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Common Councilor Joe Driscoll has had enough of Republicans running the Onondaga County Legislature, like they have for over 40 years. The county’s budget is over five times larger than Syracuse’s, and it is responsible for county social services and the health department.

“If we had a Democratic majority, or could at least break the Republican supermajority, so (County Executive) Ryan McMahon would have to negotiate with the Democrats, we can get some more leverage and get some more resources to make the region more equitable,” Driscoll said.

This election cycle, Legislature Minority Leader Linda Ervin asked Driscoll to lead the Democratic Party’s effort to win seats in November. He agreed and decided to take a different approach to previous efforts and create a centralized organization to help candidates. Flip the Leg brings together a board of progressive and moderate Democrats from the city and county to work together, despite policy differences.

The Flip the Leg board is drawn from Driscoll’s experience organizing for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign where he made inroads in local progressive politics. Driscoll’s experience as a politician, both in Syracuse Common Council and as a notable member of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee, also gave him connections in establishment circles. 

“We’ve never had all the sides that disagree with each other in the same room,” Driscoll said. “This time, it’s the progressives and the party elders all pulling the rope in the same direction.”

Republicans currently hold 11 of the legislature’s 17 seats, a supermajority. That advantage means that if the 11 Republicans vote together, they can pass legislation without even consulting Democrats. While legislation usually needs to go through a committee where all members could comment on it, members can also introduce legislation during a voting session with a party-line vote. That’s become common practice, said Democratic County Legislator Peggy Chase of the 9th District, which includes the Syracuse University campus.

“(Democrats’) hands are tied with pretty much anything that we want to get through,” Chase said. “Frequently, we do not hear about projects or resolutions that (Republicans are) trying to bring up until practically a minute before we have to deal with them. It’s not how the process is supposed to be.”

Flip the Leg, with more candidates and a larger social media presence, has brought significantly more attention to candidates than previous elections, Driscoll said.

“The number of volunteers that the candidates have is, by a long shot, stronger than we’ve ever seen,” he said. “We’re hitting the doors, and people are excited about the message. About more accountability, more transparency, focusing more on services. We’re seeing a lot of excitement, a lot of progress.”

That support is being felt by candidates as well, according to 3rd District candidate Matt Johnson. Johnson, who is 20 years old, is making his first run at elected office after managing Rita Paniagua’s successful Common Council campaign in 2019.

“The (Democratic) Party has been very supportive,” Johnson said. “When one party is in power in a certain branch of government for so long, it’s valid to make the case that maybe it’s time for a different party to take control.”

Flip the Leg creates an organizing space for candidates to coordinate campaigns, Driscoll said, allowing them to better use their resources, gain more volunteers and donations and make their fight for elected office easier. Now the group’s weekly meetings are about 15 people, with many volunteers coming in and out over time. They help volunteers knock on doors, send out mailers and pass out flyers to support candidates.

“We’ve got the old, traditional wisdom and the new wisdom all conferring together and meeting once a week to talk about ideas,” Driscoll said. “I’m really glad that all the people that we have on the squad are really just putting so much time and effort and work in. It’s been inspiring.”

While Chase and Driscoll have doubts about taking back the majority, they said they believe Democrats have a shot at at least ensuring that Republicans no longer have a supermajority in the legislature. Driscoll has his eyes on four seats which could flip this year, he said. Those seats would ensure that Republicans would need to negotiate with Democrats on policy instead of being able to vote on items without Democrats even seeing the legislation, Chase said.

“Government should be transparent. This isn’t a secret clan where all the decisions are made,” she said. “To truly be a productive government, we have to be transparent. We have to be able to bring in the interests of our constituents and discuss them as a group.”

Published on October 18, 2021 at 12:16 am

Contact Nick: nickrobertson@dailyorange.com | @NickRobertsonSU