City

Conservative Party Candidate Ian Hunter loses mayoral election

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Democracywise, an SU-based website with stories from political reporting students.

Conservative Party candidate Ian Hunter has lost to incumbent Democrat Stephanie Miner in the race for Syracuse mayor.

“I didn’t lose,” Hunter said after the unofficial vote tally assured his defeat. “Citizens in Syracuse lost because they weren’t paying attention.”

Hunter has a long political history in the city and county.  He ran and lost races for Syracuse Common Council in the late ‘70s and for a seat on the Onondaga County Legislature in 1995.

In his non-political life, Hunter works as project manager for Last Chance Recycling, which is owned by his wife Joy in DeWitt. He also runs a roofing company called Taberg Roofing Inc.



On Election Night, Hunter gathered with a few friends at the Half Penny Pub on Fayette Street. Eating molasses-bacon spiced popcorn and drinking Island Cola, Hunter showed no visible emotion at the news of his defeat.  “I didn’t think I was going to win,” he said.  “My goal was to educate people and give them some issues to think about.  But they weren’t listening.”

Going forward, Hunter said he plans to sell his recycling company, retire and take time off to go to Florida and meet his new granddaughter. He will not run for mayor in the next election, he said.  “It was fun,” he said.  “But now I go home to my family and life goes on.”





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