If Democrats unanimously vote for Watts, an Onondaga County Legislature newcomer, she will be the first woman chair of the legislature in decades.
Laura Robertson
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 graduated from Princeton in 2024, and speaks English, Farsi, and some Thai. She grew up just west of Binghamton in Tioga County and is excited to return to upstate New York.
Laura won the 2025 Nellie Bly Cub Reporter Award from the New York Press Club for her story on an infirmary profit model that led to dozens of deaths in New York State jails. A 2024 recipient of an Overseas Press Club scholar award, she’s interviewed Alaskan gold miners, Russian draft dodgers, and former Syrian freedom fighters, and reported from Tajikistan. She’s particularly interested in money flows, the intersections of business and politics, and how those things affect people on the ground.
You can reach her at lrobertson@centralcurrent.org with tips about things going on around the county, or with recommendations of ways to get to know Syracuse better!
Posted inElections 2025
‘We swept it’: Democrats flip Onondaga County Legislature on historic night
The Democrats’ historic night locally followed election trends nationally. Onondaga County Democrats flipped the legislature for the first time in decades.
Posted inOnondaga County
2025 election Q&A: Onondaga County Legislature 3rd District candidate Tim Burtis
Tim Burtis, the chairperson of the Onondaga County Legislature, is running unopposed to retain his seat.
Posted inElections 2025
2025 election Q&A: Onondaga County Legislature 12th District candidate David Knapp
David Knapp is running unopposed to retain his seat as the Onondaga County Legislature’s 12th District representative.
Posted inNews
2025 election Q&A: Onondaga County Legislature 17th District candidate Nodesia Hernandez
Nodesia Hernandez, the minority leader of the Onondaga County Legislature, is running unopposed to retain her seat.
Posted inElections 2025
2025 election Q&A: Onondaga County Legislature 7th District candidate Dan Romeo
Dan Romeo is running unopposed to keep his seat as the Onondaga County Legislature’s 7th District representative.
Posted inElections 2025
2025 election Q&A: Onondaga County Legislature 15th District candidate Maurice ‘Mo’ Brown
Maurice “Mo” Brown, a Democrat, is running to keep his seat as the Onondaga County Legislature’s 15th District representative. He is running unopposed.
Posted inNews
2025 election Q&A: Onondaga County Legislature 2nd District candidate Kevin Meaker
Kevin Meaker, a Republican, is running to represent the Onondaga County Legislature’s 2nd District. He is running unopposed.
Posted inNews
2025 election Q&A: Onondaga County Legislature 11th District candidate Rich McCarron
Richard McCarron, a Republican is the incumbent legislator for the Onondaga County Legislature’s 11th District. He is running unopposed.
Posted inElections 2025
2025 election Q&A: Onondaga County Legislature 1st District candidate Brian May
Brian May, a Republican, is the incumbent candidate for the Onondaga County Legislature’s 1st District. He is running unopposed.