The Onondaga County Legislature unanimously approved an all-Republican Board of Directors for the Onondaga Civic Development Corporation this afternoon. Although Democrats voted for the board members, several protested the way Republicans picked them.
The Civic Development Corporation is designed to help nonprofit organizations, Majority Leader Kathleen Rapp, R-Salina, said. Specifically, St. Joseph’s Hospital would receive tax-exempt bonds for its $220 million expansion project.
County Executive Joanie Mahoney and Chairman William Meyer, both Republicans, each selected three board members for approval in today’s legislature meeting.
Rapp’s face flushed as Legislators William Kinne, D-Syracuse, and Mark Stanczyk, D-Syracuse, questioned the selection process. Stanczyk pointed out that all six of the board members are Republicans, and three are former Republican legislators. “It would be nice if we could find someone truly representative of the community,” he said.
Legislator Sam Laguzza, D-Syracuse, said the all-Republican board is not a coincidence. “I’ve served with a lot of these board members,” he said after the meeting. “And they’re entrenched Republicans. It’s the Republicans’ opportunity to control the board.”
Rapp said the selection was not about influence because the purpose of having a separate board is to ensure no one can control its members. Democratic legislators had just as much input in the process as Republican legislators, she said.
Despite his complaint, Kinne said he had a good reason for approving the all-Republican board. “You don’t stop something that has the potential to have a positive impact on the community just because you don’t like how it was done.”
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