With just little more than a week left in the Syracuse mayoral race, the four remaining candidates detailed their stances on climate policy, Interstate 81 and the city-county merger in a debate at SUNY-ESF that lacked the heated arguments of previous debates.

NBC3 anchors Megan Coleman and Matt Mulcahy moderated the debate and asked about the candidates’ climate and energy policies — a topic rarely discussed at previous debates.

Juanita Perez Williams, the Democratic candidate currently leading the race in the latest poll, said she disagreed with President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement.

She said she wanted to consider implementing idling laws in the city, though New York state already has a law that prohibits heavy duty vehicles such as diesel trucks and buses from idling more than five minutes at a time.

Perez Williams said she supports bringing back OnTrack, a failed commuter rail system that ran between the South Side and Destiny USA. It stopped running in 2008, Syracuse.com reported.

The Democratic candidate added she wanted to focus on geothermal energy.

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate, said the city needs to implement a public power utility so Syracuse has the “power to choose 100 percent clean energy.”

“I don’t think we’re going far enough,” Hawkins said, referring to the city’s energy and environmental policies.

He added he would support rebuilding the Onondaga Creek corridor and put agriculture in the area.

Republican Laura Lavine said she would consider updating Syracuse’s Sustainability Plan, a policy document drafted in 2012 that is meant to guide the city in ways to “preserve and enhance the local and global environment, reduce the City’s energy costs, and improve quality of life for Syracuse residents.”

She said the city has to reassess what has been done regarding the sustainability plan and what the city needs to do in the future.

Lavine added the city should partner with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry to inform citizens of the environmentally friendly actions they can do in their own homes.

Ben Walsh, the independent candidate, said the city needs more bike lanes and a sidewalk improvement program because many people in Syracuse don’t travel by car.

“I think we need to continue to try and be a more walkable and bikeable city,” Walsh said.

Walsh, a former city official who negotiated with businesses and developers in City Hall, touted the incentives he helped give businesses to achieve LEED certification when building or renovating facilities.

Unlike earlier debates, the candidates did not clash over each other’s stances on issues such as Interstate 81, the city-county merger proposal and poverty in Syracuse. The candidates explained their stances on these issues Monday night, which mirrored statements they’ve made throughout their campaigns.

Published on October 30, 2017 at 11:32 pm

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