Tammy Honeywell, a Democrat, plans to run to represent the Onondaga County Legislature's 8th District seat. Credit: Courtesy of Tammy Honeywell

Editor’s note: Read more about Tammy Honeywell’s opponent, Chad Ryan, here.

Tammy Honeywell, a union leader and former Onondaga County Department of Social Services worker, is running for the county’s legislature’s 8th District seat.

She is facing down a June 24 primary against former Syracuse Common Councilor Chad Ryan, in hopes of gaining the Democratic line on November’s general election ballot.

The 8th District will, starting next January, encompass parts of the city, as well as portions of the town of Geddes and Westvale.

Honeywell announced her candidacy at the start of the year, around the same time County Executive Ryan McMahon appointed Republican incumbent Shawn Fiato to the legislature to represent the 8th District. 

Fiato will face the winner of the primary election between Honeywell and Ryan. She was appointed by McMahon to finish out the current term, which was vacated by former Democratic Minority leader Chris Ryan. Ryan started serving a term in the New York State Senate in January after winning the 50th Senate District seat last November. 

Honeywell is a senior investigator at the New York State Department of Health. 

During her tenure as a DSS worker, she was also the executive vice president of the Civil Service Employees Association Local 834, where she represented more than 2,500 workers at the county, the city, and other municipalities.

Honeywell has also been engaged in local politics for about a decade.

“I will not sit back quietly and see people be negatively affected by the status quo in Onondaga County,” Honeywell said. “We cannot afford to have elected leaders who won’t speak up. We need leaders who have been in the fight, and will continue to do so.”

Honeywell has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and its local chapter in Syracuse, as well as the Working Families Party. She has pledged not to take money from developers or political action committees. 

Central Current asked Honeywell and Ryan six questions focused on the issues facing the district. Below are Honeywell’s responses.

Central Current: What will you do to make the funding of the aquarium project a transparent process? And that your constituents will have a say in how the project proceeds?

Tammy Honeywell: One thing is for certain, the majority of Onondaga County residents are not happy about the proposed aquarium. While we are no. 1 in child poverty, this should not be the focus. The aquarium should be re-imagined so that it could serve the residents who live here in the best way. 

Safe and affordable housing, and living wage jobs need to be the priority. If the aquarium is to move forward, it must serve the people, protect the environment, and respect the workers who make it all possible. 

I will fight to make sure the process is fully transparent and democratically controlled. Which includes every contract, every funding source, and environmental review needs to be public and accessible. Our community deserves to see exactly where and how money is being spent.

Transparency is not enough. I’ll demand that the project use union labor, pay living wages, and guarantee safe working conditions. If public money is involved, workers and the community must benefit, not just developers.

We also need to hear from Indigenous leaders from the Onondaga Nation, labor organizers, environmental scientists, and educators, about this project, to ensure all impact is addressed.

The aquarium must meet aggressive climate standards: energy efficiency, sustainable construction, and programs that educate the public about the real threats facing ecosystems here in Central New York. Including the ongoing pollution of Onondaga Lake.

We don’t need another top down vanity project. We need public investment that reflects our values: climate justice, labor rights and community power.

How will you help address the county’s crises of housing affordability, housing disrepair, and childhood lead poisoning?

TH: We need to have mechanisms in place to hold people accountable for the part they have played in the current crisis we face. 

Absent landlords are making a lot of money, while tenants are forced to live in unsafe conditions, and pay rents that are higher than we have ever seen.

In order for issues like lead poisoning to be resolved, we have to make sure that the Onondaga County Health Department, and the City of Syracuse Code Enforcement is fully staffed to handle the crisis. These are not $100,000/year management jobs, but living wage union jobs that do the front line work that is needed to address these issues. We must also enforce the penalties associated with non-compliance.

We can re-imagine what we could do with the land bank, and the infrastructure it has. Homes could be revitalized to provide affordable housing for families in Onondaga County. Whether it be a program where people can own their own homes, social housing, or affordable rent, we need to have multiple options available to suit the needs of local residents. 

This is something that would have been very much worth a $100 million investment, and could have been a great legacy project of actually helping residents who are struggling to survive find safe and affordable housing.

I will also continue to advocate for the Syracuse Common Council to pass Good Cause Legislation, and be more tenant focused.

