Owens pledges growth, opportunity for Syracuse in inaugural address
Sharon Owens, Syracuse's 55th mayor, promised a strong administration at her public inauguration ceremony Saturday. Owens was officially sworn in as mayor at a smaller Wednesday ceremony at City Hall. Ike Wood | Video Editor
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
In her introductory speech as Syracuse’s first-ever Black mayor, Sharon Owens aims to lead an administration focused on stability, growth and opportunity during her inaugural address Saturday.
Over 1,500 people attended the ceremony held at the Landmark Theatre, syracuse.com reported. Owens was officially sworn in as mayor by Syracuse City Court Judge Staci Dennis-Taylor at a smaller Wednesday event at City Hall.
Several New York politicians attended Saturday’s inauguration, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James. Owens, the city’s 55th mayor, stood beside her husband, Shaun Owens, mother, Pastor Ester Daniels, and two children, Simone and Isaac, syracuse.com reported.
The deputy mayor under her predecessor, independent Ben Walsh, Owens, a democrat, won her election in a landslide victory against her opponents in November.
During her first speech as mayor, Owens highlighted upcoming city projects such as the I-81 viaduct project, the economic boom of Micron Technologies’ plant in Clay, syracuse.com reported. She also made several inaugural promises, such as obtaining more federal funding and growing the city’s police and fire departments.
“I will not pretend — and I ask you not to pretend — that these problems have easy solutions. They don’t,” Owens said in her speech. “But I know something else with equal certainty: the people of Syracuse are fighters, and so am I. Innovation will be the key that unlocks our future.”
Owens is slated to speak with community leaders from CNY Solidarity and Indivisible Onondaga County on Jan. 11.
