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Chol Majok, a councilor-at-large on the Syracuse City Common Council, officially launched his mayoral campaign Sunday at The Taste of Africa restaurant in Northside Syracuse. The city councilor is a member of the Democratic Party and announced his intention to run on Friday, syracuse.com first reported.

During his remarks, Majok discussed the biggest issues facing the city of Syracuse and said that once in office, he would prioritize combatting the city’s housing crisis and the economic insecurity leading to poverty and homelessness.

Majok also promised to tackle neighborhood safety concerns across the community. Syracuse has had persistently high crime levels, and its 2021 murder rate of 19.85 per 100,000 residents was triple the national average, the city reported. The average number of homicides over the last decade has also risen by 31%.

“Syracuse is in a ditch. You look at crime, neighborhoods are disturbed, families are destabilized. We need to stabilize families if we are going to have a city for the next years to come,” Majok said.

The campaign provided attendees with copies of Majok’s “vision statement,” outlining his major policy objectives. In the statement, Majok wrote that he would make Syracuse a “green-jobs-focused city” by strengthening food security measures and prioritizing climate consciousness in developing its infrastructure. He also wrote he wants to focus on “skilling, upskilling, and reskilling workers” before Micron Technology’s arrival.

The city councilor was the first refugee elected to office in Syracuse, winning his bid for 3rd district councilor in 2019. He immigrated to the city’s Elmwood neighborhood in 2001 from South Sudan as one of an estimated 20,000 “Lost Boys” who fled the country during its civil war, Majok’s mother, Blessed Unami Sikhosana, said.

“I see how Syracuse families are struggling. My heart bleeds every time I see children being homeless, children that are right here,” Majok said. “Anytime I see somebody struggling with their family or their children, it hurts me so bad, because when I see them, I imagine myself in the same shape.”

After graduating from the Syracuse City School District, Majok earned a Bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. In the years before holding public office, Majok served as the director of workforce development at Loretto, a New York state-based elder and healthcare organization.

Majok is the fourth Democrat to announce their bid for the 2025 mayoral race. Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens was the first to announce, followed by Syracuse Police Department Community Engagement Director Jimmy Oliver and 2nd District Councilor Patrick Hogan.

Party primaries will take place in June 2025, with the general mayoral election following in November 2025. No Republican party candidate has announced their candidacy.

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Published on December 8, 2024 at 8:59 pm

Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu