Onondaga County Legislature

The Onondaga County legislature has a new chairman. After hours of back room negotiations Monday, Jim Rowley was appointed to succeed Dave Knapp, who served as the chamber’s leader since 2018.

Onondaga County lawmakers for a second time Tuesday approved GOP-drawn legislative district maps that could influence representation for the next decade. The vote was close, 9 to 8, with two republicans joining democrats in voting no.

It’ll be a busy day in Onondaga County legislature chambers Tuesday, where lawmakers are expected to take up two very controversial issues. The proposed aquarium project for Syracuse’s Inner Harbor and the final redistricting maps are both on the agenda.

Onondaga County’s controversial redistricting process is about to take another step forward with amended maps set to be released sometime Friday. The County Executive vetoed the original draft due to concerns about potential litigation.

The lead organizer of the effort called Flip the Leg to get more democrats elected to the Onondaga County Legislature says he’s disheartened that they were largely unsuccessful. The balance of the legislature remains 11 to 6 in favor of the republicans, with no seats gained or lost by either party.

The movement to get more Democratic representation on the Onondaga County Legislature failed but, for those who survived, they say they’re grateful.

Vernon Williams Jr. ran on the Working Families Party line after losing the Democratic primary earlier this year.

Republicans will maintain their majority in the Onondaga County Legislature.

Onondaga County voters in traditionally republican legislative districts may have received a knock on the door from democratic candidates trying to challenge the status quo. It’s part of a concerted effort by the democratic party to change the balance of power on the legislature called Flip the Leg. WAER News takes a deep dive into why democrats are mounting such a strong challenge, and some of the history behind county governance.

The last-minute agenda items would appear to fast track the redistricting process ahead of the results of the upcoming election. Democrats questioned the timing and ethics of the party-line vote.