Jean Kessner
As an investigative TV reporter, Jean Kessner dug up facts — but she never had an opinion.
Now, as a Democratic candidate for Common Councilor At-Large, Kessner pitches herself as a can-do figure with strong views on how to make the city better.
Kessner compared being a political leader to writing a story, “It’s really kind of the same thing,” she said. “Somebody has an issue that they need to have fixed and you go out there and you check. Then it’s like, “Hey, this guy is right, this needs to be fixed,’ so, you help him fix it.”
Kessner is one of three candidates for the two At-Large seats on theCommon Council. The other two candidates are fellow Democratic Lance Denno, now the District 5 Councilor; and Republican Fanny Villarreal, formerly the P.E.A.C.E. Inc. director of family and community development.
Kessner is a native of Tell City, Ind. Kessner is the third of seven daughters. She went to the University of Evansville and finished her bachelor’s degree in sociology and political science at the University of the State of New York. She has a son, Brennan, and four grandchildren: Parker, Maya, Zoe and Maro.
In 1975, Kessner moved to New York with her husband, whom she had met in college. Eventually, they parted ways. But she describes moving to New York as a change for the better.
“I thought, ‘Well, how wonderful that I ended up here,’” sid Kessner. “It’s a really dynamic place.”
In 1979, Kessner began working at WIXT NewsChannel 9 as an investigative reporter. She tended to gravitate toward stories about the environment, utilities, workers’ rights and nuclear power, she recalled.
She was deeply interested in covering nuclear plants in the Syracuse area, said Ron Lombard, now general manager and news director ofNews10Now Channel 10 and a former co-worker of Kessner’s. “That was a very important thing for us to be on top of,” said Lombard.
In her 26 years as a reporter, Kessner won numerous awards, including four prestigious Edward Murrow awards. “What matters is that you do good work and you give it everything you’ve got,” said Kessner. “And if somebody says, ‘Hey, you get an award for this,’ it’s like, ‘Hey cool, but I would’ve done it anyway.’”
In 2005, Kessner left broadcast journalism. She became the director of public relations for the AIDS Community Resources. She is in charge of the organization’s newsletter and updating and editing its Web site. Kessner has also worked closely with Syracuse University students to create public service announcements promoting safe sex by using condoms.
Wil Murtaugh, director of development and special projects for AIDS Community Resources, is in charge of fundraising and organizing special events. He describes Kessner as an excellent asset to the agency’s team. If elected to the Common Council, Kessner says, she expects to applyher reporting skills to politics. as a reporter to her political campaign. She likes finding a problem, much like a story, she said, and talking to the people who know about it to try and solve it.
But the most important thing, Kessner said, is changing the way Syracuse sees itself.
“If I can wave a magic wand and change anything, what I would change is how Syracuse feels about itself,” said Kessner. “It’s been tough here for the past eight, ten years. It’s been really hard. People are hurting. And I’d like us to take a deep breath, look around, and see what a fantastic place we live in.”
(Silvia Milanova is a senior with dual majors in newspaper journalism and nutrition.)
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