2021 Syracuse mayoral election
The 2021 Syracuse mayoral election will be held in 2021. Incumbent Independent mayor Ben Walsh is seeking re-election to a second term in office.[1] The Democratic and Republican nominees will be chosen by the central committee of each party.[2][3]
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Background
In 2017, incumbent Democratic mayor of Syracuse Stephanie Miner was term-limited and could not seek reelection. Ben Walsh won the race to succeed her, defeating Democrat Juanita Perez Williams.[4] Walsh comes from a family of Republican politicians. He is the son of Jim Walsh, former U.S. Representative from New York's 25th congressional district, and the grandson of William Walsh, former U.S. representative from New York's 33rd congressional district and former mayor of Syracuse.[5] However, Walsh himself is registered as an Independent, and was the first Independent elected mayor of Syracuse in 104 years.[4] Walsh ran on three ballot lines: Independence, Reform, and a new line that he created for himself, Upstate Jobs. However, although Walsh has confirmed that he will seek re-election, he has yet to announce which lines he will campaign under.[1] Whichever lines he pursues, he will face an uphill battle to get on the ballot, due to several developments since 2017. First, the Reform Party lost automatic ballot access in 2018 after failing to surpass 50,000 votes in that year's gubernatorial election.[6] Then in November 2020, New York increased the cutoff for automatic ballot access. Previously, political parties only needed to gain at least 50,000 votes on their ballot line in a statewide election every four years in order to maintain automatic ballot access. But under the new rules, parties must at least gain either 130,000 votes or 2% of the total, whichever is higher. In addition, they must meet this threshold every two years. As a result of the increased restrictions, the Independence Party also lost its automatic ballot access after the 2020 presidential election. Parties who fail to meet the requirement can still get on the ballot via petition, but this is significantly more difficult, especially for minor parties.[7][8]
Democratic primary
The Syracuse Democratic Committee will select a nominee on February 17th, 2021.[3]
Declared
- Khalid Bey, President pro tempore of the Syracuse common council[9][10]
- Michael Greene, common councillor at-large[9]
Potential
- Alfonso Davis, community activist and candidate for mayor in 2009 and 2013[9]
- Pamela Hunter, state assemblywoman and chair of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee[9]
Declined
- Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union[9]
- Marty Masterpole, Onondaga County Comptroller, former Syracuse City Auditor, and candidate for mayor in 2017[9][11]
- Tim Rudd, director of the Syracuse Office of Management and Budget and former common councillor at-large[9][12]
Republican primary
The Syracuse Republican Committee chose Burman as its nominee on January 21, 2020.[2]
Chosen by committee
- Janet Burman, economist, former chair of the Syracuse Republican Committee and the Onondaga County Republican Party, and nominee for District 53 of the New York State Senate in 2018[2][3]
References
- "Ben Walsh to seek reelection in 2021: 'I'm going to need 6 more years'". syracuse. March 6, 2020.
- https://www.syracuse.com/politics/cny/2021/01/republicans-pick-candidate-to-run-for-mayor-syracuse-is-sinking-into-a-pit-of-garbage.html
- https://www.localsyr.com/news/your-local-election-hq/who-are-the-candidates-for-syracuse-mayor/
- "Ben Walsh elected Syracuse mayor". syracuse. November 8, 2017.
- "Ben Walsh is running for mayor of Syracuse, but with which party?". syracuse. November 19, 2016.
- "Some third parties see victory in defeat". City & State NY. November 16, 2018.
- "Suffolk Closeup: Elections have consequences". Shelter Island Reporter. December 12, 2020.
- Geringer-Sameth, Ethan; Max, Ben. "Breaking Down Final 2020 Vote Tallies Across New York City". Gotham Gazette.
- Chouinard, Kyle; Hassan, Matt (December 11, 2020). "Councilor-at-Large Khalid Bey Announces His Candidacy for 2021 Syracuse Mayoral Race". www.waer.org.
- http://www.syrgov.net/Councilor_At_Large_2.aspx
- "City Auditor Marty Masterpole, a Democrat, enters race for Syracuse mayor". syracuse. January 27, 2017.
- "Walsh appoints Councilor Tim Rudd, a frequent critic, as budget director". syracuse. September 25, 2020.