The Syracuse Common council will start the new year without one of its long-time members. Kathleen Joy is reflecting on her time as one of the council’s more independent voices over the past ten years. Term limits have forced Joy from her councilor-at-large seat, where she says she’s listened, reached out, and tried to understand everyone’s perspective on everything from environmental issues to economic development.
"Regardless of their party affiliation, their neighborhood, whether they were business owners or employees; whether they were landlords or property owners; whether they were tenants or squatters, even; everybody counts, and everybody needs to have a voice, and I hope that I have been the voice of the people on the common council."
Joy’s love for public service and formulating policy goes back to her days as an intern in the state legislature where she helped draft legislation. Along with a career as a real estate lawyer, she recalls putting that expertise to work when the county was planning to build sewage treatment plants along Onondaga Creek.
"I wrote in the language that if technologies were to change, because we knew there was going to be a new county executive, that the city would still get the $22 million earmarked for impacting on our neighborhoods. And in fact, we see that now with the Save the Rain program rather than these mini sewage treatment plants all over the city of Syracuse. That's $22 million that we got because I said, 'Hey, what about this?'"
Joy says language in a policy is what can make or break a vote of support on the common council. she says sometimes it doesn’t affect the change they expect…
"It doesn't get a lot of fanfare when you vote no, or you go and talk to the law department and ask to change this language to be more inclusive or exclusive, or could you clarify that, because we're making good law that just doesn't affect us today; it's supposed to affect people well into the future. So, it's best to get it right the first time."
Joy has often gone to battle with the Miner administration over those very matters. She feels her role has gone from more of a collaborator during the final Driscoll years to questioner over most of her time on the council.
"Are you sure this is a good deal? Let's look at the language. Do you have a plan? How is this going to impact on the community? That's our role, too...to question, and not take things at face value."
MAKING AN EARLY IMPRESSION
Joy says she was proud to find ways to boost neighborhoods, protect the environment, and support economic development. She recalls helping establish the rental registry for landlords under the Driscoll administration. There was the dollar house program, the pre-cursor to the land bank, to push neglected, vacant properties into the hands of those who could rehabilitate them for one dollar. But Joy says perhaps the most memorable…and controversial votes she took were on the destiny project as a new councilor…
"Ironically, I had worked in the law department on that very project, so I came to the council with a big bank of knowledge on various projects from SU to the Inner Harbor. The pressure was tremendous. I said, look, we have to read the documents. I'm not opposed to economic development. But this 2,000 page agreement doesn't do what you think it does."
So, Joy says, with her background as a real estate attorney, she became the designated reader for the council.
"I read through it all, and used my legal skills to advance the cause. I still stand by that 'no' vote. This was a really bad deal."
She says the behind-the-scenes legal wrangling over policy language often doesn’t get that much attention…even though it’s essential to creating fair policy for everyone. Perhaps Joy wielded the most influence as chair of the council’s finance committee for the latter half of her tenure. She says the council has added funds for say yes to education, tried to keep fire station 7 open, and put more money into infrastructure. Joy says those weren’t necessarily the council’s priorities, but those of the people she heard from and reached out to.
"It's just been such an honor and a privilege to be the voice of the people."
Former police chief Steve Thompson will fill Joy's councilor-at-large seat.
