In what is shaping up to be a large victory for the Democrats, Bill Ryan is headed back to the Syracuse Common Council as an at-large councilor.
With 100 percent of the vote counted, Ryan and fellow Democrat Kathleen Joy were both re-elected as at-large councilors. The unofficial results, according to News10Now, shape up like this: Ryan with 15,672 votes (42 percent); Joy with 12,877 votes (38 percent); Republican Bill Harper with 5,956 votes (16 percent); Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins with 1,579 votes (4 percent) and Conservative Bob Teachout with 974 votes (3 percent).
Ryan was unavailable for comment. Ryan broke into the spotlight when he unveiled eight billboards in the city with the slogan “Street Fighting Man”. His campaign was the only one in the at-large race to post billboards.
At the polls early on Tuesday, voters gave mixed reviews to the candidates. John Leonard, 91, says he has never missed an election in his life. Leonard says he didn’t vote for Ryan, but instead voted for Howie Hawkins. Leonard says he was not happy with billboards that described Ryan as a “street-fighting man.”
“Yeah, I think they turned me off a little bit.” [John Leonard]
Syesha Byrd says she met Ryan during the campaign, and liked what he had to say. But she says she also didn’t like his big billboards.
“I think there’s an easier way to do it without killing the environment and putting up these billboards that are going to be thrown away anyway.” [Syesha Byrd]
Just to recap, Bill Ryan has reclaimed his seat as an at-large councilor on the Syacuse Common Council. He and Kathleen Joy will remain on the Common Council.
For Democracywise, I’m Ted Johnsen.
(Ted Johnsen is a broadcast journalism graduate student.)
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