Chris Ryan and Tom Drumm are seeking the Democratic nomination in the race for New York's 50th state Senate District.
At just 22 years old, Tom Drumm was elected to the Oswego County Legislature. Now at 31, he’s proud of the three terms he served, having ascended in that time to minority leader, and the work he’s done in labor relations.
“Politics has always been one of the best ways to create change. For me, I believe it's really time for a newer generation of leaders to step up to the table if we really want to shape how we want our state and how we want our communities to look," Drumm said.
In Onondaga County, Chris Ryan is the president of a local union representing communications workers. After serving on the Geddes Town Board, Ryan has been an Onondaga County legislator since 2011 and is the current minority leader.
“What we do here is we have a $1.6 billion budget. We offer a lot of services. So I think in knowing that, I think there's a lot of experience and budgetary experience that goes into play after two decades," said Ryan.
There are several issues Ryan is passionate about addressing if elected to the state Senate, including improving access to child care, offering more opportunities for apprenticeships, strengthening schools, and expanding health care access.
“People should not have to go without health care in 2024 in the United States of America, especially not in the great state of New York. And we have people having to travel and drive too far for specialized care, Medicaid reimbursements. They need to change. Too many hospitals are distressed. Too many hospitals are not being properly funded," Ryan said.
Drumm wants to invest more in social services, support education across the state by fully funding the Foundation Aid among other things, and wants more transparency in economic development practices.
“Whether it's more public hearings, whether it's better transparency when industrial agencies work in executive sessions. If we have corporations that are receiving the tax breaks, the public deserves to know where that money's going, how it's being spent, what type of contractors and type of labor these businesses or these corporations are using," Drumm said.
Drumm values the potential Micron could hold for the area, but also wants to hold Micron accountable with unionizing their workforce.
Ryan wants to lift Central New York's economy and takes pride in having voted for funding to prepare the site that Micron is choosing to build on.
“Experience matters and this, this region has some good opportunities in front of it, but also some unique challenges that are going to come along with it. And I certainly look forward to the challenge," Ryan said.
“I truly believe one of the guiding lights of our campaign is getting new leaders to step up to the table, to have a seat at that table, to be able to be drivers of change. So we're just looking for an opportunity to prove what we can do," said Drumm.
Nick Paro is running on the Republican line for the seat.
The 50th state Senate District includes Syracuse’s northern, western and eastern suburbs, as well as Central Square and the cities of Fulton and Oswego. The seat is being vacated by Democratic state Sen. John Mannion, who is running for Congress.
Primary Election Day is June 25. Early voting runs through June 23.