SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) —As Syracuse’s mayoral election is coming up, many Syracuse natives are pressing the candidates to answer the hard-hitting questions. At the sustainability mayoral debate on Saturday, attendees were disappointed with the lack of discussion around public safety.
“Sustainability is an imperative. And as we’ll talk about today, it means a lot of things,” Mayor Ben Walsh said in his opening remarks.
The debate covered a range of topics under sustainability, but after the debate, Syracuse residents voiced that they wanted clearer instructions on how sustainability initiatives will take place as well as what policies for public safety candidates will enforce.
“I feel like today I didn’t really hear the responses that I would like to hear. It’s not that I would like to hear but that would benefit our community. Black, Brown, POC folk. I think there needs to be a lot more done,” Manager of Member Engagement for the New York Immigration Coalition Kayla Kelechian said.
Although many people who attended the debate were unsatisfied, Office Manager of FOCUS Greater Syracuse, Jessica Lisi, was content with how the debate unfolded.
“I felt satisfied, at least with the time constraints we had. I felt it really hit all the different points of sustainability and those different topics,” Lisi said.
Mayoral candidate Janet Burman agreed that the debate should have covered public safety issues.
“I think having an effective police force…is critical to sustainability…Before we can accomplish any of our other goals, we’ve got to establish safety for people,” Burman said.
On Syracuse.com’s live streamed Q&A today, democratic representative Khalid Bey commented on public safety.
“I make the argument that a police presence will be a natural deterrent to crime…it will certainly reduce it,” Bey said.
