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Democrats Khalid Bey and Michael Greene, who are both vying for mayor of Syracuse, have unique approaches to environmental policy.

Greene, who has already received the Democratic nomination, and Bey are challenging Mayor Ben Walsh, who is running for reelection as an independent. Republicans Janet Burman and Thomas Babilon are also running for the spot.

During Walsh’s time in office, the mayor has implemented multiple environmental initiatives, most notably the replacing of city street lights with LED smart lights. The project, when completed, will save the city 10.8 million kWh and 3 million dollars per year in operating costs.

Both Greene and Bey said that while Walsh hasn’t done anything wrong in terms of his pro-environmental efforts, he also hasn’t done enough.

“No one is doing enough about it. I have certainly increased the focus on environmental issues.” Walsh said. “Clearly more needs to be done, and we’ll continue to focus on it.”

For Greene, a common councilor at-large, the most pressing environmental issue facing the city is rising carbon emissions. He believes the city can play a role in solving that problem.

Greene is looking into the city’s potential to not just create environmental change themselves but better educate the public on how they can get involved themselves.

“Another thing that’s not in my plan that I’ve been studying is whether or not the city should take a more active role in green infrastructure projects in buildings and homes,” Greene said. “The city could be a key gateway for information for that.”

Bey, also a common councilor at-large, said the city has difficulty making environmental changes since state and federal governments typically deal with environmental policy. But that hasn’t stopped him from trying, he said.

Bey said that the impact of the planned replacement of the Interstate 81 viaduct is an important issue within the city. The highway — which has faced intense criticism for demolishing and later polluting predominantly Black neighborhoods in Syracuse — has been a prime example of what both Democratic candidates said was environmental racism.

Along with the destruction of neighborhoods, the respiratory health of those who live around I-81 viaduct has been greatly impacted. Bey has a personal connection to the issue.

“I’m one of those young kids who grew up near the viaduct who now has respiratory issues,” he said.
Pollution may have been a key factor in his adult respiratory allergies, despite the fact that he does not drink or smoke, he said.

Peter Wilcoxen, a Syracuse University professor of public administration and international affairs, said that pollutants can cause issues in areas surrounding highways.

“In a lot of areas, there is lead contamination from back when lead was in gasoline. It can be in the soils near highways,” he said.

Both Democratic candidates agree that a community grid should replace I-81. Based on renderings from the New York State Department of Transportation, this new construction plan would consist of tearing down a piece of the elevated highway and adding additional green space. This option, which would “disperse traffic throughout the city grid,” would take approximately five years and cost $1.9 billion.

While Bey and Greene agree on what needs to be done with I-81, they each have unique plans for addressing the city’s environmental footprint and its effects.

Greene’s policy platform, ”A City for All of Us,” ​reiterates the value of what he calls urbanism. The policy platform says that the best option for the city’s mass transit is Bus Rapid Transport. In this program, the busing system implements programs such as transit signal priority and level boarding platforms. While the policies aren’t directly related to the environment, they have positive environmental effects, he said.

“A lot of my policies are urbanism-type policies that encourage mass transit and walkability, so they don’t feel directly like environmental policies but they have the impact,” he said.

Bey hopes to work on environmental policies related to melting snow, capturing rain and converting government buildings to steam-generated power, which could cut energy usage.

There are even possibilities that would have residents paid for their snow to be used in energy creation, he said.

“If people knew they could make money from snow, you would return home in January, February, and you would see grass,” he said.

Bey said he takes pride in the innovation and ideas that come along with his experience as a political figure in Syracuse.

“I don’t do cut-and-paste legislation,” Bey said. “I can appreciate a great idea, but again I can give credit to where the idea came from.”

Published on March 17, 2021 at 10:35 pm

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard