SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Democrats from across Onondaga County gathered last Saturday to show their support for candidates for the upcoming election. Campaigning starts at the end of this month.
Perrine Wasser, an employee of Rachel May and someone who campaigned for Dana Balter for Congress last fall , believes that even though Balter lost, the impact of that race will help local Democrats going forward.
“She was able to make people passionate, and she was on the ground interacting with constituents,” Wasser said. “And I think she brought a level of awareness that I think can play a huge role in this upcoming election.”
Wasser’s comments follow the Onondaga County Democratic Committee’s Designation Meeting where members of the committee voiced support for candidates and helped generate funding going into the signature gathering portion of campaigning starting at the end of the month.
The Democrats did not nominate anyone for County Executive or for County Clerk. These two seats are currently held by Republicans.
Wasser noted the age division within the Democratic Party in Onondaga County.
“The Democratic Party can be split here,” Wasser said. “You have what is often referred to as ‘The Old Men’s Club’ and you have younger progressives and a lot of the time they don’t see eye to eye. It’s hard to unite the Democratic Party to take on the Republicans.”
The committee also took steps on Saturday to nominate candidates for the Syracuse Common Council. Currently, only one seat is held by a Republican, but Wasser believes having an entirely Democratic council could have a large impact on many local issues.
“A huge issue right now is the future of Interstate-81, ” Wasser said. “Having a Democratic council that all agreed on what the best option was, I think , would be influential on how that situation plays out.”
“I think that is the single most important issue in Onondaga County right now, ” she added. ” I think it’s really important for Democrats to unite on that and get as many elected officials in support of the community grid as possible.”
The list of candidates they nominated can be found here.
