Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens Hosts Radio Show Introducing Administration Team – February 20, 2026
Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens Hosts Radio Show Introducing Administration Team – February 20, 2026
On February 20, 2026, from approximately 4:57 PM to 6:00 PM, Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens hosted the Bob Lonsbury Show on News Radio 570 WSYR, filling in for the regular host. The mayor used the opportunity to introduce key members of her administration, discuss priorities, and engage with a caller. The show highlighted ongoing initiatives in parks, public safety, economic development, housing, infrastructure, and community engagement.
Public Comments & Testimony
- A caller who has been a city resident for 29 years raised concerns about homeowners not clearing sidewalks, forcing children to walk in the road. The caller reported frustration with being transferred between departments when trying to report the issue. Mayor Owens acknowledged the problem, stating that the city is evaluating and changing the sidewalk plowing vendor, but also emphasized that property owners retain primary responsibility for clearing sidewalks.
Discussion Items
- Parks and Recreation (Commissioner Aisha Bird): Spring and summer program schedules will be released on April 1, 2026, with registration via Recdesk (recdesk.syr.gov). The city’s e-gaming program is expanding: Wilson Park’s eSports lounge is operational, Southwest Community Center’s e-sports suite opens next week, and two additional sites are planned. Wilson Park also has a podcasting room; Southwest will have a music studio. A Fortnite tournament was held, and a public tournament is planned for April. A week-long roller skating event is envisioned for Clinton Square with music and intergenerational activities. The city is also planning snow-based activities for next winter.
- Fire Department (Chief Michael Mons): In his ninth year as chief, Chief Mons noted the department answered nearly 26,000 emergency calls last year. Average response time is 2 minutes 42 seconds, improved by 9% over the previous year (a reduction of 30 seconds). The department has stations within three miles of each other across the city. A new station at 1153 East Fayette Street is forthcoming. The department provides free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Chief Mons was recognized as New York State Chief of the Year in 2023.
- GenNext Task Force & Nightlife Coordinator (Johanna Rogers, CenterState CEO): The GenNext task force engaged hundreds of residents in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. Top priorities included safe gathering spaces for networking, non-alcohol-focused events, and spaces for administrative tasks (e.g., filling out benefits paperwork). A new nightlife coordinator position is being created at the city—explicitly not a party planner. The goal is to foster civic engagement, MWBE business growth, and retention of young talent.
- Gun Violence Reduction (Pastor Latif Johnson Kinsey): The mayor’s office to reduce gun violence has deployed a mobile outreach unit, particularly after a homicide at a pool. The unit provides therapists and community violence intervention. The focus is on prevention: outreach workers engage youth before crises occur. Violent crime has been significantly reduced through partnership with police.
- Economic Development (Chief Development Officer Eric Ennis): Ennis highlighted the Micron semiconductor investment—the largest in the nation for a community of Syracuse’s size. Work has started on the site. The city is focusing on infrastructure, housing, and workforce development. Ennis oversees the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency (SIDA) which provides tax abatements, and SEDCO, a revolving loan fund for small businesses. Downtown is thriving, but commercial corridors need revitalization. A citywide job fair will be held on February 26, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at CNY Works (960 James Street). The city is especially seeking CDL drivers.
- Housing Crisis (Chief Strategy Officer Stephanie Pasquale): In 2024, Syracuse had a 26% rent increase—one of the highest in the country. 10% of Syracuse City School District students are defined as homeless by HUD (not necessarily living under a bridge but lacking a permanent address). The city is working to build larger affordable units (3–4 bedrooms) to serve families. Currently, about 1,000 housing units are under construction, including 152 units at the Chimes Building (deeply affordable to market rate), and 250+ new units in the East Adams neighborhood. The land bank is piloting modular home construction (52 homes planned), with one pilot home built in about 90 days.
- Police Department (Chief Mark Russin): Appointed 35 days prior, Chief Russin outlined four priorities: operations (reducing violent crime and gun crime, improving response times, reducing property crime), administration, officer wellness, and development of future leaders. The department uses focused deterrence, sending letters to top offenders offering an off-ramp. A diversionary response program redirects quality-of-life calls away from police to appropriate agencies. The department recovered guns and drugs during recent street operations.
