Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner announced Wednesday that she will run for a second term in office.

Miner formally announced her re-election bid at noon during a press conference at Syracuse’s Inner Harbor. After thanking supporters, Miner noted that she has faced many challenges during her time as mayor, including multimillion-dollar budget gaps, a poor national economy and decreased federal and state resources.

“But in my time as mayor, I have been committed to do what is right, to make the tough decisions, to challenge the status quo and to always be honest with you about where I stand and where we as a city stand,” Miner said.

Miner, the city’s first female mayor, was elected in 2009 after serving two terms on the Syracuse Common Council. She was named co-chair of the New York State Democratic Committee last summer.

Syracuse University does not endorse or support political candidates, but when speaking about Miner as mayor, Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs at SU, said in an email that the university has an “excellent working relationship” with Miner and her staff.

“The Mayor has been a great partner during the past three years in key projects of joint interest,” Quinn said.

He named projects such as the Connective Corridor, Say Yes to Education and the Regional Economic Development Council. He said the university and Miner collaborated on topics like community engagement and sustainability efforts.

It is not yet clear who will run against Miner for mayor. Possible Republican candidates include state Sen. John DeFrancisco, Onondaga County Legislature Chairman Ryan McMahon and New York state Supreme Court Judge Ed Carni, according to a Jan. 16 article published by The Post-Standard. Common Councilor Pat Hogan has said he is also considering running against Miner in the Democratic primary, according to the article.

Tom Dadey, chairman of the Onondaga County Republican Committee, said in a statementthat Miner has consistently refused to make tough decisions on issues such as crime, education and the budget.

“Today’s announcement that Stephanie Miner will seek another term as Mayor is not a surprise, but it’s disappointing to the residents of Syracuse who want anything other than the status quo,” he said in the statement.

During her announcement, Miner highlighted “unprecedented” downtown development, the renovation of four city schools and a sales tax agreement between the city and Onondaga County as some of her accomplishments in her three years as mayor.

Said Miner: “Leadership matters now more than ever, and while we don’t know what challenges the future will bring us, I pledge to you that you will continue to have a person who will boldly strive for an even better and brighter Syracuse.”

Published on January 16, 2013 at 11:16 pm

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