Green in a city where every elected official is a Democrat, “I will have the independence to provide the checks and balances the City Auditor is supposed to provide. I will conduct audits that some may not welcome by some, but they can help the Mayor, Council and city departments and agencies to do their jobs better,” he said.

Hawkins spoke in front in Syracuse City Hall with supporters and a banner featuring his campaign slogan: “Independent. Hard Working. Professional.”

“With all the problems Syracuse faces – from high poverty and struggling schools to failing infrastructure – we cannot afford to have elected officials who don't do their jobs,” Hawkins said.

Howie Hawkins, the Green candidate for the Syracuse City Auditor, will present his views on the issues in the race for Syracuse City Auditor at a news conference to be held on Friday, October 9 in front of Syracuse City Hall.

Hawkins is challenging the incumbent Democrat, Marty Masterpole, in a two-way race. No Republican is running.

Masterpole will appear on the ballot on the Democrats' Row A. Rows B and C for Republicans and Conservatives respectively will be blank. Hawkins will appear next on Row D.

Row D is two rows higher on the ballot for the Greens in 2015, moving up past the Working Families and Independence lines, due to the nearly 5 percent vote for the Green gubernatorial ticket in 2014 with Hawkins as the candidate.

The Green Party of Onondaga County designated three candidates at its county convention on Sunday, May 17, 2015 at the Peace and Social Justice Center at 2013 East Genesee Street in Syracuse.