My name is Mr. Conners, a father, son, husband, and a resident of Syracuse for 32 years. I was born and raised here. I've experienced the struggles that many in our community face daily - addiction, homelessness, unemployment - and have overcome them. I've lost friends to drug overdoses, shootings, stabbings and suicide.

These experiences are not unique to me; they are shared by many of our fellow citizens in Syracuse. Our city has been grappling with these issues for years now without any significant improvement.

According to WellfareInfo.org The poverty rate in Syracuse, New York is 29.6%. In Syracuse, New York, an estimated 38,798 of 131,251 people live in poverty. The poverty rate in Syracuse, New York is 106.99% higher than the New York average. In Syracuse, New York, an estimated 29.6% of 131,251 people live in poverty. In New York, 14.3% of 19,185,089 people live in poverty. The poverty rate in Syracuse, New York is 134.92% higher than the US average. In Syracuse, New York, an estimated 29.6% of 131,251 people live in poverty. In the United States, 12.6% of 325,521,470 people live in poverty.

As Of 2023 21.4% Poverty Rate for White people in Syracuse, New York. 41.3% Poverty Rate for African American People in Syracuse, New York. 44.3% Poverty Rate for Asian People in Syracuse, New York. 37.6% Poverty Rate for People with 2 or more races in Syracuse, New York. 51.2% Poverty Rate for Hispanics in Syracuse, New York. 20.1% Poverty Rate for White people with no other heritage in Syracuse, New York.
 

48.3% Poverty Rate for people under 18 years old in Syracuse, New York. 51.5% Poverty Rate for children under 5 years old in Syracuse, New York. 47.1% Poverty Rate for children 5 to 17 years old in Syracuse, New York. 48.3% Poverty Rate for related children to home owner under 18 years old in Syracuse, New York. 27.9% Poverty Rate for people 18 to 64 years old in Syracuse, New York. 29.6% Poverty Rate for people 18 to 34 years old in Syracuse, New York. 26.3% Poverty Rate for people 35 to 64 years old in Syracuse, New York. 22.3% Poverty Rate for people 60 years and over in Syracuse, New York. 22.5% Poverty Rate for people 65 years and over in Syracuse, New York.
 
(Source: https://welfareinfo.org )

The unemployment rate for Syracuse, NY, as of March 2024, is 4.2%. (Source: https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2024/04/state-labor-department-releases-preliminary-march-2024-area-unemployment-rates.pdf )

Syracuse, NY is Graded with a D- For Crime, Violent Crime Grade is a F, Property Crime Grade is a D-, & Other Crime Grade is a D-. Fact on Syracuse, NY: A crime is committed every 22 minutes in Syracuse, NY. The D- grade means the rate of crime is much higher than the average US city. Syracuse is in the 11th percentile for safety, meaning 89% of cities are safer and 11% of cities are more dangerous. This analysis applies to the Syracuse area's proper boundaries only. See the table on nearby places below for nearby cities. The rate of crime in the Syracuse area is 34.15 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. People who live in the Syracuse area generally consider the southwest part of the city to be the safest. Your chance of being a victim of crime in the Syracuse area may be as high as 1 in 6 in the east neighborhoods, or as low as 1 in 122 in the southwest part of the city. See the section on interpreting the crime map, however, because comparing rates for crime or any other crime is not as intuitive as it may seem. (Source: https://crimegrade.org ).

According to Crime in Syracuse research summary. HomeSnacks has been using Saturday Night Science to report crime data in Syracuse over the past eight years using the FBI crime explorer. Based on the most recently available data released October 17, 2023, we found the following about crime in Syracuse: There were 5,724 total crimes committed in Syracuse the last reporting year. On a rate basis, there were 3,942.7 total crimes per 100K people in Syracuse. The overall crime rate in Syracuse is 69.64% above the national average. Syracuse ranks #385 safest out of 404 cities in New York. Syracuse ranks #8,920 safest out of 9,869 cities in the United States. Because the crime rate is so low in America, we use "per 100,000 people" to make the number a bit easier to compare across locations visually. It's mathematically the same as doing per capita comparisons and isn't conveying that there are 100,000+ people in a location. (Source: https://www.homesnacks.com ).

According to the Housing and Homeless Coalition of Central New York, here are some statistics related to homelessness in Syracuse, New York: Point In Time Report (PIT): On the day of the count, approximately 25 to 30 people were counted as homeless in the City of Syracuse, Homeless Students: In the Syracuse City School District, about 1,400 kids were considered homeless at the start of the 2023-24 school year. A few months later, that number increased to over 1,800, & Family Homelessness: Family homelessness has increased by 41%, and 75% of those affected have never been homeless before. Rising rent costs in Syracuse have led some individuals to spend over 50% of their income on housing. (Source: https://cnycentral.com ).

PERCENTAGE OF

Lead Exposure in Syracuse
PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN WITH ELEVATED BLOOD LEAD LEVELS 9.26%

New York State carefully monitors data related to elevated lead blood levels among children. This map shows data on rates of elevated blood lead levels among children in Syracuse.

Overall in Syracuse, the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels (5 µg/dL or higher) was 9.26% as of 2023 (Source: https://www.leadsafecny.org ).

Onondaga County There are 64 public schools matching your required criteria: within 5 miles of Syracuse, NY. Public schools in 5 miles of Syracuse, NY have a diversity score of 0.46, which is lower than the national average of 0.70. The most diverse school in 5 miles of Syracuse, NY is Grant Middle School. For these schools, minority enrollment is 59% (majority Black) and the student:teacher ratio is 12:1 (Source: https://www.publicschoolreview.com ).

In 2023, the student debt situation in Syracuse, NY, and more broadly, has been a topic of interest. Here are some key points: Nationwide, outstanding student loan debt remained roughly unchanged at $1.6 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2023, Syracuse University reported that the average loan amount for all undergraduates was $6,462 per year. Notably, 42.0% of all undergraduate students utilized federal student loans to help pay for their college education, which is 19.4% higher than the amount borrowed by freshmen, Additionally, Syracuse University ranked No. 6 statewide for median debt with a total of $23,697, The rate for unsubsidized graduate loans for the 2023-2024 academic year was reported to be 7.05%. (Sources: https://www.newyorkfed.org​ , https://www.collegefactual.com​ , https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/multiple-upstate-ny-colleges-including-syracuse-university-among-top-10-in-ny-for-student-debt/ar-AA1jAOz0​ , https://smartasset.com ).

I am running for Mayor because it's time we had someone who understands these challenges firsthand leading our city towards positive change - someone who listens to you rather than those in suits.

By signing this petition you're not just supporting my candidacy but also standing up for real change that can make life better for all residents of Syracuse irrespective of their socio-economic status or background.

It's time we had leadership that truly represents us all! Please sign this petition today to support my run as Mayor!