Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will announce in the next two weeks his appointment to fill a vacancy in the Onondaga County Legislature left by Democrat Chris Ryan.
Ryan was elected to serve in the New York State Senate’s 50th District, meaning he will have to vacate his role as the 8th district legislator.
It’s likely the appointment will extend Republicans’ majority in the Legislature. McMahon’s appointee will serve from January through December 2025, when the seat will be up for grabs again, according to McMahon’s spokesperson Justin Sayles. McMahon will announce an appointment before the end of the year and that they expect the new legislator to start at the beginning of next year, Sayles said.
Some county Democrats told Central Current they expect the appointment to be a Republican legislator, meaning Republicans would control 12 of the 17 legislative districts through December 2025.
“The county executive is looking for someone who’s going to be a good representative of the legislative district and a good public servant,” Sayles said.
Onondaga County Republican Committee Chair Joe Carni told Central Current the party has not fielded serious inquiries from candidates looking to run for the seat next November.
Regardless of who McMahon’s appointment is, Democrats are confident they can recapture the seat in a November election. Onondaga County Democratic Committee Chair Max Ruckdeschel said one candidate has already submitted a letter of intent to run for the seat: former Syracuse Common Councilor Chad Ryan. He is Chris Ryan’s cousin.
Chad Ryan is a resident of Syracuse’s Tipperary Hill neighborhood. He works at Edward J. Ryan and Son Funeral Home. Ryan said he is interested in county government because of the direct impacts he can have in his community.
“My goal is to go there and advocate for the district,” he said. “I’d like to advocate to try to get some funds and resources for some of our city neighborhoods that may not be getting their fair share.”
Ryan also sent his resume and a letter of intent seeking McMahon’s appointment, he said.
Ryan spent six years as a member of the Syracuse Common Council. In 2018, he was absent from his job as a councilor for four months seeking treatment for a substance use disorder problem. He told Central Current he is comfortable with his health and now feels ready to take on another role in public service
“It’s obviously a part of me,” he said. “I had some health issues, and I had to take care of them. They have been addressed. I’m living in a healthy way these days.”
Ryan could find himself in the middle of a Democratic primary in the summer.
Tammy Honeywell — an investigator with the New York State Department of Health, a longtime County Department of Social Services and a labor leader representing county employees — told Central Current she is planning on launching a campaign to run for the seat as early as next week.
Honeywell said she wants to send a letter of intent to the OCDC executive committee and seek their candidate designation. She said she would not shy away from a primary if the committee backs other candidates.
Honeywell said she has wanted to run for a seat in the legislature for years. However, she couldn’t do so during her tenure as a county employee and as the executive vice president of the Civil Service Employees Association Local 834, when she represented more than 2,500 workers at the county, the city, and other municipalities.
With 11 years under her belt integrating county residents into the social safety net, Honeywell said she would focus on addressing the county’s distressing issues with poverty, childhood lead poisoning and overall poor housing conditions, and inadequate public transportation options.
“Syracuse is the center of our county, and a thriving city is only going to make the rest of the county thrive,” she said. “We have a housing stock that is an issue in the city with lead problems, but we all know it goes further than that.”
Honeywell said she wants to prepare city residents for the arrival of Micron by building more housing and also expanding public transportation options.
“I know that there are talks about Centro and their bus rapid transit program,” she said. “I just think that’s something that the county can get more involved in as well.”
Central Current reporter Patrick McCarthy contributed to this report.
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