Nodesia Hernandez admires the different varieties of roses in bloom on Rose Day, June 14, at the EM Mills Rose Garden in Thornden Park. Photo by Mike Greenlar | Central Current

Editor’s note: Laura Lavine has been a member of Central Current’s board of directors. She is currently on leave because of her candidacy and has not been involved in board operations since the beginning of March 2026.

Incumbent Nodesia Hernandez declared victory in the race for the Onondaga County Legislature’s 17th District against Republican challenger Laura Lavine on Tuesday night. 

Hernandez, a Democrat, won 82.5% of the votes with 67.9% of the vote counted as of 11:48 p.m. Tuesday, according to Onondaga County Board of Elections unofficial results.  

The district includes Syracuse’s East Side and parts of the town of Dewitt. 

Hernandez is the majority leader of the legislature, the first Afro-Latina woman in the legislature’s history to hold the role. She was previously the minority leader before the Democrats flipped the legislature last November. 

Hernandez is the director of public affairs for the New York State Senate and the CEO of the National Minority Paralegal Association. Hernandez was the first Afro-Latina woman to chair the Onondaga County Bar Association’s Paralegal Committee.

Hernandez sponsored legislation to establish term limits in county government. She also serves as a member on the legislature’s Ways & Means and County Facilities committees. 

Lavine, who ran on the Republican line, is a retired public school superintendent and works as an education expert witness consultant, per her LinkedIn. She unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Syracuse in 2017. 

Editor’s note: This is a developing story. Check back here for updates. 

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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...