Syracuse Democrats made their wishes clear Tuesday when they overwhelmingly chose Sharon Owens as their nominee for mayor. The Deputy Mayor easily defeated Pat Hogan and Chol Majok in the primary.
Owens’ victory automatically makes her a heavy favorite in the general election in a city dominated by Democrats. Her nomination could be seen as an endorsement of Mayor Ben Walsh's two-term tenure. He doesn't disagree.
“Democratic voters have spoken, and the message that I think we received is that generally people feel like we're headed in the right direction and they want to continue in that direction.”
Walsh said it’s the first time in a long time that the city will see real continuity from one administration to another.
“While Sharon will bring her own style and approach to the table and will put her own imprint on city government, she was also unapologetic in saying that she believes in in what we've accomplished over the past 7 1/2 years and she wants to continue on the path that we're on.”
Walsh said Owens’ deep roots in the community have served the city well during difficult times. He recalls how she leveraged those relationships when residents protested the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
“Being able to have conversations that help to overall bring the temperature of the community down and to and to give people a sense, even if they weren't happy with the status quo, that we were working on addressing it," Walsh said. "While at the same time, she had the credibility to be able to walk into the Police Department with me and have those same conversations with the police officers. That's really rare.”
Owens faces Republican Tom Babilon and perhaps independent candidates in November pending the outcome of petition challenges. If Owens wins, she’ll become the first Black mayor in Syracuse history.
