Syracuse needs a mayor who promotes ideas that directly address the issues plaguing its residents. Laura Lavine has proven herself to be that candidate.

Through bold, education-focused policies, the trailblazing Republican candidate has stood alone in her fight to rebuild the city and its future. She fights an uphill battle in a Democrat-dominated city, but her unorthodox ideas bode well for Syracuse’s future.

On the campaign trail, Lavine demonstrated just how well she knew the city she grew up in. She pointed out the detailed architecture of the abandoned homes in the neighborhood, highlighting the pride that went into their construction. But she also noted how these abandoned homes facilitate drug deals and prostitution.

To fully address the dangerous atmosphere of many Syracuse neighborhoods, Lavine has proposed rehabilitating these abandoned homes. This bottom-up approach parallels Lavine’s overall policy agenda.

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Unemployment, crime and a lack of jobs in Syracuse stem from a poor education system, which Lavine emphasized in her campaign. As a champion of school choice and charter schools with 40 years of educational experience, Lavine has pivoted to education to address the foundation of the city’s issues.

Lavine’s focus on school choice to revitalize education in Syracuse is common sense and practical. A school system failing to help residents achieve upward mobility needs competition in order to get better — competition that charter schools would provide. But Lavine’s charter school expansion agenda poses a threat to the teachers unions that stifle public school growth, which could be why the Syracuse Teachers Association refused to even interview Lavine for an endorsement.

If elected, Lavine also plans to take mayoral control of the school district to ensure positive growth in the school system. Lavine’s single, unified vision leading the school district and city could build off the successful Career and Technical Education model in Syracuse.

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As the only candidate to make education a central theme in her campaign, Lavine is the best choice for a city with a struggling school system and high crime rates. After all, while talking with Syracuse residents on the campaign trail, Lavine said most told her crime is their main concern in the city.

Education provides a long-term solution to crime, but to tackle it for now, Lavine proposes increasing law enforcement. This effort is opposed by the racial grievance community that argues policing is rigged against communities of color.

“Some of our community members have indicated they will not call the police because they don’t have a trusting relationship with the Syracuse Police Department,” Lavine said. “Officers don’t blame people for feeling like there’s a lack of trust because there aren’t enough of them to establish trusting relationships.”

With a record-setting 31 people killed in Syracuse last year, it’s clear there aren’t enough police officers patrolling our streets. But a city plagued with crime may not see an increase in law enforcement under Juanita Perez Williams, the Democratic nominee for mayor. Perez Williams has said she would only fill as many police vacancies as the city could afford.

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Syracuse spent $13 million on police overtime in the 2015-16 fiscal year, and its sky-high crime rate didn’t go down. There’s no room for fiscal responsibility at crime victims’ expense.

With a combination of education reform and stronger law enforcement to fight crime from multiple angles, Lavine’s plan would serve all of Syracuse. Her policies aren’t reflective of partisanship. They’re a matter of common sense.

Joshua Nelson is a senior political science major. He can be reached at jqnelson@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @joshqnelson.

Published on November 6, 2017 at 10:29 pm