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Candidates Maurice “Mo” Brown and Moise “Mo” Moodie are running for the Onondaga County legislature to represent the newly-redrawn 15th district, which includes Syracuse University’s South Campus, the University Neighborhood and parts of downtown Syracuse, the Southside and Southwest neighborhoods.

Brown, a Democrat endorsed by the Syracuse chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, will take on Moodie — an independent candidate endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties — in the upcoming November election. Both candidates are centering their campaigns for the county legislature on addressing economic inequality, Syracuse’s ongoing lead crisis and public safety.

Brown, a graduate of SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts in 2019 and former member of the United States Army Reserve, built his platform on addressing long-standing issues within the city, mainly limitations in affordable housing and lagging public transportation.

“I just fundamentally believe you need a strong city center city core in order to have a thriving region,” Brown said. “Right now, you don’t see the city of Syracuse prioritized by the county legislature, and I think that’s a problem.”

Moodie said he aims to use his personal experiences as an entrepreneur, former New York City police officer and small business owner to better relate with county residents.

“With my educational background and with the different course that I went through … that allows me to be able to communicate so much better with people,” Moodie said. “One of the reasons why I’m truly running is because we’re all frustrated by seeing either a politician go up there and never do what they said they were going to do, or it’s just clear they’re out for their own personal interest.”

While neither candidate has served in public office before and are both running for the first time, Brown and Moodie explained how their backgrounds in other sectors can still translate into representing voters and creating policy within the county.

Brown was born in Brooklyn and began his political activism in 2015 when he volunteered for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s campaign in the 2016 presidential election. He co-founded Uplift Syracuse — a progressive advocacy group that supports the community grid option of the Interstate 81 Viaduct Project — in 2017. Brown currently works as a success coach, or student advisor, at Onondaga Community College.

Brown overwhelmingly won the Democratic Party primary on June 27 and received approximately 64% of the vote against former candidate Tim Rudd, the city of Syracuse’s budget director.

Mary Kuhn, a Democratic legislator who represents Onondaga County’s 7th district, said Brown’s openness to engage in political dialogue and grasp of the role of a county legislator makes him qualified for the position.

“He will be very constituent service-oriented, and that is a very strong aspect of what he can provide, (and) what he can bring to the legislature,” Kuhn said. “In what he says he will do, he does.”

Moodie graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in psychology and sociology in 2003, then earned a master’s degree from Binghamton in social science with a concentration in public administration. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Moodie worked as a police officer in New York City and as a banker in Washington, D.C.

A house fire in 2019 led Moodie and his family to move to central New York, where he has now worked as a local entrepreneur and tech salesman.

Moodie said his diverse ethnic background of being Black, Latino and Caucasian combined with his various work in other industries allows him to connect the most with county residents.

Holly Grant, a resident of the Westcott Neighborhood in Syracuse, said she thinks Moodie’s background in business and law enforcement as well as general experience stands out compared to a “typical” politician.

“I think those are good life experiences that he can bring. He has multiple perspectives that he can draw from to really get deeper into issues that will help people,” Grant said.

Grant said affordable housing and Syracuse’s ongoing lead crisis remain top issues for residents based on conversations she’s had with her neighbors. The incoming aquarium at the Syracuse Inner Harbor, an $85 million project the county legislature approved in August 2022, also persists as a focal point for public discussion, she said.

Brown has publicly opposed the aquarium and called for its funding to be used to solve current issues, particularly lead poisoning among Syracuse children. Brown’s campaign also centers on improving public transportation across the county. He emphasized the need to invest in transportation in the wake of investments from companies like Micron Technology in the central New York region.

“Transportation is directly correlated with someone’s commute time, is directly correlated with their ability to get out of poverty and to move classes socially,” Brown said. “Our transportation system here is woefully inadequate. It is, in some aspects, a joke, but we can have a thriving transportation system.”

Kuhn said Moodie has talked about wanting to organize parent-teacher organizations and coordinate with them to define policy for entities like the Syracuse City School District. Moodie did speak at a meeting with Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that advocates for removing topics such as race, sexuality and gender identity from public school curriculums.

