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Explainers

Syracuse’s Common Council and its initiatives, explained

Kai Nguyen | Staff Photographer

The Common Council’s chambers are located at City Hall in downtown Syracuse.

By Casey Darnell

The Common Council is Syracuse’s legislative body. Syracuse University’s Office of Government and Community Relations works with government at the local, state and federal level, including the council.  

The university maintains several major projects with the city, including the Connective Corridor, a bus route and civic engagement initiative connecting SU students to the downtown area; Say Yes to Education, a nonprofit organization that provides college scholarships to Syracuse high school students; and the Syracuse Center of Excellence, a research facility a mile north of Main Campus.  

Here is a look at the logistics of the Common Council and its initiatives: 

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What does the Common Council do? 

The council’s 10 elected members, known as councilors, meet at City Hall in downtown Syracuse to discuss, pass and amend legislation. Its meetings are open to the public.   



For a new ordinance to be considered, it must be proposed by one of the council’s members. According to the city’s charter, the council has the power to: 

  • Make changes to the city’s budget, including for the Syracuse City School District 
  • Increase or decrease taxes 
  • Improve infrastructure and public utilities 
  • Enter contracts with private business and organizations
  • Acquire, sell and grant property
  • Protect the public health 

Mayor Ben Walsh has the authority to veto legislation the council passes, but councilors can override a mayoral veto with a two-thirds vote. Given that the council rarely disagrees on legislation, the odds of a mayoral veto succeeding are slim.  

What are their meetings like? 

The full council body typically meets twice a week for a study session and a council meeting. At study sessions, officials from the mayor’s office inform councilors about the pending legislation on that day’s agenda. Councilors then decide whether to put the ordinance to a vote, hold it for further consideration or withdraw it completely.   

The actual vote doesn’t occur until the council meeting, which can either be held the same day as the study session, later that week or during the following week.  

The council’s various committees — airport, economic development, downtown and metropolitan planning, public safety, public works and others — also meet with city officials throughout each week.    

Who is on the Common Council? 

The council is made up of a president, four at-large councilors and five district councilors. As the council’s current president, Helen Hudson has the authority to appoint councilors to committees, to call special meetings and to appoint or remove a secretary. While the president takes part in the policy making process, they may only vote to break a tie, per the charter. 

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

 At-large councilors, who serve four-year terms, are elected by all city residents, but district councilors, who serve two-year terms, are only elected by their respective districts. 

At-large councilors: 

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

District councilors: 

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

In January, the council appointed Michael Greene as an at-large councilor to fill the vacancy created when Helen Hudson was elected as president two years into her term as at-large councilor. Greene could run again in 2019 to remain in the seat, after which he’d serve for another four years if elected.     

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Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

What kinds of legislation have they dealt with recently? 

In March, the council passed an amendment to the city’s rental registry, which owners of one- and two-family homes are required to be listed on. With the update, owners must submit to an interior inspector in order to be placed on the registry. Councilor at-large Khalid Bey said the change would help the city crack down on landlords who are “serially negligent.”  

When it came to a vote in late March, however, three councilors voted against the amendment. Councilor at-large Tim Rudd, one of the “no” votes, called the change “an illusion of action” because the city would still have to request a judicial warrant if the landlord refused to allow an inspection.  

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One of the council’s most significant legislative achievements this year was passing Walsh’s budget unanimously, without any changes, in May. Walsh’s budget cuts departmental spending by more than $3 million, provides funding for a new class of police and firefighters and restores most of the Syracuse Land Bank’s budget — all without increasing taxes.  

The smooth passage of Walsh’s budget represents a shift in relations between the council and mayor’s office, which had become tense during former Mayor Stephanie Miner’s time in office.  

Other legislation passed recently by the council includes a free trial program to provide the Syracuse Police Department with 100 body cameras and a two-year deal with a dock-based bike share company to provide 150 bikes for rental. Bringing bike-sharing to Syracuse was one of Walsh’s promises in his January State of the City address, the first since his inauguration.

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