Incumbent city councilor Michael Heagerty opened the door when he failed to get his name on the Democratic line and tonight Republican Matt Rayo walked in to become the youngest common councilor in Syracuse history.
Rayo, 23, and his family were among the few celebrating at the Republican Election Night party at the OnCenter.
After graduating from SUNY-ESF two years ago, Rayo says he decided to combine his passion for the environment with his interest in politics. In 2008, Rayo began his career by working for Dale Sweetland during his failed campaign for Congress.
Rayo campaigned door-to-door with family members and handed out lawn signs to supporters in the months leading up to this year's election.
His aunt, Joan Rayo Adams, says she was impressed with the way her nephew conducted his campaign. “People loved him when we campaigned together,” she said. “He was always walking around, meeting members from the community. He asked people about their concerns and they seemed to really respond to his message.”
It also helped considerably that after Heagerty forgot to sign his own petition. He wound up far down the ballot on the Working Parties line. “Heagerty didn’t really stay on top of the details and unfortunately it adversely affected him,” said Robert Rayo, Matt Rayo’s uncle. “Matt found a crack in the armor and moved right in.”
No comments:
Post a Comment