Residents of the Onondaga County Legislature’s 9th district on Syracuse’s north side have three choices on their ballot, and none are on the Democratic line. The unusual race features all political novices seeking a seat that's been represented by a Democrat for over a decade.
Back in April, a judge barred Democrats from running on the party line in the 9th district because petition signatures submitted by incumbent Democrat Palmer Harvey were ruled fraudulent. That didn’t stop registered Democrat Nicole Watts from running on the Working Families and Northside Rising party lines. She said her 15 years of work with human service agencies has prepared her for a spot on the legislature.
“The work that I've gotten to do in the community has just exposed me to so many different parts and pieces of a kind of an ecosystem that makes up the north side," Watts said. "And I think those experiences and exposures really equip me to at least be able to help folks connect to where resources might be.”
Republican Bonnke Sekarore said he’s also made connections in his 17 years on the north side with various neighborhood groups. He argued he’ll have more influence, as a member of the legislature’s majority, to advocate for a district he said has been forgotten.
“What I can promise is to support these initiatives, these programs that fund mental health in our schools, lead abatement, all these issues that the county has power to fund," Sekarore said. "I will be an advocate particularly because this is what my constituents are telling me. Drug issues, safety concerns.”
But Kenyata Calloway said in her 30 years working in youth services and not-for-profits, she’s seen an imbalance in how funds and services are distributed. A registered Democrat, she’s running on the North Side Neighbors party line.
“I feel like sometimes we overfund a program because it sounds amazing," Calloway said. "The city funds it, the county funds it, some private companies fund the same project. Because of all of our silos, we need to come out the box a little bit and work together so that we can fund correctly. That's what collaboration is.”
All three candidates said housing quality and affordability are a major challenge in the densely populated district, which is home to much of Syracuse’s refugee and immigrant populations.
