Syracuse, NY – The eight current voting members of the Syracuse Common Council are divided when they should use their powers to appoint a new at-large member.
At least three councilors in the all-democratic body want to wait for the results of the June primaries so that party voters can say who will fill the seat by the end of this year. A fourth councilor is leaning in the same direction, but wants to scrutinize the statutory appointment process before making a decision.
Four other aldermen strongly oppose the idea of waiting that long, saying there is a mandate in the city charter for the council to fill vacancies and a process for doing so in adopted council rules.
The internal debate creates a new wrinkle in a process where 11 Democrats have already formally indicated their intention to run for the seat. The city’s GOP chairman said they also have a candidate considering a run.
The vacancy on the council stemmed from last November’s election, in which then-Councilwoman Rita Paniagua won the race for council president midway through her term. The person appointed by the council to replace Paniagua will fill the seat until the end of 2026, and an election will be held in November to determine who will serve the final year of the seat’s term in 2027.
District 5 Councilman Jimmy Monto, who also chairs the Syracuse Democratic Committee, is pushing to wait for the results of the June 23 primary. With so many contenders for the seat, a Democratic primary seems inevitable, so it makes sense to hear from voters, he said.
“I believe there is tremendous value in discussing this until the election process takes place,” he said. “Given the timeline, we have an opportunity to strengthen the power of voters. We should take advantage of it.
District 1 Councilman Marty Nave and District 3 Councilman Corey Williams share that sentiment. He and Monte noted that unlike the county seat, which has one board representing a specific geographic area in the city, there is a current opening for a seat that already has three at-large members serving.
“Certainly we should consider whether a full understanding of the will of the voters outweighs the rush to fill the vacancy,” Williams said.
At-Large Councilwoman Hanah Ehrenreich said she is still reviewing the city charter and council rules before deciding whether to support adjourned meetings. After hearing from 11 candidates at a recent meeting of the Syracuse Democratic Caucus, she is concerned about the potential to give five council members — the majority needed to fill a vacancy — enough power to install an incumbent before a primary.
“They all showed up, brought their A game, were articulate, passionate and researched,” she said. “I think anyone on this list would serve us well.
But four other councilors said they should follow the process that exists in council rules and appoint someone once the third regular council meeting becomes official.
District 2 Councilor Donna Moore, District 4 Councilor Patrona Jones-Rowser and At-Large Councilors Chol Majok and Rasheada Caldwell said the council has an obligation to fill the seat quickly.
“We were elected as representatives of the people,” Majok said. “We are given the power to fill the vacancy on behalf of the people.
Moore said the deferred vote extends the period in which the council has an even number of voting members, which could lead to situations where the council president would have to cast a vote to break a tie. The President shall not have a vote unless necessary to break a tie on a proposed resolution or regulation.
Jones-Rowser said it’s important the council is consistent with how it handles vacancies. For vacancies that occurred in 2022 and 2020, the council voted on replacements within two months.
“I’m not going to sidestep the process that’s going on,” Jones-Rowser said.
The city charter states that aldermen “nominate” city residents to fill a vacancy, but does not specify how quickly they should do so, nor does it set a process for how aldermen will review and discuss potential appointees.
The council adopted rules to create a defined process in 2019 after previous appointment decisions raised concerns about transparency. The steps include the following:
- At the first regular meeting after the vacancy is announced, the Town Clerk will announce the opening and invite qualified residents to apply. This happened at the regular meeting on Monday, January 12.
- Applications must be submitted by the next regular meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, January 26. Applications are publicly posted on the city’s website after the deadline.
- Councilors will individually select their top two candidates within a week of the application deadline.
- The council holds a committee meeting to publicly interview the two finalists who emerge from the council’s preliminary selections.
- Councilors can vote on the appointment as early as the third regular meeting after the seat is officially vacated, which would be Feb. 9.
The board’s rules also state that a vote can be taken on the appointment. But based on what aldermen are saying publicly, both the motion to table and the motion to appoint someone may fall short of the five votes needed to pass.
Paniagua, the new president, has said she supports waiting for the primary result, but she may not be able to break the tie on the issue. The president can only vote to break bond on written resolutions and ordinances, not on motions that are brought to the floor, according to the city’s charter.
Monto said he doubted the council could hold a meeting to talk in time for the Feb. 9 meeting. As a result, the Syracuse Democratic Committee will likely decide who to endorse among the 11 candidates who requested its endorsement before the primary. The committee is scheduled for approval by February 12.
The annual salary for a regular councilor is $37,131 this year.
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