Matt Jones is running to represent District 2 in the Onondaga County Legislature. His opponent, incumbent Kevin Meaker, was first elected in 2023. Jones is running on the Democratic line. 

Central Current sent Jones 11 questions about housing, immigration, data centers, agriculture, and more. Here are his responses. 

Central Current: The fact is, we had a housing shortage even before Micron announced it would be coming to Onondaga County. Anyone who has recently been in the market for a home or currently pays rent in our area understands this firsthand. That shortage has resulted in higher prices and made the dream of homeownership harder to obtain for so many in Central New York, especially people my age and younger. 

Matt Jones: County government absolutely has a role to play in helping to address the housing crisis. The solution isn’t just to build more housing, we have to build the right kind of housing. We have to make sure developers that receive county support work with us toward that solution, which means incentivizing the building of more modest-sized starter homes and other affordable options that younger families and seniors looking to downsize can actually afford. I’m also a fan of the legislature’s work to create a housing development corporation that would provide low-interest financing to help get more middle-income housing built. 

CC: Transparency has been a major talking point in the legislature this year – from donor transparency around the aquarium to concerns that each caucus brings things to the floor without giving the other advance notice. Where would you like to see more transparency in county government, and what can the legislature do to enforce it? 

MJ: Transparency and accountability aren’t talking points to me, it’s how I’ve always approached public service. As a school board member, I helped improve transparency by requiring the recording and livestreaming of meetings so residents could stay up to date on district business at times that fit their schedule. It also improved accountability by creating a permanent video record of every discussion and vote that took place in the boardroom. I’ll bring that same focus to the Onondaga County Legislature and believe there are several areas where additional transparency and accountability are needed.

I have serious concerns about the apparent lack of transparency and accountability surrounding the funding for the aquarium. First, the County Executive and the legislators who voted for this project made clear that taxpayer dollars would not be used to keep the aquarium operating, that private funds or revenue generated by the aquarium would accomplish that. Recently, the county went back on that promise, telling legislators that tax dollars may be used to address any potential shortfalls . If elected, I’ll hold the County Executive to his original promise and vote against additional tax dollars for the aquarium.

Secondly, there’s the issue of how additional funding was secured for the aquarium after the initial $85 million appropriated by the legislature. Many voters I speak to don’t feel they received an adequate explanation for the way those additional public funds made their way to the aquarium. I believe they deserve a full explanation and will work to increase transparency and accountability in how the county spends their tax dollars. Ultimately, residents should be able to trust the word of the leaders they elect to represent them. 

CC: As thousands of Onondaga County refugees and residents lose their access to SNAP benefits, what should the county’s role be in ensuring access to food?

MJ: I know people in my personal life who are struggling with food insecurity and have worked to connect them with food pantries and other community organizations that are thankfully stepping up to fill the void left by the Federal government. I’ve personally donated food to great organizations like Blessings in a Backpack and volunteered with We Rise Above the Streets, Meals on Wheels, and the Samaritan Center. I recently purchased an outdoor food pantry (sometimes called a blessings box) to set up in my apartment complex because there is such a growing need for assistance all over the community. Sadly, neighbors and nonprofits aren’t able to meet this exploding need on their own. That’s where government has a responsibility to act. I give the county credit for recently investing $500,000 in our food pantry network. If elected, I’ll continue strengthening our food pantries, and create stronger partnerships between local farms and the organizations feeding families.

CC: Roughly one-third of Onondaga County’s land is used for agriculture. What, if anything, can the county do to support farmers, farmworkers, and other people involved in agriculture in the county? 

MJ: A large portion of the second district is agricultural, so this directly impacts many of the people I’m hoping to represent. Farms are a substantial part of our local economy and the county should be making sure we’re doing what we can to support agriculture and  make it easier for farmers to do business here. 

We can do that in a few ways. First, we should protect productive farmland from developmental pressures. None of us want to see land that has been successfully farmed for generations turned into yet another self-storage facility or car wash.  So, I’d continue meeting with farmers and others involved in agriculture to hear directly from them what the county can do to help them continue doing what they love.

From some of the conversations I’ve already had, I understand that we could do a better job helping people navigate and access things like grants, technical assistance and conservation programs available through partners like Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Soil and Water Conservation District. 

And while I feel the county currently does a good job promoting local farms through Onondaga Grown and other initiatives, there’s always more that can be done. I’d proactively reach out to farmers to learn how I can be a good working partner for them in the County Legislature.

CC: As Micron prepares to move into Onondaga County, some county residents have raised concerns about PFAS and other emissions. How do you plan to mitigate the environmental concerns of county residents? 