How do you plan to work with a majority Republican legislature?

TH: I will provide my perspective and hope there is room for collaboration. Especially when focusing on vulnerable residents in Onondaga County. Human rights should not be a partisan issue, but should be something that all elected leaders focus on. 

Especially when we have a large demographic of people who are struggling in our county. All elected representatives play a role in that, regardless of party affiliation. I will communicate with them to see what areas we can agree on, and what can be accomplished together.

I will take the issues to the people and ensure they have a voice. Residents who are Republican, Democrat, unaffiliated, etc. feel the county is not as transparent as they should be. 

As we have seen recently with the aquarium project, and the impact study for Micron. I will educate the public about what is going on at the Legislature, how to become more involved in the process, and ensure they have the information needed. 

A well informed public leads to less apathy, and more involvement in the overall outcome. 

People need leaders they can believe in, and not ones that focus on those with status in the community. Elected leaders work for the people, not for the county executive or his agenda.

When we focus on the most marginalized, everyone benefits. Not just those who are politically and financially connected, and have power.

What legislative guardrails would you establish so that Micron preserves the county’s natural resources?

TH: It is essential to ensure Micron preserves our natural resources, and respects our communities. Economic development, and job creation is necessary, but we must safeguard future generations from potential harmful impacts. 

We still have yet to see the impact statement, which should have been made public immediately. 

This is not the first time where the county has not been transparent, or has done everything possible to avoid public input. Micron’s arrival must not come at the cost of our water, air, land or communities.

We need to have binding environmental standards-including strict limits on water use, carbon emissions and waste disposal. 

That includes regular third-party audits, enforceable caps, and transparent public reporting, not self-regulation. Community Benefit Agreements need to be written with labor unions, Indigenous leaders, environmental scientists, and residents, that guarantee protections for natural resources, funding for environmental remediation, and real consequences for violations.

A public environmental oversight board should be created. Made up of impacted community members, not corporate appointees, with the power to halt or penalize harmful operations.

Any public subsidies for Micron must be conditional. If public resources are exploited, or environmental laws are broken, they lose public funding. Our lakes, land and future should not be sacrificed for profit.

Would you continue to fund the Onondaga County Housing Initiative Program (O-CHIP)? Would you change anything about it? Why or why not?

TH: I would like to see more of an affordable housing focus from Onondaga County overall, rather than giving more money to wealthy developers.

We have an increase in unhoused families in Onondaga County, which is disproportionately affecting Black, brown, and lower-income communities. Syracuse is no. 1 in child poverty across the country.  Onondaga County has a $1.5 Billion budget that could go a long way to address that. 

If a child has to worry about where they are going to sleep at night, their focus is not necessarily going to be on education, or other things important for a child’s development. Which continues the cycle of poverty.

We could incentivize things that will have a positive impact on residents. Such as:

  • Utilizing union labor for ALL jobs, as they provide a living wage and help increase wages in the community overall, helping to address poverty.
  • Green energy utilized, such as heat pumps, etc. to address the future climate concerns for the children of the community.
  • Streamline permitting processes to prevent delays. 
  • Enforcing building codes, including lead abatement. We should have a vested interest in working together with the city, as well as towns and villages, to address these issues.
  • Increase rental assistance which can go a long way to ensuring families are housed, and to help prevent eviction. That is costly to everyone overall.

How would you balance the needs of your constituents in suburbs against the needs of your constituents in the city, some of whom live in economically distressed zip codes?

TH: As an elected official you have an obligation to ensure that no residents are left behind, or forgotten about, regardless of their zip code. The only suburb in my district is a small portion of Geddes. The rest of the district encompasses the city, which has varying degrees of dire needs. 

I would work with the residents and Town of Geddes elected officials to determine the needs of the Geddes area. I would also do the same for Syracuse. The city is in the center of our county. It is no. 1 in child poverty.  If the city thrives, the entire county thrives. If the county thrives, the Central New York region thrives. 

The data is clear, when you address the needs of the most vulnerable, everyone benefits. Safe and affordable housing, accessible public transportation, and more union living wage jobs are essential for our entire county to thrive.

Read more of Central Current’s coverage

Eddie Velazquez is a Syracuse journalist covering economic justice in the region. He is focused on stories about organized labor, and New York's housing and childhood lead poisoning crises. You can follow...