David Knapp, county legislator of the 12th District, which includes LaFayette, said he believes Lavine’s idea “has some merit” because something “dramatic” needs to be done to improve SCSD.
The proposal has been met with opposition. The Syracuse Teachers Association declined to interview Lavine for the union’s endorsement in late September. Union members did interview the other three mayoral candidates, though: Walsh, Perez Williams and Howie Hawkins, who’s running on the Green Party ticket.
Megan Root, president of the STA, declined to comment for this story. Knapp said mayoral control is “a concern of folks, taking away their vote on those positions.”
“To those people, I’d say, if we were doing well, you’re right, we don’t need bold sweeping action,” Lavine said. “But we’re not doing well. We are limping along. We can’t limp along when 40 percent of our students graduate late or not at all.”
Lavine has also focused on public safety throughout her campaign. The Syracuse Police Department is understaffed by about 65 officers, Potter said.
“Homicide rates hit a record high (in 2016), and police calls, under priority one, aren’t typically getting the responses that they need,” Lavine said.
Improving public safety is key to attracting residents back to the city, she said.
Lavine also has been outspoken on banning “pay-to-play,” which, according to her website, would prohibit individuals or entities — if doing business with the city, school district or seeking benefits from the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency — from contributing to political campaigns for two years.
“None of my opponents have even touched ethics reform,” Lavine said. “Of course Ben Walsh doesn’t want to do that because his donor list is replete with wealthy developers who got millions of taxpayer dollar benefits from when he was (SIDA’s) executive director.”
None of my opponents have even touched ethics reform.Laura Lavine
In January, Walsh expressed interest in the Republican committee’s endorsement, but after he refused to register as a Republican, committee members voted to support Lavine.
Lavine has frequently criticized Walsh while campaigning. In September, Walsh won the Independence Party line over Lavine as a write-in, despite Lavine being endorsed by the Independence Party.
The Republican candidate, who opposes the set of recommendations by the citizens group Consensus, noted that Walsh’s father, former congressman James Walsh, was a co-chair of the Consensus commission.
As a Republican, Lavine is facing a challenge over the next few weeks. She would have to mobilize the Republican base and appeal to crossover voters to clinch the election, Potter said.
“If you’re happy with the way things are, if you think Syracuse is headed in the right direction, you’re going to vote for Juanita Perez Williams,” Potter said. “But if you’re looking for change, you’re obviously looking toward Laura Lavine, Ben Walsh and maybe Howie Hawkins, the Green Party nominee.”