MJ: I decided to run for County Legislator this year in large part because Onondaga County and especially the Town of Clay (where District 2 is located) are about to experience tremendous growth and change. It’s crucial that we have elected leaders who will put the safety and quality of life of their neighbors above all else. One way we do that is by ensuring Micron and others are good neighbors and holding them to high environmental standards.

One way we can do that is by adopting a system similar to the one Ulster County recently put in place, where they not only expanded their air quality monitoring network, but created a website where the public can access and monitor those results in real-time. Giving residents live access to that information would add another layer of accountability to the work county and state agencies are already doing. Monitoring PFAS levels requires a different kind of testing and can’t be accomplished by installing air quality monitors, so we couldn’t offer the same level of instant access to information. However, we should still do that testing on a regular basis and make those results public and easily accessible.

We’d also need to act on what that testing and monitoring tells us. I’d work with the County Executive, county health officials, as well as state regulators  to make sure there are clear plans in place for addressing any problems that could arise and ensure immediate corrective action is taken when it’s needed. 

CC: Could the county be doing anything more to mitigate and combat its lead problem? If so, what? 

MJ: As long as there are still children in Onondaga County being harmed by lead exposure, the answer will be yes, we have to do more. I recognize the work already being done by the state, county, and city regarding testing, education, mitigation, and pipe replacement, but the unfortunate reality is, too many of our kids are still being harmed. I’d like to continue what is currently being done and build upon it while looking into why lead exposure in our county remains such a persistent problem.

Part of addressing that problem is holding accountable the people who allow dangerous conditions to continue. We saw an example of that very recently in the ruling against a Syracuse landlord who repeatedly put tenants in harm’s way. I commend the action taken by the city and the judge who handled that case and would like to see more of that. No one should get away with harming members of our community in pursuit of a profit. 

I’d also point out that this is a perfect example of a problem we should be prioritizing with taxpayer dollars before spending millions on an aquarium. 

CC: Over the last two years, USCIS has rolled back protected status for many groups of immigrants and has begun to target people for detainment who might not have been targeted in the past (i.e.: asylum seekers). Do you believe the county needs to do anything more to protect its large immigrant and refugee populations? If so, what? 

MJ: My first job was working as a dishwasher at a Mexican restaurant here in Clay at 15 years old. I was the only person in the kitchen who didn’t speak Spanish and remember going into my first day worried I’d feel completely alone. Not only was that not the case, but the friendships I made in that restaurant more than twenty years ago are now family today. So, when I see what has taken place over the last two years with our nation’s immigration enforcement, I think about the strangers I met in that kitchen on my first day of my first job, who welcomed me into their family and their culture with open arms and I’m incredibly saddened and disturbed.

We are a nation of laws, and we must enforce our immigration laws, but we can not allow it to be done in a way that violates anyone’s human rights or basic dignity. I believe our Sheriff, Toby Shelley has done a fantastic job of enforcing the law in a way that is consistent with the constitution. We’re fortunate to have him in that role.

As a County Legislator, I’d work to strengthen partnerships with some of the great nonprofit organizations in our area who do incredible work, such as InterFaith Works, RISE, and La Liga. These groups help new Americans overcome language barriers and access opportunities. They also assist with securing jobs, enrolling children in school, and getting medical care, all of which help individuals new to our country live successful lives and contribute to their communities.

Our county has a long history of welcoming new Americans into our community, time and time again we have been made stronger by their contributions.

CC: What – if any – role should AI have in county operations? Should the county develop rules and policies to regulate its use? 

MJ: Unfortunately, I think it’s naive to believe that we could somehow go back to a world without AI. That genie is out of the bottle, and because we live in a world where competition comes more naturally than cooperation, we’ll probably never see a world where every nation and every company agrees to stop using it.

With that said, I have major concerns regarding the impact AI is having on society. Everything from the environmental damage caused by the data centers that power them to the way it has negatively impacted education and the serious threats it poses to our workforce and security. Instead of spending time and energy trying to turn back time, we need to get serious about establishing meaningful safeguards. In order to do that, we need to elect leaders who understand how this technology works or are willing to take the time to learn.

Specific to the county, there are things we can do to protect against adverse effects. First, no consequential decision should ever be made without a human reviewing it. For example, we’ve already seen several instances throughout the country where the use of AI-assisted technology by police resulted in wrongful arrests.

Second, consumers and residents have a right to know when a company, and certainly their government, uses AI to do anything with their personal information so they can opt-out if they wish. I’m grateful the county has already taken action on this by requiring companies to inform consumers when their biometric data is being collected. Thankfully that legislation passed, despite my opponent voting against it.

