Onondaga County voters are going to the polls starting Saturday to either validate the leadership and accomplishments of incumbent republican County Executive Ryan McMahon, or make a change. He’s being challenged by longtime Democratic legislator Bill Kinne.
McMahon is seeking a second term in office, and knows this election is a referendum on his performance over the past five years, before, through, and since the pandemic.
“This is about a body of work," McMahon said. "Is this community going in the right direction from 2018 to where we are today.”
Naturally, Micron is a major factor in setting the direction for the county and the region over the next generation. McMahon says he’s confident he and his team have set a strong foundation to accommodate the growth and address the challenges that will come with the massive project.
“We knew that the site attraction process was a lot of work and it was a lot of investment and a lot of risk that we took that no one else took," McMahon said. "Those partnerships that you've built with state and federal partners, local partners like the Town of Clay, need to be there and they need to be strong, and you need to have somebody who can manage through that unique once in a lifetime process.”
Meanwhile, McMahon says the county is addressing ongoing community needs, from investing in children’s mental health and seniors to tackling the complicated issue of poverty. Not to mention infrastructure.
“We've invested more in infrastructure than any other administration, paved more roads, fixed more bridges, brought broadband, solved the digital divide," McMahon said. "We were ambitious because we believe in this community, that we're worthy of good things and that we can compete without the with other regions in the country, but also internationally.”
But McMahon’s ambition has rubbed some political opponents the wrong way, inside and outside of county government. Legislators, who each represent 28,500 voters, complain about a lack of transparency with or access to his administration on everything from mundane matters to controversial issues. McMahon dismisses those concerns.
“The taxpayers of this community don't care if county legislators are talking to a department head or a deputy county executive," McMahon said. "So I think that this is small ball issues and that replicates really what the campaign has been about for my opponent.”
McMahon wants to make the race about his record and his vision for the county’s future.
Early voting gets underway Saturday at 10 locations across Onondaga County, and continues through Nov. 5. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.
