Our government should not be a rubber stamp. It should be about critical thinking, fiscal responsibility and passing policies that benefit as many people as possible.
Increase Transparency & Accountability
The County Legislature should be providing checks & balances on the county executive. That is not happening with our current representation. Without transparency, there can be no accountability. Information is not accessible to residents to follow the county progress on numerous projects. How much will the aquarium really cost? Where is the lead funding being spent? Why are we not seeing an impact from our $1.5 billion budget?
Elected officials should be asking questions, reviewing all the information, making all the information publicly accessible so residents can understand where their tax dollars are being spent. As a county legislator, Elaine will provide fiscal oversight of our taxpayer dollars and make sure the promises of today are kept.
Protect Our Environment
Everyone deserves clean air, water and sustainable future to raise their families. We need to protect our green spaces and waterways for future generations by implementing sustainable building practices, preparing our infrastructure to handle increasingly extreme weather and invest in walkable communities.
Invest in People
Change is coming to Onondaga County. For our communities to grow and thrive we need to build on a strong foundation. Yet currently we are in a housing crisis, a lead crisis, costs are continuing to rise while families are not making enough. We need to change Onondaga County’s priorities from funding aquariums and corporations to taking care of people.
Our communities deserve a strong advocate. A representative who will put people first by building affordable housing, reduce poverty, expand mental health services, repair our aging infrastructure and fund services that support families.
Additional Issues
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After No Kings
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Candidate Forum
Civic engagement is important at every level of government and events like these are amazing opportunities to hear from all the candidates running to represent you. Watch the recording here.
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Even Year Election Law
Excited to see this unanimous decision to once again uphold the even year election law. Increasing turnout in elections strengthens our democracy! In Onondaga County 2024 turnout was 72% and 56% in 2022 vs only 30% in 2023. This is another example of Onondaga County spending our taxpayer dollars to…
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2026 Budget Comments
I attended Onondaga County’s budget hearing tonight and made the follow comments. These comments are based on the concerns I heard at my town hall last week and hearing from residents across district 10. Good evening. I appreciate that this public hearing is being held at 5:00pm and not in…
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Candidate Press Conference on Food & Hunger Issues
Candidates were asked to respond to SOFSA’s questionnaire around key food policy issues affecting Onondaga County. Responses were compiled into a non-partisan voter guide and candidates were invited to speak at a press conference on Monday, September 29th at Haven Community Garden in Syracuse.
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Watch My Town Hall
Residents joined Elaine Denton and Marty Masterpole for a town hall on September 25th to discuss the 2026 Onondaga County proposed budget and additional county issues. The proposed 2026 budget increases overall spending by 3% increasing the budget from $1.5 to $1.6 billion dollars but stays within the tax cap…
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Future Concerns
This is why I am so concerned about Onondaga County building an aquarium with taxpayer money. This facility will need constant maintenance and repair. Aquarium tanks only last for so long before they need to be replaced. The City of Virginia Beach which has a $2.8 billion dollar budget and…
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Fishy Transactions
This project is no where near complete and it is already draining taxpayer funds. Now the county executive has pulled funds set aside to improve trails, parks and other amenities around Onondaga Lake for his expensive aquarium.
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Fund Child Care Assistance
As the end of the school year nears, Onondaga County announced that funding for child care assistance is running out and has temporarily stopped accepting new applications and renewals. This program is 94% funded by federal and state aid. While funding from state and federal was increased in 2025 by…
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Invest In Our Community, Not Corporations
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We Need Checks & Balances
There is a proposal before the county legislature to “loan” $27 million taxpayer dollars to purchase land for private companies with no details on if, when, or how taxpayers will be repaid. Where are the checks and balances?
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Comments on County District Maps
On November 19, 2024, the county legislature held a public hearing on new district maps due to a judge’s ruling that they maps needed to be redrawn. I submitted the following public comment about the two maps that were being considered: To Onondaga County Legislators, Let’s review how we got…
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Top Heavy Spending
After numerous questionable hiring practices from the County Executive. Legislators passed a law to add a fourth deputy county executive for economic development and planning with no discussion. The county executive is required to hold a public hearing on new laws. I attended this public hearing and here are my…
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Comments Against County Lawsuit
At the February session of the Onondaga County Legislature, there was a resolution that appeared the day before on their agenda that gave the County Executive $100,000 of taxpayer money to sue the state over moving elections to even years to increase turnout. I attended the legislative session and gave…