Moodie’s platform centers on economic development through investments in housing and general infrastructure. He is specifically campaigning on a tax credit initiative for county residents and a business corridor program to promote entrepreneurship that will rehabilitate deteriorated or underutilized retail spaces.

Moodie said he also wants to invest in the county workforce through expanded career development. If elected, he plans to hold periodical town hall meetings to consistently engage with all his potential constituents, regardless of their political belief.

“Mo’s background as a police officer and small business owner attracted us to his candidacy,” Debra Cody, executive director for the Onondaga County Republican Committee, wrote in an email statement to The Daily Orange. “His support for strong public safety, job training, and stable housing are important for the 15th district and we applaud his commitment to the community.”

The candidates differed in their stances on county policing after an Onondaga County deputy shot and killed two Syracuse teenagers in DeWitt on Sept. 6. On Oct. 3, Onondaga County Chief Police Deputy Matthew Fischer confirmed that Onondaga County police are looking into changing the existing body camera policies following the shooting.

Brown opposed the sheriff’s office’s proposed multi-year, $15 million contract that, if approved, would include upgrades to body cameras and tasers. In 2020, Brown said he advocated for the Syracuse City Common Council to pass the “Right to Know” law, which aimed to impose stricter rules on how police can engage with residents, among other regulations. Brown called for greater investments to address poverty as a means of reducing crime.

While Moodie said he supports the proposal, he said his primary goal in policing is to create better community relationships between officers and residents.

State Senator Rachel May, who represents SU’s campus and the city of Syracuse, endorsed Brown during his primary run and said he assisted in training her to run for office. May said she first met Brown back when he was in the Army Reserve, and said she appreciates his military background and his ability to interact with people regardless of their background.

Grant said Moodie has also been visible and accessible through his involvement with the local community. She said Moodie’s “willingness to get out there” and connect with residents makes him an appealing candidate.

Bill Kinne, the current Democratic legislator for the 15th district, said that whoever is elected will need to address how they solve issues with lead poisoning, affordable housing and crime.

Kinne, who is currently running for Onondaga County Executive against incumbent Republican Ryan McMahon, said redistricting will be a substantial factor in this year’s county legislature elections. In 2021, county lawmakers approved a redistricting plan that added more neighborhoods around the SU area in the new 15th district.

Kinne’s advice to both candidates included taking time to learn about the position and fulfill the complete roles the county legislature position invokes.

“I’ve always felt that the basic requirements are two-fold. One, you attend the meetings of the committees you’re assigned to and two, you respond to your constituents when they contact you, either by phone, email (or) letter,” Kinne said.

Kinne noted that particularly for Brown, the challenge as a Democrat would be overcoming the long-time Republican majority in the county legislature. Since 1961, Republicans have maintained majority rule in the legislature over Democrats for all but one two-year term, Kuhn said.

Moodie said he wants to work with county residents regardless of political background, and that he can “bridge the gap” between Republicans and Democrats. He said Brown could face political limitations given the Republican majority makeup of the county legislature.

“Nothing will change if Mr. Brown becomes elected just by the nature of who he is and the endorsements that he has and the enemies that he’s made,” Moodie said. “I actually am in a position to make change. My opposition is not.”

Moodie and Brown will participate in a candidate forum on Oct. 23 at the Petit Branch Library in Westcott, which will be moderated by the League of Women Voters. The forum, hosted by the Westcott Neighborhood Association, will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

General elections will be held on Nov. 7. Early voting will take place between Oct. 28 and Nov. 5.

With the election drawing near, Moodie said he will continue pitching himself as politically unaffiliated so he can connect with all residents.

“We need someone who’s going to be a dynamic leader, that’s going to be able to have the humanistic side plus the economic side plus the law enforcement side, and the ability to do management, to make sure that we are being seen, heard and represented,” Moodie said.

Brown will also look to make his case for creating solutions for long-lasting problems that the county and city have dealt with for years.

“I want to make sure that we become a thriving region, (and) make sure we’re taking care of our people,” Brown said.

Published on October 12, 2023 at 1:29 am

Contact Dominic: dcchiapp@syr.edu | @DominicChiappo2