Ed Szczesniak comes out of retirement for 2009 election (Laura Brandon)
Lieutenant colonel in the army. Long-time veteran of Democratic politics in Onondaga County. A resume of management experience.
“I have a range of experience to look at things from different perspectives,” said Ed Szczesniak. “All of my experiences have taught me how to attack difficult challenges and how to overcome them.”
And he lists that as his main reason—and chief appeal to voters—for seeking the Onondaga County Legislature seat from District 3. Szczesniak is challenging 20-year incumbent Republican Bill Meyer, who is also the chairman of the legislature. The election is Nov. 3.
District 3 includes most of Cicero and the northeastern corner of Manlius. The district has a tilt to the Republican Party. But the Republican advantage has been decreasing in recent years.
As Szczesniak paints it, the race fulfills his lifetime ambition to make a difference and leave an enduring mark in the lives of others. He brings to the campaign, he and others say, a great passion for service, a reputation for working in a business-like way and 20 years in politics.
“Ed would definitely be what political scientists call a ‘quality candidate,’” says Grant Reeher, a political scientist at Syracuse University. “He has experience and connections, is known in the community and will know what he’s doing as he plans a campaign strategy.”
Szczesniak was born in Buffalo, N.Y., and has lived in the Syracuse area for 34 years. He graduated from Canisius High School and graduated from Canisius College in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in history.
Szczesniak was in the Army and the Reserves for 26 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. In 2008, he retired as the Democratic commissioner for the county Board of Elections after 16 years in that position. Before that role, from 1988-1994, he served as chair of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee. He worked as a manpower coordinator at Miller Brewing Company for seven years.
He is 65 years old and has been married to his wife Mary Jane for more than 43 years. They have three sons and eight grandchildren.
Family is the most important aspect of his life, says Szczesniak. On the Szczesniaks’ front porch are four large stones with stick figures carvings—one with Ed and Mary Jane on it and one for each of their sons’ families.
For the legislature race, Szczesniak acknowledges he has an uphill run for District 3’s seat because he is challenging an incumbent and the district leans toward the GOP.
“It was a difficult decision to run,” said Szczesniak, “because this is not an easy race to win. But I wouldn’t run if I didn’t think I could win.”
Jessica Zambrano, Cicero town chair of the Democratic Party and a friend of Szczesniak for more than 30 years, encouraged him to run for county legislature. “I think he has an excellent chance to win the seat,” said Zambrano. “He’s a hard-worker. He knows the issues. He has integrity and is honest. And I think that’s what you want in an elected official—someone who knows the issues, is concerned about people and has the intelligence to address the problems.”
For his part, Szczesniak attributes part of his character to his time in the Army and the Reserves. He served in both the Vietnam War and in Korea. He received several medals for his service, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
His wartime military service, Szczesniak says, taught him the importance of duty, honor and country. “Those were engrained in me,” said Szczesniak. “I learned accountability and the idea that you need to push through until the mission is accomplished. I know how to overcome obstacles.”
His Army experience will also help him, Szczesniak says, because he will not give excuses if he does not accomplish what he says he will. “In the military, you take responsibility for whatever your actions are,” says Szczesniak. “And I think that’s what people should expect out of their legislator. If we elect you and, you say you’re going to do certain things, we expect you to do them.”
In addition to his time in the military, his business and community service experience, Szczesniak says, would help him in his dealings with people as a county legislator.
“There is a lot of politics in business,” says Szczesniak. “You need to know how to talk to people and how to motivate them. It is especially important when dealing with volunteers to ensure that they maintain their commitment.”
In his political career, Szczesniak has held various leadership positions locally and has managed a number of campaigns—some successful and others unsuccessful. As campaign coordinator, he helped State Assemblyman Mike Bragman win reelection in 1984. He also was the campaign manager for Rosemary Pooler’s unsuccessful bid for the 27th District seat in the U.S. Congress in 1986.
During his tenure as Democratic Board of Elections commissioner, Szczesniak helped open up voter registration for college students in Onondaga County who chose not to vote in their home districts. He also was instrumental in digitizing many of the board’s records, including voter signatures and poll books. He also supported strengthening the training for poll workers.
His years in politics also honed his skills at consensus-building, Szczesniak says. “I guess that’s the definition of leadership,” says Szczesniak. “Getting people to do things that they don’t want to do, but convincing them that it’s something that they really do want to do. A leader presents it to them in a way that gets them to do it.”
His consensus-building skills, Szczesniak says, will help him as a legislator because he will be able to convince other legislators to do the right thing even if it does not benefit them. “I think the role of a legislator is to help other people achieve their goals even if it conflicts with what’s best for you personally,” says Szczesniak.
Szczesniak is not giving a list of policy initiatives until he hears from the voters. But the economy, Szczesniak says, is one issue he plans to focus on. “Improving the economy is about providing an environment that allows businesses to thrive here,” says Szczesniak. “That’s about keeping people in the area and keeping families together.”
To help form his policy platform, Szczesniak has just started going door-to-door on a “listening tour” in the district. He is especially targeting Republican voters to find out their concerns before he lays out a platform. In previous elections, in addition to the Republican Party, Szczesniak’s opponent Bill Meyer has received endorsements from the Conservative Party, Independence Party and Veteran Party. Szczesniak says he hopes to get the endorsement of at least one of those parties this election.
As of May 5, Szczesniak had raised about $4,600 for his campaign. He has spent about $1,000 on his campaign, including paying for his first piece of campaign literature. He is distributing that campaign slip as he goes door-to-door.
He decided to run now, Szczesniak says, because of timing. With a Democratic Party resurgence nationally and locally, he predicts he has a good opportunity to win now. And as a retired elections commissioner, he has the time to dedicate to campaigning. He could not run during his tenure as commissioner of the Board of Elections because it would have been a conflict of interest.
“Because of my focus on service that was engrained in me,” he said, “it’s hard for me to just sit back now in retirement and have that be enough.”
He hopes a successful run will ensure his local legacy, Szczesniak says. “All of us want to go through life and make a difference,” said Edward Szczesniak. “You just hope that you can leave a mark that passes through time.”
(Laura Brandon is a senior with dual majors in newspaper journalism and political science.)
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