Lastly, if any county agency uses AI in a customer service role, it should provide residents with a clear option to bypass the use of that technology in favor of speaking to an actual person. Anyone who has had to use automated systems knows how frustrating it is not to be able to get what they need because they can’t speak to a real human being.

I’m not anti-AI. I think there are beneficial uses for it. When it saves a teacher an hour of lesson planning so they can spend more time with family. When it allows for faster medical breakthroughs and treatments that save lives. When it allows people who don’t speak the same language to instantly communicate. But like anything else, there have to be safeguards in place to protect people. In the case of AI the stakes are just significantly higher.

CC: County Executive Ryan McMahon has announced a plan to study the feasibility and potential impacts of building a data center in Onondaga County. What would be the ideal outcome of that study? Depending on the outcome, how do you plan to respond? 

MJ: It doesn’t require a half million dollar study to know that data centers don’t belong in Onondaga County. Take a drive down to Ashburn, Virginia or Prince William County and ask the folks living there what it’s like trying to sleep with the constant noise generated by the data centers in their town. Speak to the people living in South Memphis who have seen increased respiratory illnesses since xAI’s “Colossus” data center started operating. Or talk to the people in Baltimore who have seen their utility bills climb as a result of the strain placed on the power grid by nearby data centers. 

I’ve been very clear, I will do everything I can to prevent data centers from being built in Onondaga County, recognizing that it’s ultimately a decision made by individual towns and municipalities. That’s because people in our community are already struggling with the increased cost of energy and water, and that’s before Micron is even built and requires a significant amount of both electricity and water to operate. Imagine the impact of adding data centers into the mix. It isn’t sustainable and I’m not willing to risk driving more people out of the county because they can’t afford to pay their utility bills.

CC: Syracuse consistently has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty in the nation. Do you believe the county should be doing anything more than it is currently to address childhood poverty? If so, what?

MJ: When I was married several years ago, I was lucky to be the Step-Dad of the most amazing little guy you’d ever want to meet. I worked as a teacher and my ex-wife worked at the daycare he attended. Even with an employee discount, his tuition absorbed more than half of her monthly take-home pay. Today, the cost of childcare is even higher than it was then, so is the cost of housing, the cost of utilities, the cost of food, healthcare, gas- everything. People are experiencing the worst cost of living crisis we’ve seen in a generation. So, many of the children and families living in poverty prior to the inflation that’s resulted since COVID-19 are in far worse situations than before. 

Every level of government, including the county, needs to use every tool at its disposal to try to bring the cost of living down for families. The ways I’d like to see us do that would be continued investment in affordable housing and prioritizing the development of smaller, more modest starter homes that families can actually afford to purchase. Work with partners at the state level to introduce a pilot program that would provide grants or no interest loans to established day care providers in order to help them expand their capacity and in exchange, set aside a certain percentage of those new spots for low-income families. I would also try to build on the great work the Legislature did in this current budget to expand food access to low-income families by providing needed funds to our pantry network and strengthening partnerships with local farms to get the food they grow to the people who need it most. Everyone is struggling under the cost of living, but those who were struggling before the price of everything exploded are in an even worse position today. We can do more to address persistent childhood poverty while addressing the broader cost of living crisis all of us are experiencing. 

CC: What county issues and concerns have an outsize impact in your district specifically? How do you plan to address those concerns and bring them to the forefront of the legislative agenda? 

MJ: Since I started running for this position 10 months ago, I’ve personally knocked on over 2,500 doors and have had countless conversations with neighbors here in Clay. The concern I hear about most, aside from the cost of living, is the impact Micron will have on our community. People are concerned about how it will affect their quality of life- the traffic it will bring, the influx of students in their child’s school and what that means for class sizes, the impact on their utilities and whether our grid can handle the demand, the potential environmental effects that come from a massive industrial site and whether we can maintain our air and water quality. People are already seeing the increase in home values and housing costs and wonder if they’ll be able to afford to remain in the community they love.

These concerns are what drove me to run for this office. I believe the historic growth and change we’re about to experience requires a new kind of leadership that prioritizes the safety and quality of life of our neighbors above all else. That shows up and is accessible to constituents year round, not just in the lead up to Election Day. That isn’t afraid to ask tough questions and hold powerful interests accountable. Right now, we need someone who will work every day to protect the quality of life of the people who already call Clay and Onondaga County home. That’s the work I’m ready to do.

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Laura Robertson is a staff reporter covering Onondaga County. Prior to joining Central Current, she lived on the edge of the Bering Strait in Nome, Alaska, where she worked as a reporter for a year. She...