As the county legislature flipped from red to blue, Democrat Ellen Block beat Republican candidate David Carnie in the race for the Onondaga County Legislature’s 5th District seat.
Block won about 56% of the votes cast in the race.
On a historic night for county Democrats, Democratic legislators won 10 of 17 seats on the legislature and saw the election of the first Black woman mayor in Syracuse, Mayor-elect Sharon Owens.
Block will represent a district that stretches from Salina to Dewitt.
Originally from Hudson Valley, Block moved to Onondaga County in 2008. She has been a Lyncourt resident since 2009. She earned a master’s degree in mental health counseling and currently works as a licensed mental health counselor at Psychiatric Services of CNY Elmwood. She also held roles at ARISE, the Salvation Army, and Helio Health, as well as working with elderly individuals at PACE CNY.
As a political newcomer, she said that she hoped to bring greater transparency to the county government, vowing to hold developers and property owners accountable for building and operating “ethically, sustainably, and with our current population in mind.”
Block said she started her campaign wanting to give hope back to constituents of her district. Her district leans primarily Republican, which could have complicated her race, Block said. But Block drew from her experience as a mental health counselor to meet constituents where they are.
“I really do want to hear what they have to say,” Block said.
One of Block’s keys to victory was her door knocking operation. Interfacing with constituents was eye opening, she noted. One of the main things a lot of them agreed on was that the aquarium project the county is embarking on is a bad idea, she said.
Block will replace Legislator Deb Cody.
As Block looks forward to starting her first term in the Legislature, she said she hopes to meet with constituents on a weekly basis.
“People can come in and give me feedback about the things that are on the table,” she said. “I think that giving more of that power to the people and that involvement in government is really needed.”
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