Central Current

Rep. John Mannion has declined to participate in a debate set to be hosted by Central Current, WAER Syracuse Public Media, and Meidas Touch political correspondent Scott MacFarlane — appearing to avoid the only of four local debates that would have allowed constituents to directly question candidates. Mannion, a Democrat representing New York’s 22nd Congressional District, in August told a Central Current reporter he was looking forward to debate season and reminding voters of his voting record.

County Executive Ryan McMahon’s proposed 2027 budget included a tax rate decrease while funding new initiatives to support housing development, food pantries and airport upgrades. McMahon said his proposed $1.7 billion budget was based on “responsibility, momentum, partnership, and the belief that our best days are not behind us, but yet, in front of us.” If passed, this is the ninth year in a row that Onondaga County would cut the property tax rate.

When Mayor Sharon Owens reached out to former Common Council President Bethaida “Bea” González asking her to serve as a board commissioner at the Syracuse Housing Authority, González did not agree right away. She reached out to the board chair at the state’s Homes and Community Renewal and HCR’s legal team to make sure being on the board of the local housing authority would not be an issue. “I had to check.

The performance was a big deal for Laura Lee DeFazio Morabito, an event she had really wanted to see. On Sept. 10, 2001, Laura Lee and her husband Mark were in the audience for the first national tour of “Mamma Mia” at the now-Emerson Colonial Theater in Boston. Elated, they hurried home to catch a few hours of sleep. Laura Lee had a flight to catch early the next morning. Mark Morabito remembers two things, specifically, about the ensuing hours that he hopes might do the rest of us some good.

Editor’s note: This story is part of CNY Decides, a collaboration between Central Current and WAER Syracuse Public Media to demystify the political process and bring you the stories and information you’ll remember in the voting booth in 2026. Click here to read, watch and listen to other installments in the collaboration. With Election day just two months away, affordability is front and center in the race for New York’s 22nd Congressional District.

By Monday afternoon, as the New York State Fair rolled into its final hours, Ashley Shenandoah was feeling the sadness of the impending annual goodbye. She looked around at people of all generations from throughout the Six Nations, gathered in this green and quiet corner of the fairgrounds, and her relief at the way everything had gone so well was tempered by what she feels on every Labor Day: A piece of her did not want the fair to end.

With a week to go before Onondaga County’s 2027 budget cycle begins, County Executive Ryan McMahon signed a local law which will bring a months-long fight over term limits to a close — at least until November. The local law, signed by the Onondaga County Legislature last week, will put two referendums on November’s ballot: one would create a four-term, or 16-year, limit on the county executive and comptroller’s positions.

Syracuse Housing Authority Board Chair Ryan Benz resigned from the board exactly two months after former Executive Director Bill Simmons announced his surprise early retirement. Benz’s resignation comes while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development investigates a complaint Simmons filed earlier this year against Benz. Simmons alleged the developer had an undisclosed conflict of interest related to the redevelopment of public housing on the Southside.

Editor’s note: This column is a work of reported cultural criticism. It’s 10 a.m. at the 2026 Great New York State Fair, and there’s a human behind the wheel of the self-driving robo-taxi. Waymo, the autonomous vehicle ride-hailing company owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is here to launch what it calls its “statewide road show” with a group of Syracuse high school students.

You might have noticed that Central Current has been trying something new lately: We’ve doubled our newsletter output. In the beginning of August, Central Current began sending out two newsletters each week, with one titled “One Big Story” and the other “Staying Current.” In any given week, we hope to send out “Staying Current” on Wednesday or Thursday and “Staying Current” on Saturday or Sunday. The goal of each newsletter is a little different.