Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, at center. Photo by Mike Greenlar | Central Current.

Representatives of Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo on Tuesday told the county legislature about a “campaign of retaliation” they said the county executive’s office had launched against their organization when they did not donate $1 million toward the controversial aquarium. 

Friends Vice Chair Megan Thomas asked the legislature to help them hold the county accountable. They had three demands from the county: 

  • Award control of the Zoo’s gift shop to the Friends organization, returning their proceeds
  • Sign a memorandum of understanding which would outline the funding and roles of both the county and the Friends organization in running the zoo
  • End the “bullying” campaign that they described in the aftermath of their refusal to donate to the aquarium project

About 25 hours after the Friends began their presentation to the legislature, County Executive Ryan McMahon announced he had signed a new MOU with the group. The agreement is set to last three years and is renewable for up to two more. 

In a press release, McMahon said that the zoo “thrives because of the strong partnership and the Friends organization.” He said the MOU would allow them to protect taxpayers, strengthen operations and support future projects. 

Andrew Brazill, the Friends’ interim executive director, said that he was “excited to move forward with a renewed spirit of collaboration,” and that the new agreement would provide needed stability. Brazill was one of two Friends members who spoke to the county legislature on Tuesday, though he mostly deferred to Thomas. 

The memorandum has been a subject of contention for nearly a year. An August 2025 version negotiated between Friends and the county was never signed by the county. In October, the county provided another version which would raise the percentage of net zoo event and food service revenue given to the county from 20 percent to 40 percent, Thomas said. Friends asked the county to hold off on signing until it was clear who would control the gift shop, said McMahon spokesperson Justin Sayles. 

At the legislature, the Friends asked the county to sign the August version of the memorandum. 

The newly signed MOU, which has been reviewed by Central Current, sets the revenue share to the county at 20 percent for the first year and 25 percent after that. 

The county and the Friends will work together to carve out some of the county’s budget to be devoted to the Zoo. The zoo and the county previously in 2022 agreed to do the same, though the new agreement stipulates the money “shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed.” That phrase, which does not appear in the 2022 document, was repeated six times throughout the new agreement. The Friends will pay 20 percent of membership dues to the county, an increase from 15 percent in the 2022 memorandum. 

“Central New Yorkers love their zoo, and we’re all excited about what’s coming next,” said McMahon in the press release. “This agreement ensures we are united and ready to deliver a world-class experience for generations to come.”

Read more of Central Current’s coverage

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...