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Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens addressed several city-wide issues and reinforced her support of Micron Technology during a special appearance at Monday’s Syracuse University Student Government Association meeting.

Owens attended as part of SGA’s Assembly Speaker Series, where she said she came to meet SU students and encourage city involvement through volunteering and internships. The mayor referenced her administration’s “aggressive agenda” and her four-year-long focus on combating poverty by ensuring jobs for city residents, carrying out her campaign’s slogan: “maximize the moment.”

When Owens attended SU from 1981 to 1985, she majored in economics with the perceived goal of working in the financial district in New York City, she shared with attendees. But, after interning at the Syracuse Dunbar Center on Syracuse’s Southside, where she met local families and children, she said her “journey took a turn.”

Syracuse’s history as a Rust Belt city created a strong middle class, particularly for Black residents, Owens said. But after jobs started to become “outsourced,” people either had to relocate or take lower-paying jobs that were not within their skill set.

In 2022, Micron announced a $100 billion investment in a multi-plant semiconductor facility. The facility broke ground in January and promised to create 50,000 jobs, including 9,000 high-paying positions, by 2045.

Despite the semiconductor facility’s Clay location, Owens said the focus is still on Syracuse, especially with Micron CNY Community Week approaching, along with a myriad of announcements regarding updates on the facility, the week of March 30.

“So here we have this Micron moment, and it’s absolutely a time that we cannot make that mistake again,” Owens said. “Because when those jobs left, this is where you see the pockets of poverty.”

The destruction of the Interstate-81 viaduct is a struggle she will continue to combat during her time in office, she told The Daily Orange in an exclusive interview after speaking to the assembly. She described it as an issue she “inherited,” but was able to prepare for while working for Mayor Ben Walsh’s administration.

Owens is already making progress in the city’s economic development and mentioned that Syracuse hasn’t seen this amount of construction in a long time. She also addressed her administration’s focus on housing, specifically in lieu of the I-81 teardown, which still affects many people’s day-to-day lives.

“Where you live should not determine the trajectory of your potential, but how you live will absolutely affect the trajectory of your potential,” Owens told The D.O. “And so just having where you lay your head every day is paramount to ensuring you can be successful.”

Owens also addressed the recent automatic license plate reader partnership with Axon, which replaced Flock Safety, to The D.O. The five-year, $423,000 contract with the Syracuse Police Department was approved by the Syracuse Common Council on Feb. 9.

Owens cited the city’s history of working with Axon, including for police body cameras, patrol car dashboards and interview room cameras. One thing Owens said the city learned from Flock was to “read the fine print,” adding that the city’s Corporation Counsel is negotiating entering an agreement with Axon.

At one point, Owens said it seemed like Axon’s company would assume Flock, but decided not to because of procedures like facial recognition, which could insinuate racial bias. Axon will ensure to meet contracts and match data security to city standards, she said.

Owens also addressed how the city is responding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reiterating to The D.O. that she has declared as mayor that the Syracuse Police Department will not enter into agreements with ICE. Owens added that she is a “full supporter” of New York for All and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s initiative to prohibit agreements between ICE and municipalities.

In a Q&A portion of the meeting, Logan Hollins, a Newhouse assembly representative, asked Owens what she considers when deciding to implement policy for the city. Owens said a crucial part of developing policy is looking at the data that drives the issue, pointing out data on the city’s housing crisis.

“Good policymakers will look at having processes within that metric, that timeline,” Owens said. “They have metrics along the way to determine whether or not that policy is actually taking effect. Or is it harming people? And be prepared to pivot to adjust it when needed.”

By 2028, Owens said, residents will ”see no more” of the community once divided by I-81, categorized as a “slum.” Over the next 10 years, she said 30,000 housing units will be needed, something her administration will try to “head down.”

Following Owens’ discussion, SGA Vice President of Community and Government Affairs Kenneth Lanterman presented her with a plaque in recognition of their resolution from last week, affirming their partnership with her.

“Whatever your passion is, there is a movement going on right now in the city of Syracuse,” Owens said. “Because where your policy and your funding will drive what you truly believe, and for me, it’s bringing everyone up to have an opportunity.”

Other business

• Andrei Livingston, a freshman finance student, was nominated and approved to be a member of the Finance Board. SGA comptroller Alexis Leach, who advocated for Livingston, said his dedication “has been really admirable.”
• SGA highlighted upcoming events, including Take Back the Night — a night of solidarity and advocacy against sexual assault — and a farmers market in April, for which SGA requested the assembly allocate a total of $100 to rent Walnut Park.

Assistant Digital Editor Priya Schmit contributed reporting to this article.

Published on March 24, 2026 at 1:45 am
Contact Chloe: cfrinka@syr.edu