Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Democracywise, an SU-based website with stories from political reporting students.

Think of him as a Republican.

That’s how Syracuse mayoral candidate Ian Hunter is pitching himself to voters.  Never mind him being on the ballot as the Conservative Party candidate.  Never mind him being thrown off the Republican line by a court order. And never mind the fact the head of the Republican Party in Onondaga County doesn’t take him seriously.

“I’m the only Republican on the ballot in this fall’s election,” Hunter said.

But Hunter said he’s not necessarily running to promote Republican values.  “I want people to understand that Conservative thought turned into good public policy will enrich their lives,” he said.

Hunter faces incumbent Democratic Mayor Stephanie Miner and Green Party nominee Kevin Bott in the Tuesday election.  The winner will serve for a four-year term and be paid a salary of $115,000.

County Grand Old Party chair Tom Dadey announced in September that the Republican Party would forego running a candidate.  He dismissed Hunter as the party’s nominee.

“I never considered Ian Hunter a serious candidate,” Dadey said in September.  “And I think as things progress in the coming weeks, I think you’ll understand why that is.”

Grant Reeher, a political scientist and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at Syracuse University, said Hunter faces an uphill battle.  “I do not think there is much enthusiasm around the Republican Party for his candidacy,” Reeher said.  “I don’t think he’s got a very good chance of being successful.”

Hunter said he hopes to tap into the Republican voter pool, but the numbers are still against him. Of the 71,014 registered voters in the city of Syracuse, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by a total of 38,813 to 11,256. A mere 665 are registered with the Conservative Party.

In his campaign, Hunter points to his lifelong Syracuse residency, local political involvement and promises to tackle key issues as qualifications for his candidacy. Those who know him well — family members and political colleagues — describe him as energetic, dedicated to conservative principles and deeply rooted in Syracuse politics.

Conservative Party member Paul Bertan has known Hunter since 1964.  “Ian Hunter is extremely capable,” Bertan said.  “People don’t seem to realize this.  He’s a very conservative, money-saving alternative to the current Democratic administration.”

Hunter, 71, grew up on Westcott Street and has lived in the same Candee Avenue residence for the past 44 years. There, Hunter and his wife of 30 years raised eight children.

Hunter joined the local Conservative Party in 1966.  He remained with the Conservative Party until 1979, he said, when he joined the Republican Party to help support Ronald Reagan’s candidacy for the Oval Office.

“I haven’t changed my conservative views at all,” he said.  He describes that ideology as supporting a free market system, the right to life and the right to bear arms.

If elected, he said, three of his major initiatives would be to privatize the pickup of garbage and yard waste, persuade Time Warner Inc. to offer a-la-carte cable television and fix up or knock down vacant buildings.

On privatizing waste removal, Hunter said he aims to shoot down the flow control laws in Syracuse.  Now, the city’s waste is processed through the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCCRA). But Hunter said his calculations show Syracuse would save $18,000 per day if private company Seneca Meadows in Waterloo, N.Y., were to handle the city’s waste.

Time Warner is another service provider Hunter seeks to change.  Hunter argues that Time Warner charges its viewers for channels they don’t watch or agree with.  He’ll fight to convince the Common Council not to renew Time Warner’s contract next year, he said, unless the company provides a-la-carte cable TV.

“It’s a matter of choice,” Hunter said.  “When people have dollars to spend, shouldn’t they spend it on the things they want?”

Hunter expressed concern about vacant homes in the city.  “You can’t have a building that doesn’t pay for itself,” Hunter said. “And every time the city builds subsidized or public housing, you end up with another vacant building.”

To stop this, Hunter pledged to pursue a moratorium on public and subsidized housing.  He will demolish vacant homes that are beyond repair and pose a danger to the community, he said.

For now, Hunter said, he has a victory in simply being on the ballot.

“Someone has to speak out for Conservative-Republican positions,” he said.  “I consider it a duty to carry on this message when no one else is willing to stand up and do so. Conservative-Republican voters in this city deserve a voice, and I am here to be that voice.”

Published on November 5, 2013 at 12:35 am

Contact John: [email protected]