By Mashum Mollah
Ryan McMahon, from the Republican party, won as Onondaga’s fourth county executive in the recent November 2019 elections. He has been in public service for 14 years and began his career at 25 years old as a Syracuse common councilor.
He’s taking over as county executive from predecessor Joanie Mahoney, who confirmed that she was taking up a post at the State University of New York. McMahon credited her for laying a sturdy foundation that he can build on.
At the time when Mahoney announced her resignation, McMahon got the votes of fellow legislators for the county executive role. He then garnered the trust of the people, which allowed him to grab the position from his Democrat challenger, Tony Malavendra.
McMahon continues to contribute to the Syracuse community. If you want to learn more about his policies and initiatives, visit his mcmahonforonondagacounty.com.
Now that he’s in office, he’ll continue to achieve the following things for the people of Syracuse:
1. Reduce Poverty
McMahon’s vision for Onondaga County includes a place where everyone has a roof over their heads and full stomachs at the end of the day. Eliminating poverty is a drastic claim, but he and his team are working toward developing legislation that focuses on job growth and expansion.
A significant portion of the Syracuse population lives below the poverty rate. His present objective is to take advantage of the current county programs and ensure that they’re implemented appropriately. Meanwhile, he also wants to create jobs for a more sustainable solution instead of just short-term success.
Under the leadership of the county executive, public libraries in the area have been equipped with technology packs, which citizens can borrow and bring home. The set includes a Chromebook computer and a mobile hotspot device, which are used to connect to the Internet through mobile phone networks.
People can borrow the equipment for three weeks and renew the program for up to another three weeks. The stocks will be distributed throughout the county with priority in rural and low-income areas.
2. Invest in Infrastructure
Ryan McMahon also emphasized the importance of improving the county’s aging infrastructure to pave the way for economic development. His top priority is to enhance the area’s wastewater management system.
A sturdier sewer system is crucial in attracting investors and create more jobs in the locality. The first step is to make the necessary repairs that’ll stop gallons upon gallons of raw sewage from contaminating local creeks and Onondaga Lake.
Ryan McMahon and his team are working with leaders from other neighborhoods to figure out a way to improve the wastewater management system. Different ownerships primarily cause the sewers’ decay because local municipalities often don’t have the budget to maintain them.
McMahon has proposed to consolidate ownership of the sewers to the county for better upkeep. With this, they can also monitor the waste flow better and continue to improve the process.
3. Boost Economic Development
The county executive believes that economic development will result in more people being lifted out of poverty. With this, he wants to create an environment that balances the needs of its people while attracting investors to build their companies in the locality.
The first initiative toward economic development is by cutting taxes and making it affordable to the residents. The rate has been reduced to the lowest it has been for the county, with about a 5 USD-per-thousand decrease.
Moreover, McMahon and his team also partnered with the leaders of the city of Syracuse, state of New York, the city school district, and OCM Boces to build a STEAM school for the county. The county executive believes that providing education focusing on science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics will equip locals with the necessary skills for jobs in these prolific industries.
The initiative stems from the fact that manufacturing and tech companies in the area have difficulties in finding qualified candidates. They started this project in hopes that competent graduates can fill the vacancies in these organizations, which can then motivate these businesses to create more jobs in the locality.
Conclusion:
Ryan McMahon has always put the people of Onondaga County as his top priority. The things that he’s trying to achieve are a testament to his compassion for the people. Reducing poverty may be an immense challenge. Still, his initiatives in investing in infrastructure and boosting economic developments through cutting taxes and equipping locals with technical knowledge will pave the way for creating more jobs in the area.
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