Dan Romeo, running as a Democrat, is vying for the 7th district county legislator seat.
Romeo faces in the race Josh Davis, who is running on the People First Party line.
Romeo has been a firefighter in the Syracuse Fire Department for the past 12 years. He started in politics after attending city school district board meetings. Romeo has spent the last eight years on the city school district’s board of education.
Do you think deputy Rosello acted properly by shooting and killing two teens, why/why not?
I strongly believe that no county legislator should take a stance on this before we get a report from the state. We should all believe that this incident is tragic and pray for the families involved. However, the state is reviewing the situation and we as a legislature should support their decision. After a final report is provided, we could discuss any legislative action we could take to make sure something like this does not happen again.
Does the sheriff’s office have enough accountability mechanisms in place, what would you change in this regard?
I do not have any reason to believe the Sheriff’s office does not have enough accountability mechanisms in place. If there is anything Sheriff Toby Shelley needs to help put more accountability mechanisms in place I would be happy to support him.
Should Jamesville be closed, what changes should be made at the downtown jail?
During the discussions around Jamesville, Sheriff Shelley asked for more time to evaluate the future of Jamesville and I believe he should have been given that time. As a legislator I will respect Sheriff Shelley’s position as an elected official and will work with him to make any needed improvements to the downtown jail.
Does Onondaga County have enough housing? How will you propose to build more?
Onondaga County absolutely does not have enough housing, especially quality housing and affordable housing. Thankfully the City of Syracuse recently passed ReZone that will help to encourage more development. Ideally with more dense housing. Onondaga County’s PlanOnondaga is a great plan but we need to maximize it’s potential by working with local municipalities to help them create local plans aligned with this big picture plan. This too will hopefully lead to needed housing in areas that we want it and prevents sprawl.
What does smart development around Micron look like to you? What solutions will you propose to fight sprawl?
Smart development around Micron to me is taking care of the people that here, having them be a part of what the growth is going to look like, all while transforming Syracuse into a desirable place that people will want to move to. By following the road map that is PlanOnondaga we can keep the growth in current centers. The way we do that is by working with municipalities to make sure they understand what policies they need in place to attract development where we want it and limit it where we want to preserve our green space.
How can the county facilitate better public transportation inside/outside of the city?
One way the county is already facilitating better public transportation is through it’s support of Bus Rapid Transit. This is a starting point, once the first phase is implemented we should evaluate it and expand it. Our partners at Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council should play a role in making sure we are using data driven decisions to implement public transportation in areas that it will have the biggest impact and in the form that makes the most sense.
What more can the county do to fight Syracuse’s lead crisis?
The county has to put more funds into preventing children from being poisoned by lead. I understand that we currently have funds that are not being used and are limited with the number of certified contractors able to do the work. Whatever barriers are preventing businesses from choosing to do the work need to be removed. Other barriers such as income restrictions and difficulty acquiring income eligibility paperwork should be addressed as well. We have zip codes where 20% to 30% of the children tested have elevated lead levels. This is prior to the new, lower thresholds. The residents in these zip codes are not overly wealthy families that we should be worried about helping to address their lead hazards.
What topic would receive more attention if you were elected?
When I am elected there will be a focus on progress. My number one priority will be moving our community forward through legislation, partnerships, and fiscal responsibility. There is too much need in our community for us to waste time.