- Infrastructure & Snow Removal (Chief Operations Officer Kevin Henry): The city has enough plows but faces a driver shortage. This has been one of the worst winters in years, and crews have worked long shifts. DPW monitors ice conditions and clears catch basins to prevent flooding. The city is changing its sidewalk plowing vendor due to poor performance.
- Common Council (President Rita Paniagua): Council President Paniagua emphasized modernizing council operations, improving efficiency, and bringing voices of marginalized communities (including those with language barriers) into decision-making. She and Mayor Owens committed to early budget collaboration, starting in March/April rather than last minute. Paniagua also highlighted the importance of arts in a healthy community, given her background as a former ballerina and board emeritus of CNY Arts.
- Mayor’s Closing Remarks: Mayor Owens reflected on the legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson, who recently passed, and expressed condolences for a fire victim earlier that day. She urged residents to embrace Syracuse’s moment of growth, stressing that the city is central to New York State’s prosperity. She thanked Bob Lonsbury for the opportunity and encouraged everyone to stay warm, stay safe, and go Cuse.
Key Outcomes
- Spring/summer program registration opens April 1, 2026, via Recdesk.
- Two additional e-gaming sites will be identified; a public Fortnite tournament is set for April.
- A week-long roller skating event in Clinton Square is being planned.
- New fire station at 1153 East Fayette Street is coming.
- A nightlife coordinator position will be created; a citywide job fair is scheduled for February 26, 2026, at CNY Works (960 James Street).
- The mobile outreach unit for gun violence prevention is active.
- The city is changing its sidewalk plowing vendor; residents are reminded of property owner responsibility.
- Early budget collaboration between mayor and common council will begin in March/April.
- The diversionary response program for police calls continues to expand.
- Approximately 1,000 housing units are under construction; modular home pilot aims for 52 new homes.
Meeting Transcript
Greetings. Hello everyone. I'm Sharon Owens, mayor of the city of Syracuse. And welcome to the Bob Lonsbury Show on News Radio 570 WSYR Radio. Bob is taking a few days off. So thank you, Bob, for allowing me to host. So you're with me from now until through the five o'clock hours. So it is an amazing opportunity for me to be on the show. I've been on here before with Mayor Walsh. And now here as the mayor of the city of Syracuse, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to introduce some of the key players in my administration, department heads, my key senior staff. And we're gonna start off the show with the fun department. We are the fun. The parks department, um, the amazing uh commissioner of parks, Aisha Bird. And uh how you doing? I'm doing great, mayor. Getting ready for the summer. We are spring and summer program schedules will be out April 1st. Yes. And and those spring and summer programs tell people how they can sign their their family members and their children up. And those slots go quickly, don't they? They they fill up really fast. Um we ask that our families register on Recdesk. Um and get your um registration in now. Sign up now so that you have an account within Recdesk so that as soon as we release those dates, you can sign up. And how do people find Recdes? It's Rackdesk.syr dot gov. Yep. But they can go on the website and Google Recdesk and they get where they need to be. They can. We also um have an open door policy. If folks are struggling to build the account on Rack Desk, come on down to 412 Spencer and we will help you set up your account. And there are online payments available that people can sign up for, which was new a couple years ago to make uh registration easier, correct? It that's correct. You can register right online. Awesome. So um something exciting going on that uh residual of Mayor Walsh that we heard from our young people. Um many of them are teenagers, and so we talked about how um how do you like our parks? And they said, well, if we don't play basketball or sports, there was nothing really for us to do. And so the suggestion was east gaming. So like the mother and me immediately was like, I don't want you sitting in front of a monitor. And then I shook myself and said, Well, you did ask them. And they said e-gaming. And e-gaming is a huge industry now. It is, and they're not sitting as much as you think. But when I have sat and observed watching the kids in our Wilson Park, um, we call it the eSports Lounge, watching them play. They're up and running to each other. Like, did you see that? Did you see that move? They're all over the place. I would say it's an active space.
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