It was a day of farewells on the Syracuse common council Monday as colleagues bid goodbye to three departing members. President Helen Hudson is retiring; district councilor Pat Hogan is term limited; and councilor-at-large Amir Gethers lost a re-election bid. Gethers is the youngest councilor and Hogan is the oldest.
Hudson has served a combined 14 years, previously as an at-large councilor. She took a leave of absence in May 2024 to undergo treatment for lung cancer, and returned this past August. Hudson and colleagues reflected her time in chambers.
“I want to say thank you to the residents in the city of Syracuse, because without you, I wouldn't be here," Hudson said. "And for the last eight years, I've been privileged to be the president of the Syracuse City Council. keep up the good fight keep up the good work because you know what? It's not about us. It's about the people in the city of Syracuse that's depending on you to be the voice for them.”
COUNCILOR-AT-LARGE AMIR GETHERS
“Madam President, I can't thank you enough from the deepest ends of my heart," Gethers said. "You've been not only a mother and auntie, but a great person to steer and guide me and help mold me as the young man that I am growing and getting a little older with gray hairs that I got from the council.”
1st DISTRICT COUNCILOR MARTY NAVE
“And Madam President, our friendship goes back a long time. Thank you for your leadership," Nave said. "Thank you for asking the questions when people didn't want to hear the questions and were stuck because they didn't have that right answer.
"To my dear colleague and friend, Patrick J. Hogan, I'm going to miss you, my friend, because, you know, we had a lot of discussions. And I always believed in your wise counsel.”
2nd DISTRICT COUNCILOR PAT HOGAN
“We're a comeback city. We're on the verge of a big comeback," Hogan said. "We all have to work together. And I think we've proven that more and once with not only this council, the great folks on this council, that I've learned a lot from each one of them. But how we work with the new administration. And I think we have great things ahead of us.”
PRESIDENT HELEN HUDSON
“To the constituents, to the administration, to all of my colleagues, thank you, thank you, thank you for accepting me, for loving me. So with that, I want to call this meeting adjourned.”
With a thud of the gavel, Hudson wrapped up her final meeting.
