Economy, poverty, housing should be county focus of spending

Onondaga County needs a transformational plan to attack poverty, expand affordable housing, improve healthcare access, and develop infrastructure. County leaders must listen and respond to the priorities of residents by opening a community dialogue, encouraging bipartisanship, and providing extensive details of the plan to the public. 

A $100 million aquarium won’t help people afford food or housing, nor does it help working families in an area with crippling poverty. This money would be better spent by investing in affordable housing, low-income living conditions, and home ownership. Aggressive models to provide affordable housing attack poverty and racism at their roots. How about investing $25 million in the chronically underfunded Greater Syracuse Land Bank and creating a community housing land trust to make owning housing more affordable in towns all over the county? The county would own the land, lowering the price of the mortgage and ensuring future generations could continue to afford to live on the land. These models have thrived for our neighbors in Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.

$25 million should be used to expand the Onondaga County Health and Social Services Departments and integrate them with academic centers to train the next generation of professionals. Aggressive planning, instead of massive departmental cuts, may have saved the lives of the hundreds who died here and helped the thousands of families suffering from the pandemics of COVID-19, addiction, and mental illness. This funding needs to restore and expand staffing levels and to provide more services as residents recover. We could also have at-home and rapid COVID-19 testing and off-hours COVID testing, and vaccinations, as many other localities and states already have. Lastly, access to care for those suffering from addiction and mental illness can be life-saving.

The County and the City of Syracuse should work together to make a publicly owned broadband program ($50 million). This can position Onondaga County as a leader in the Northeast. As seen in public broadband programs like those in Chattanooga, Tenn., impressive revenue and job growth would flow to the localities. Public broadband can help us move towards controlling our own utilities, becoming a smart energy county, and drawing businesses to our area. High-speed internet with low costs will also improve access to education, remote work, and healthcare services. 

$42 million should be spent on local infrastructure needs that can help address poverty and improve sustainability. Town residents that I speak with want more planning on sewers, water, and solar energy. People speak passionately about the need to dust off the county's sustainability plan to attack climate change. Electrifying the county car fleet and installing electric car chargers makes sense for the environment and the county's pocketbook. Expanding composting programs, gardens, and improving access to parks, beaches, and public pools are exciting thoughts with Summer around the corner. Improving infrastructure and building a sustainable, green economy will help bring jobs and opportunity here.

Only a big vision for housing, healthcare, and economic development will push us forward. Speak up today to your County Legislator and demand more for Central New York! 

Sunny Aslam