Charlene Tarver, a Democratic candidate for the Onondaga County Legislature's 16th District. Credit: Courtesy of Charlene Tarver

Charlene Tarver leads the Democratic primary for the Onondaga County Legislature’s 16th District seat. 

Tarver has tallied 54.5% of the vote, according to unofficial election results from the Onondaga County Board of Elections. She leads her opponent, Nyatwa Bullock, by 73 votes. 

The Republican party did not designate a candidate in the race. 

“We started with the people’s campaign, and I think the people spoke,” Tarver said, adding that she was “humbled” by the results. “I think this race represents a turning point for this community.” 

Tarver said she thought voters had chosen the person they thought would fight the hardest on issues including lead poisoning, health disparities, the housing crisis and poverty. 

She said that her experience as someone raised in Syracuse, who had left for a long-time before coming back, gave her a unique perspective. 

Bullock did not return a call requesting comment for this story. 

Bullock previously served on the Syracuse city school board, and lost a write-in campaign to again serve on the school board in 2025. 

The seat was left empty when Legislator Charles Garland decided to step down earlier this year. Garland was one of four Democrat incumbents who retained their seats when the party flipped the majority in the Onondaga County Legislature in 2025. He is the chair of the legislature’s Public Safety Committee. 

The race for the 16th District nomination was contentious. Both candidates have said they are from families that have been in the Southside of Syracuse for generations. 

Tarver has made a career in public service and served as a lawyer in Arizona. While there, she was disbarred, which Bullock has pointed out on Facebook. 

Tarver told Central Current that she had never been indicted, charged with anything criminal, or been asked to step down from any boards. She had been endorsed by Greg Stanton, a congressman who knew her in Arizona, she said. Tarver believes the disbarment was political, a result of some of her policy pushes, she said. 

“Certainly some of my work put a target on my back,” said Tarver.

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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...