In a historic victory, Democrat Stephanie Miner will be the 53rd mayor of Syracuse.
"I have learned firsthand that anything worth doing you can't do alone," Miner told her crowd of supporters Tuesday night while celebrating her win at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel.
Miner will be the first woman to become mayor of Syracuse when she takes office Jan. 1.
In 2005, Republican Joanie Mahoney, now the Onondaga County executive, ran for mayor but lost to Democratic incumbent Matt Driscoll, who is now finishing his second term as mayor of Syracuse. Driscoll could not seek re-election because of term limits.
Miner steps up to the mayor's office after eight years as a common councilor-at-large. In Tuesday's election, she beat two other candidates. Political newcomer and TV executive Steve Kimatian ran as the Republican and Independent Party candidate. And Otis Jennings, longtime city parks and recreation commissioner, ran as the Conservative Party nominee. In September, Jennings lost the GOP primary to Kimatian.
Miner won Tuesday's election with nearly 50 percent of the votes, in unofficial results from the Onondaga County Board of Elections. Miner garnered 2,436 more votes than Kimatian, who received 39 percent of the votes. Jennings came in with 2,314 votes, or 10 percent.
Miner's real campaign begins after the election, she told her crowd of supporters Tuesday night.
"I ask each of you to join me - and whether you voted for me or Steve or Otis, or whether you didn't vote at all - to join me in our real campaign, which starts tomorrow. Our real campaign to make Syracuse a city of justice, a city of peace and a city of hope for all of its residents."
Miner's win was expected, as Democrats outnumber Republicans in Syracuse 3 to 1, according to the Onondaga County Board of Elections. She also raised considerably more money than the other candidates, coming in with $546,118, according to Oct. 23 campaign finance reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections.
Miner began serving as a common councilor-at-large in 2001. She could not run for re-election to that seat because of term limits. In her time on the Common Council, Miner became well known for supporting education and later for leading initiatives with Say Yes to Education, a program aimed to increase high school and college graduation rates.
She developed a reputation as a maverick, challenging politicians who wanted to grant a tax break to the Destiny USA mall expansion at nearby Carousel Mall. Of the three mayoral candidates, Miner offered the most detailed agenda, with a 54-page plan of initiatives on her Web site.
This year's mayoral election saw the lowest voter turnout in 54 years. A little less than 31 percent of registered voters turned out to vote, according to the unofficial count by the Onondaga County Board of Elections. The previous mayoral election in 2005 saw about 40 percent of the electorate come out to vote, which had been the lowest turnout in 50 years.
At the polls on Tuesday, voters spoke of Miner's time in Syracuse, as well as her candid approach to politics.
Sue Freeman, a Syracuse resident and Unity Mutual Life Insurance Company employee, used to work with Miner's husband, John Mannion. Despite her Republican ties, Freeman voted for Miner early Tuesday at the Drumlins Country Club.
"I know Stephanie personally. She's a lot more reserved. A lot of people think she's a - I don't know how to say this right - a barking dog," Freeman said. "But she has kindness in her heart. She barks for the right reasons."
Jamie Bouchard, a Syracuse nurse, voted for Miner Tuesday afternoon at St. Stephen Lutheran Church. Bouchard said she respects Miner's strong character and willingness to stand up for taxpayers.
"I wanted to vote to see some changes in the city from someone who has been here a long time - someone like Stephanie Miner who knows what needs to be done," Bouchard said.
Looking ahead to another four years in public office in Syracuse, Miner is hopeful about the future of the city.
"I have been asked many times, 'Why do you want to be mayor?' 'Why would you run for mayor?' And the reason is that in every neighborhood, in every street, in every corner of our city, there is a drum that beats. It's a steady and strong beat. It's a beat of a people who do not know defeat. They believe in this city, and throughout this campaign I have felt the power of that drum beat, the power of the people who believe in their city, in their neighborhoods, in their children and in their families, who believe that things can be better if we work together toward that."
Celebrating her win, Miner spoke to her crowd of supporters at the Sheraton Tuesday night, offering some final words.
"I promise you tonight that I will work hard every day, that you have a mayor and a City Hall that you will be proud of every single day."
msanmigu@syr.edu
- A version of this story previously appeared on democracywise.syr.edu
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