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Janet Burman has won the Republican primary for Syracuse mayor. The community activist will face the city’s current mayor, Ben Walsh, and a Democratic challenger at the ballot box on Nov. 2.

Burman defeated attorney Thomas Babilon by about 35 percentage points. Burman received the Republican Party endorsement for the seat over Babilon, who was endorsed by the Libertarian Party.

Burman ran against Democratic candidate Rachel May for the New York State Senate’s 53rd District in 2018, which May won.

Burman has spent nearly 40 years operating in the private sector, state government and community groups, including working as a district administrator on the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board and leading the Republican Women of Central New York since 2018.

She uses her experience serving the community as a selling point for her candidacy.

“When you go beyond the basic functions of city government to tackle the really difficult problems we face … that requires that we bring together everyone in our community, all levels of government and businesses to effectively address those problems,” Burman told The Daily Orange in May.

Burman has brought attention to city public safety, making it her key issue as a mayoral candidate.

“My first priority is what government’s first priority should be: the safety of its citizens,” Burman said. “I feel that the current city leadership has failed us in that they have not made it their first priority.”

She has also proposed using the city’s federal pandemic funding to increase the budgets of law enforcement and invest in infrastructure.

“First, you have to recognize the role of city government in public safety and in providing basic city services. Our water system has been woefully neglected. Our response to the problems within the aging system are entirely reactive,” Burman said. “I think this boost of federal funds should be used first to restore the necessary funding for police and fire, and secondly to address our infrastructure issues with water.”

Published on June 22, 2021 at 10:28 pm

Contact Nick: nickrobertson@dailyorange.com | @NickRobertsonSU