Progressive mayoral candidate Khalid Bey on Thursday received endorsements from five Democratic members of the Syracuse Common Council. This included Bey’s challenger in the June primary, Michael Greene, who threw his support behind his former rival.
“He knows the issues well and he’s not afraid to confront the tough problems that we need to solve in our city,” Greene said.
Bey’s announcement comes after his general election opponent, Mayor Ben Walsh, an independent, has also touted support from left-leaning sources. The battle between the two candidates has the potential to split the Democratic vote at the polls in November.
Bey also received support from common councilors Pat Hogan, Chol Majok, Latoya Allen, and Ronnie White Jr., at the Thursday news conference held outside the City Hall Atrium.
Meanwhile, incumbent Mayor Ben Walsh, a registered independent running for his second term, has received Democratic support of his own. Common Council president and prominent Democratic leader Helen Hudson announced her support for Walsh last week. The mayor is also backed by several labor unions in the area, which typically favor Democratic candidates.
Bey agreed the two candidates have similar platforms but claimed the mayor’s administration has not lived up to its lofty goals.
“We’ve got a lot of window dressing and a lot of air castles, but nothing moving,” Bey said.
However summer campaign finance reports show the mayor has received significant financial support for his re-election, according to Syracuse.com.
Election Day is Nov. 2. Early voting starts on Saturday, Oct. 23.