Four new people are preparing to take their seats at the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency. Members of the county legislature’s Democratic majority pushed through their nominees despite a last-minute offer from the county executive.
The 10 to 7 party line vote marked the culmination of an effort announced last week by chairwoman Nicole Watts to add members that she feels better reflect the community. OCIDA approves nearly every development project in the county, and most of them come with generous tax breaks or other benefits. Watts said the topic comes up constantly from residents.
“People are keenly interested in these PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreements and how they're being made and who participates in them," she said. "People really want to see that that's an open, accessible process. What we're looking for in a board is that those who are considering the decisions are representative of a broad cross-section of our community.”
Minority Republicans didn't hold back their criticism, calling the move an "abuse of power," "unprecedented," and "shameful."
Christine Varga was one of several speakers to oppose the nominees. She ran as a Conservative Party candidate for district attorney in 2023.
“This is not good for the economic development of our county," she said during the public comment period before the vote.
“If there were true confidence in these nominees, the Democrats would have welcomed committee review. Instead, their process was sidestepped. The reason is clear: These nominees cannot withstand the scrutiny that such committee review would bring.
We cannot allow the integrity of this important body to be compromised for political convenience.”
Chairwoman Watts denied politics are a factor, and said they didn't have all of the candidate information in time for the committee process.
She said her goal is for OCIDA to make housing projects more of a priority while also maintaining its focus on economic development and job creation. But Republican Floor Leader Brian May said it dilutes the board’s effectiveness.
“It's really two separate issues. And if we mix them together, neither goal gets met sufficiently," he said. "But if we separate them, which is what could have happened, we could have met both goals and kept on the path of progress. So now we're on the path of being hopeful that this works out okay.”
Toward the end of the extended debate, May put forward a last-minute offer from the county executive of $5 million for affordable housing projects if Democrats dropped two of their nominees. They refused.
In a release, Ryan McMahon emphasized the need to maintain continuity of operations at OCIDA and uninterrupted momentum on economic development initiatives currently underway.
"Effective economic development requires shared commitment and consistent communication, and my administration will continue to prioritize teamwork as these transitions move forward," he said. "Protecting the county’s momentum depends on unified leadership and a coordinated approach.”
The four new members include small business owner, real estate agent, and former common councilor Michael Greene; CNY Fair Housing Executive Director Sally Santangelo, Dekka Eysaman, Executive Director of the newly established South Side Community Growth Foundation; and, Christina Hollenback, Co-Founder of Municipal Finance Innovation Lab.
They replace Cydney Johnson, Leslie English, Elizabeth Drefyus, and Garard Grannell. Randy Wolken, Alan Marzullo, and Mark Muthumbi retain their seats.
