Politics

When planning coverage for the 2022 Onondaga County Sheriff election, I decided to focus on how the candidates would react to the unexpected challenges they would face in office. I decided to present both candidates with issues that had brought criticism to the previous administration. The structure avoided political talking points and focus on real public safety issues. 

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What separates the candidates for Onondaga County sheriff? See their takes on 5 key issues

On election night 2022, the sheriff's race was too close to call. In the days that followed, the outlook looked bleak for the Republican candidate. I ran an analysis of what percentage of the votes each candidate was receiving from each form of voting. After running the numbers multiple times, I found it was near impossible for the Republican candidate to make up the difference. 

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Why winning the Onondaga County sheriff race is almost impossible for Esteban Gonzalez

After Esteban Gonzalez lost the race for sheriff, he was given a job in the Onondaga County Executive's office. The job, which was described as a public safety  role, appeared very different from the job legislators approved a salary for. Critics accused the county executive of appointing his political ally to a well paying job after a loss at the polls. 

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Losing sheriff candidate settles into McMahon’s $100K county job; critics wonder what he’ll do

A Syracuse judge played a key role in shaping the future of New York State's gun laws. the judge block provisions that outlined new requirements for background checks for gun permits, including the disclosure of all of an applicant’s social media accounts. He also blocked the bans on guns in some public and private properties.

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Key parts of NY’s new gun law blocked by federal judge in Syracuse

From the moment that the lame duck sheriff announced his support for the closure of a local prison, I was covering the story. For years, I have written about the public disagreement between the current sheriff and the county executive over the future of the Jamesville Correctional Facility. Sheriff Toby Shelley maintains that the closure is not feasible. I sat down with both elected officials and a deputy who analyzed the jail population to detail the practicality  of the plan. 

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Sheriff says inmate count analysis shows Jamesville closure won’t work. McMahon: Find a way

Since 2020, the city of Syracuse has fought a group of residents that are seeking to block a controversial statue of Christopher Columbus from being removed. The group filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the city's plans. An appellate court in Rochester has tossed the lawsuit but left the door open for the group to bring their arguments back in front of a judge. 

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Court overturns judge’s ruling, paves the way for Syracuse to remove Columbus statue