English votes on Election Day at Solvay Geddes Youth Center on Wood Road in Solvay. (Democracy in Action/Michele Maciejewski)
Democrat Mark English has lost the District 15 county legislature seat to Common Councilor Ryan McMahon, R-Syracuse.
English did not respond to interview requests as the votes came in on Tuesday night. Democrats had gathered at Pensabene Casa Grand restaurant to watch the votes results. English and his wife, Catherine, left before the unofficial vote tally made clear his loss.
As of Tuesday night at 10:20 p.m., with all 35 of the district’s precincts reporting, English had nearly 42 percent of the vote compared to 58 percent for McMahon. The vote counts by the Onondaga County Board of Elections had English with 2,204 votes to McMahon’s 3,089
The District 15 seat was previously occupied by Bill Kinne, D-Syracuse. He decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term after suffering a brain aneurysm in 2010.
District 15 includes center of Onondaga County, including the southwestern corner of Geddes, a portion of Solvay, a portion of the Town of Onondaga and the southern portion of the city of Syracuse.
Going into the election, English had the voter-enrollment advantage. As of August 2011, the district had 18,335 registered voters, according to the county’s board of elections. Of those, 41 percent — or 7,582 — registered Democrats. That compares to 29 percent — or 5,280 — registered Republicans. Those unaffiliated with a party, made up 23 percent — or 4,303 — of voters.
In fund-raising, English had trailed McMahon. As of Oct. 28, English raised $10,339, while McMahon’s total neared four times as much at $41,400, according to campaign finance reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections.
At the polls on Tuesday, some voters gave hints that McMahon’s previous political experience would be English’s undoing.
Vincent Miller, of Syracuse, said McMahon has been doing a fine job during his six years as Common Councilor. Miller cast his vote today at the Bellevue Heights Methodist Church.
In previous interviews, English had declined to attack his opponent. “I certainly wouldn’t make any kind of attack on him,” he said. “I don’t think that’s what’s important. I think what’s important are the issues.”
(Sara Tracey is a senior majoring in newspaper journalism.)
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