Latest news with #SyracuseCommonCouncil
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Jury finds Syracuse officer liable for violating rights of man she killed at Father's Day riot in 2016
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The Syracuse Police officer who killed a man she thought was about to shoot her was found civilly liable for violating his constitutional rights Friday in federal court. Officer Kelsey Francemone shot and killed Gary Porter as she responded and was working to subdue active shooters at a Father's Day party that turned into a riot near Syracuse's Skiddy Park in 2016. Francemone was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by a grand jury in 2016. Porter's family then sued Francemone personally, alleging she violated his constitutional rights. A federal jury of eight people found the victim's family did sufficiently argue their claims and awarded the Porter family $10,000 in damages. Somewhat contradictory, the jury also found that Francemone successfully argued that Porter was armed and actively shooting. That determination allows the judge to consider 'qualified immunity' for Francemone, which allows her protection from damages because of her official duties as a police officer. The $10,000 awarded at trial is somewhat of a financial victory for the City of Syracuse, which was about to award the Porter family more than $800,000 until the settlement was blocked by the Syracuse Common Council. Francemone has been celebrated for her bravery on the night of the riot, including accolades from the New York governor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Leader says Common Council will ‘probably' override Syracuse mayor's requests to restore budget cuts
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The Syracuse Common Council will 'probably' override all 45 budget amendment vetoes issued by Mayor Ben Walsh, the body's presiding president tells NewsChannel 9. President Pro-Tempore Pat Hogan says 'I don't think so,' when asked if there's any hope the mayor's requested spending plan gets restored. 'We certainly did our due diligence through the whole budget process,' said Councilor Hogan. 'My councilors are pretty set as far as, like, deciding on how we're going to go forward and I think we'll probably overrule every one of his vetoes.' The council is poised to vote as soon as it legally can: it's next regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday. Hogan's admission likely ends any hope Mayor Ben Walsh had at restoring the budget initially proposed that was slashed by the Common Council. Mayor Ben Walsh formally proposed his $348 million budget to the Common Council on April 9. On May 8, without warning to the mayor, the council made $16 million in spending cuts in the form of 82 amendments to line items. On May 19, Mayor Walsh formally objected to 45 of those amendments, asking the council to restore $13 million worth of spending. Walsh said he was hoping to compromise by not vetoing all 82 amendments, instead asking to fully fund the police, fire, and codes departments. Hogan reiterated Wednesday that while he's cutting how much city departments can spend, he's not telling them what kinds of programs or people to cut within their reduced budgets. Hogan said it was up to Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile whether to keep funding gunshot-detecting technology or hire another round of police academy graduates as new officers. Mayor Walsh said he's frustrated the council cut the city's ability to raise revenue. 'It's up to the administration, it's up to the departments,' said Hogan. 'We have to be cognizant of what programs they decide to get rid of. Programs that actually generate revenue, we probably shouldn't.' When asked if that means Hogan will restore the spending cut intended to hire people to administer new enforcement of drivers speeding in school zones or passing stopped school buses using camera surveillance, he again said it wasn't up to him. 'I'm not running a city department,' Hogan said. Hogan is running for the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Syracuse against fellow Common Councilor Chol Majok and Ben Walsh-appointed Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens. Walsh has accused Hogan's cuts of being politically motivated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syracuse's Common Council cutting expenses for dozens of departments, clashing with Mayor Walsh
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A rare public rebuke by the Syracuse Common Council outright rejected Mayor Ben Walsh's city budget plan. The councilors, offering their cut costs, slashed nearly every department. Thursday afternoon, the city's councilors approved 87 amendments in their special meeting, claiming that the mayor spent more money than the city could absorb throughout his term. The council also said it doesn't need to raise taxes to control costs. One of the most significant projects approved included a $4.5 million bond for a sidewalk improvement program. On the other hand, the council trimmed more than $3.5 million from the police department, $2.4 million from fire services, and millions more from public works, parks and city administration. New Yorkers can now get weather alerts via text messages Syracuse's Common Council cutting expenses for dozens of departments, clashing with Mayor Walsh Your Stories Q&A: Is my Social Security number shown when a store scans my REAL ID license? CNY vets disagree with POTUS renaming Veterans Day Deputy accused of Utica fire indicted for attempted murder Councilor Pat Hogan, who is running for mayor, defends the cuts, saying they are necessary for the city to survive. 'We know we're going to have to deal with that structural deficit, and that's something that weighs on us, said Hogan, '120 million dollar fund balance, but the mayor's proposal would have taken 27 million dollars of the fund balance.' Mayor Walsh, in a press conference shortly after the meeting, acknowledged the council cuts, which he said were somewhat of a surprise to him because he hadn't heard from the councilors that they wanted any changes during the month they had been reviewing it. 'This approach doesn't protect the city,' Walsh said. 'If this is how a council runs a city, I hope it's not the future.' Surrounded by department heads, Walsh warned that the reductions would directly affect city services, particularly public safety. Police Chief Joe Cecile highlighted one potential impact. 'The Armory Square detail that we deploy on busy weekend nights—under this budget, that'll be gone,' Cecile said. A document showing the council's full funding cuts proposed in the meeting can be found below. 05.08.2025-special-meeting-agendaDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syracuse City Hall fires budget director blamed with making ‘racist' comments
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The City of Syracuse has fired its budget director, a man also running for Syracuse mayor, over allegations he made 'racist' comments on social media. In a statement, a spokesperson for Syracuse City Hall writes: 'The City of Syracuse terminated Timothy Rudd as budget director effective immediately. The statements attributed to him in local media and in his own social media posts, which he does not deny making, are racist, disrespectful, and demeaning. They are inconsistent with the City's expectations—especially for those in a management role.' Kendrick Lamar's journey from Compton to Super Bowl LIX Syracuse City Hall fires budget director blamed with making 'racist' comments How much does it cost to make a penny, and are we 'losing' money on other coins? 'Captain America' actor named grand marshal for Daytona 500 Fugitive of the Week: Shamari Williams Rudd has made comments on his Facebook page and in newspaper interviews that invoke references to slavery in the context of Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens. Rudd has been suspended since January 31. Rudd has also announced his candidacy for mayor, switching parties to run as a Republican. Owens is one of many candidates running as a Democrat. Rudd served on the Syracuse Common Council in 2017 for three years before he was appointed to join Mayor Ben Walsh's administration as the budget director. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
