Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

In a 4-4 tie, the Syracuse Common Council failed to enact the Good Cause Eviction law at its regular Monday meeting, after over a year of deferrals.

Because of procedure and the fact that Good Cause Eviction is local law, Council President Rita Paniagua could not break the tie.

Passed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2024, Good Cause Eviction requires landlords to provide legitimate reasons for evicting its tenants or refusing to renew leases. It also restricts rent hikes and allows tenants to challenge what they say are unfair rent increases.

Although a state law, Good Cause Eviction is only enforceable to cities who opt-in.

Councilors Donna Moore, Marino Nave, Patrona Jones-Rowser and Rasheada Caldwell all voted against enacting Good Cause Eviction.

Moore had previously publicly supported Good Cause Eviction, but flipped her vote on the law. Moore said although she supports tenant stability, she doesn’t believe enacting Good Cause Eviction is a case of “responsible governance.”

“Before expanding regulatory mandates, we should demonstrate we can effectively enforce the laws already on the books,” Moore said. “Passing additional requirements without enforcement capacity risks creating policy on paper that we cannot implement in practice.”

Moore questioned whether the Syracuse Housing Authority was properly equipped or adequately staffed to implement the law’s provisions.

Jones-Rowser argued fellow New York municipalities that enacted Good Cause Eviction have only seen slightly less evictions, calling the law “toothless legislation.”

“This legislation is not the grand savior of tenant protections, in fact, you already have that in the past legislation the Tenant Safety Act… and in the past protections of housing stability in tenant’s protection acts of 2019,” Jones-Rowser said.

Following the councilors’ comments, public attendees shouted “shame.”

Councilors Chol Majok and Hanah Ehrenreich briefly spoke in support of Good Cause Eviction following the vote.

“Protecting one person is better than protecting none,” Majok said. “We could have done that with Good Cause.”

The council’s decision was met with scrutiny by tenants and unions from Housing Justice For All after the meeting concluded. The organization said the council let down a majority of its constituents, as 61% of Syracuse’s population are tenants, according to a Monday release.

“In a City filled with the highest rent increases in the nation and tenants at risk of retaliatory evictions, the Common Council has chosen to make more Syracusans homeless,” Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion said in the release. “This is shameful and our Syracuse tenants will not forget who failed them.”

Other Business

• The council passed a resolution appointing Helen Hudson, who served as the council’s president from 2018 to 2025, to the vacant role of councilor at large in a 6-2 vote. After being informed she could not abstain from the vote, Ehrenreich joined Monto as the only two dissenters.
• In a unanimous vote, the council approved a $50,000 donation from the Breanna Stewart Foundation to improve several amenities at Kirk Park, including the basketball pavilion. Stewart is a two-time WNBA MVP and North Syracuse native.
• The council also unanimously passed a motion honoring Syracuse police officer James Pastorello for outstanding conduct in helping a Syracuse resident secure temporary housing after discovering she was homeless.
• Linda LeMura, president of Le Moyne College, will have a section of Salt Springs road, Dr. Linda LeMura Lane, named in her honor, after the council approved the motion.

Published on February 23, 2026 at 11:08 pm