Beth Brownson, Kurt Schmeling and Bill Ryan are competing for two at-large positions in the Syracuse Common Council in Tuesday’s election.

The race’s candidates consist of two Democrats and a Conservative, leaving the Republican Party Committee of Onondaga County without a candidate to endorse.

‘We didn’t have anyone who wanted to run,’ said Bill Smith, chairman of the Onondaga County Republican Party. ‘It’s a time-consuming position, and this city is overwhelmingly Democratic.’

The Republicans chose to endorse Schmelling because of his fiscal conservativeness.

Schmeling’s ideas closely mirror Republican beliefs when it comes to fiscal responsibility, Smith said.

‘We have very similar views in a fiscal sense,’ Schmeling said.

Schmeling’s hallmark issues include stricter regulation for ‘bad landlords,’ the implementation of a citywide curfew for residents under 17 years of age and a systematic way of catching residents with outstanding parking tickets.

The Democratic Party Committee of Onondaga County chose to endorse both Brownson and Ryan.

‘There are two seats open, and we want them both to win,’ said Robert Romeo, chairman for the Democratic Party Committee in Onondaga County.

Romeo feels that Brownson and Ryan’s experience makes them both worthy candidates.

‘They have extremely different backgrounds,’ Romeo said. Brownson is a practicing lawyer and Ryan is good with finance, he added.

Brownson, who formerly served as Syracuse’s country legislator, is the only candidate who has previously held an elected governmental position.

Ryan said he is the strongest candidate in a fiscal sense, especially through being president of Syracuse’s Fire Department Credit Union for 24 years.

‘I’m just shifting from members’ money to taxpayers’ money, but the service is still the same,’ he said.

Brownson’s response to Carrier’s recent decision to shut down its Syracuse plant will directly affect Syracuse University students. The plan involves building an economic atmosphere at Syracuse that promotes ‘business incubation.’

‘I want businesses to start here and stay here,’ she said. Brownson hopes that new businesses will inspire students to become permanent Syracuse residents.

‘I’m a student who chose to stay,’ said Brownson, who obtained a bachelor of arts, masters and law degree from SU in the early ’80s. She is currently a practicing lawyer.

Ryan, too, hopes to attract a younger generation to Syracuse to stimulate the community.

‘We have to be more young-people friendly by creating more social [attractions] such as art museums,’ Ryan said. ‘I want to revitalize the downtown area.’

All candidates have an opinion regarding the impending Destiny mall project, which would greatly expand the current Carousel Mall’s size.

Brownson stressed that the project won’t be successful if the mall is full of ‘just shops.’

‘My intention is to make it more a tourist attraction,’ she said. She also said the project should integrate ‘green’ ideas, including the use of wind and solar energy.

Schmeling said the Destiny project will create much-needed construction jobs for Syracuse’s young people, in addition to providing employment upon completion.

Both Ryan and Schmeling were concerned about Gov. George E. Pataki’s recent approval of SU’s Public Safety officers’ potential upgrade to peace officer status, which would enable them to carry guns.

‘We have a very good, well-trained police department at Syracuse,’ Ryan said. ‘I would prefer that the Syracuse Police handle situations rather than the university’s officers.’

‘I don’t think it’s a good place for guns,’ Schmeling said. ‘[The presence of guns] tends to escalate things.’

Schmeling is an active member of the National Rifle Association, but doesn’t feel his decision conflicts with ideals instilled from his membership.

‘It’s just a college,’ he said. ‘I would just as soon see that guns weren’t a part of everyday life.’

For the first time in years, the at-large Common Council candidates aren’t facing an incumbent.

The Common Council hosts nine positions, four of which are at-large. The terms last four years, and voting for the seats is staggered, with two seats up for election every two years.

‘It’s very unusual for this race not to have incumbents,’ Romeo said. ‘But it’s an opportunity for new people to bring new ideas to the council.’

Published on November 2, 2003 at 12:00 pm