Otis Jennings’ parents stressed the importance of education when he was growing up. He was told education was an expectation, not an option.

‘The greatest gift that our country gives us is the gift of education,’ said Jennings, the Conservative party candidate for mayor of Syracuse.

Now, as an adult, Jennings is taking that devotion to education and incorporating it into his mayoral campaign as his top priority if elected.

In the mayoral race, Jennings has dealt with the problems of running as a third party candidate. In today’s general election, Jennings faces two opponents: Stephanie Miner, the Democratic and Working Families party candidate, and Steve Kimatian, the Republican nominee.

If elected, Jennings would become the first black mayor of Syracuse.

Jennings has lectured in every Syracuse high school, middle school and elementary school, he said. Improving education is the key to economic development of the city, Jennings said. The Syracuse City School District currently has an approximate 50 percent graduation rate, which Jennings said deters families from moving into the area.

‘You need to get people to move into the city – middle class families,’ Jennings said. ‘The number one reason why families move into an area is because of the schools and the housing.’

To raise the graduation rate, Jennings said he plans to enforce stricter truancy policies. He said he would create after-school programs from 3 to 8 p.m. for students to participate in while their parents are at work. He pledged to visit the schools once a week to work directly with them to improve education, too.

Jennings has been connected with the school system for a large part of his professional career. He worked as Special Program Director for the Second Opportunity School and the Syracuse Truancy Outreach Program for the Syracuse City School District, according to his Web site.

Kevin Zuk, a junior information management and technology major at Syracuse University, saw Jennings speak at his high school, Cicero-North Syracuse High School, about managing finances.

Zuk now supports Jennings’ campaign, even though as a Cicero resident, he cannot vote in Tuesday’s election. Zuk said he knows Jennings is qualified to be mayor.

‘I still use the stuff he told us,’ Zuk said. ‘I think it’s important to work with the youth because those are going to be the future residents and what better way to inform future generations than come into schools and teach kids important things like finance?’

The Jennings campaign trail has been rocky. In the Sept. 15 primary elections, he was upset by Kimatian. He decided to stay in the race as a third-party candidate at the request of those who voted for him in the primary and non-Republicans who could not vote for him the primary, Jennings said.

The hardest part about campaigning as a third party candidate has been fundraising, Jennings said. As of Monday, Jennings has raised $145,431, with Kimatian at $84,334 and Miner at $546,118, according to campaign finance reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections.

But he said he hopes his efforts will still be enough to win Tuesday. He said he would need to take 35 percent of the vote.

Robert McClure, a professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at SU, said Jennings’ campaign needed to work differently if he wanted to win the election, however. Jennings needed to mobilize a field staff to motivate the electorate, McClure said.

McClure predicted Jennings will get votes from those who voted for him in the primary and from the Southside community. But his chances in Tuesday’s election are slim.

‘I don’t say this very often, but they’re zero,’ McClure said. ‘The only way he was likely to win would be for lightning to strike.’

Despite Jennings’ low support in the campaign as a third-party candidate, he has still gained supporters at SU.

Tyrone Shaw, a senior political science and education major, said he supports Jennings because he is the only true conservative in the race. He said he feels Jennings’ economic policies are more along the Republican line than Kimatian.

‘I’m all about small government, even at the local level,’ Shaw said.

Jennings said even though he was running as a third-party candidate, his campaign points are the same as if he was the Republican nominee.

Above all, Jennings said he wants to continue to serve the people of Syracuse.

‘I am a public servant, and I’ve served the people diligently in the city of Syracuse for the past 30 years,’ Jennings said. ‘Politics are always about the people.’

rhkheel@syr.edu

Published on November 3, 2009 at 12:00 pm