free
MONDAY
may 3, 2021 high 72°, low 50°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
dailyorange.com
C •Marketing New York
N • A year later
A Syracuse-based marketing company that mostly works for food businesses looks to promote locally owned restaurants around New York state. Page 7
Justine Hastings and Jeremy Golden said SA is in good hands. But they wish they could have accomplished more during their year in office. Page 3
‘A friend to anyone’ Sarah Riddle (1999 - 2021) remembered for her compassion, desire to make a difference
S • Championship blues
Behind a stagnant offense, No. 2 seed Syracuse fell to undefeated No. 1 seed North Carolina 9-4 Sunday in the ACC championship game. Page 12
city
Meet the Syracuse mayoral candidates By Nick Robertson senior staff writer
Five candidates are running for election in the 2021 Syracuse mayoral race — two Republicans, two Democrats and incumbent Mayor Ben Walsh running as an independent. The Democrats and Republicans will face each other in the June 22 primary with the winners of both primaries going up against Walsh on Nov. 9. Here’s a breakdown of each candidate’s background and plan for the city, in alphabetical order:
Thomas Babilon (R)
SARAH RIDDLE, who was a senior at SU studying neuroscience and biology, always went out of her way to help others, according to friends and family. Some described her as a “friend to anyone.” courtesy of shelley riddle, ashley downs By Kailey Norusis, Sarah Alessandrini the daily orange
W
hen Sarah Riddle’s mother, Shelley, found a stray cat on their property, her daughter insisted that they keep it. The family had two dogs already, but Riddle had been begging to get a cat, her favorite animal. “She said, ‘It’s not a coincidence, Mom. I kept telling you we need a cat.’” Shelley said. “Buttercup’s 2 years old now.” Riddle, a senior studying neuroscience and biology at Syracuse University, died March 27. In lieu of flowers, Riddle’s family asked for donations to the local animal shelter in her name. Riddle’s kindness extended beyond animals to include everyone around her, friends and family said. Loved ones remember Riddle for her unmatchable compassion, sense of humor, dedication to her field of study and desire to make a difference. At SU, Riddle was involved in several extracurriculars — including SU’s chemistry fraternity, a job in a campus research lab and Campus Cursive, an organization that writes letters to empower individuals facing challenges. When senior Izzabelle Mercier was going through recruitment for Alpha Chi Sigma, the chemistry fraternity, Riddle was the first see sarah
person who made an effort to talk to her. “It’s just who Sarah was. She always made an effort to make everyone feel included,” said Mercier, a psychology major. “Sarah was the one to try and make sure that everyone was feeling happy.” Molly Gross, a junior public health major, joined Campus Cursive her freshman year and remembers Riddle’s welcoming presence. The two applied for the club’s executive board at the same time, and Riddle was supportive of Gross through the entire process. Riddle served as treasurer of the club for the past two years and selected the cards they wrote their letters on. Riddle’s kindness never seemed forced, her friends said. “I don’t even know how to put it to words. You just felt warm when you were around her,” Mercier said. “She was always smiling with you and laughing, and her laugh was incredible and infectious, and so you can’t help but laugh yourself.” Stephen Ajayi, a fifth-year doctoral candidate studying biology, remembers Riddle’s laughter and sense of humor. Riddles and Ajayi worked together in the biology and neuroscience lab, where Ajayi was Riddle’s assigned mentor. Most students who work at the lab do so because they are on a premed track or are interested in applying for medical school. But Riddle was genuinely interested in research, which was unique, Ajayi said. “Usually when you have students that are interested in the research,
riddle page 4
Thomas Babilon is an attorney running in the Republican primary for mayor. He has been endorsed by the Libertarian Party and ran as a Libertarian candidate for Common Council in 2018. He has practiced law for 18 years, with 10 spent as assistant corporation counsel to the city of Syracuse. “There’s not very much that I don’t want to (change),” Babilon said. “But primarily, we really need to do something about economic development in the city, give our young people opportunities so they can stay here instead of moving to other places.” Babilon promises no tax increases during his term and also promises to keep the Columbus Square statue standing. Mayor Ben Walsh announced that the statue will be removed and the square renamed after demands and protests from the Indigenous community. “I’ve got almost 10 years in city hall,” Babilon said. “I’m the person who used to explain the legislation to the councilors and the mayor. The mayor and councilors would come to me for ideas on how to make legislation better. I’ve seen city hall from the inside out for a longer period of time than any of the other candidates.”
Councilor Khalid Bey (D)
Khalid Bey is a councilor-at-large on the Common Council. He served as the councilor for the Southside from 2011 to 2018 and has served in an atlarge seat since. He has advocated for grassroots economic development, especially on the Southside. “I have a more of an intimate understanding of what’s going on, and I think my catalogue of work speaks to that,” Bey said. “I’ve written more legislation than anybody in the past 25 years and all of my work has been organic. It has been people-driven.” Bey narrowly lost out on the Democratic Party endorsement to fellow Councilor Michael Greene and will see candidates page 6