Syracuse, N.Y. – During a debate Wednesday night, the three candidates for mayor of Syracuse took opposing positions on whether they would punish two city police detectives for tricking a man into a murder confession.
The candidates – Democrat Khalid Bey, Republican Janet Burman and independent Ben Walsh – went head-to-head over public policy on policing during a debate hosted by Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard and held on the Syracuse University campus.
The investigators lied repeatedly during an interrogation and got a false murder confession from a drunk man, who spent eight months in jail before prosecutors realized they had the wrong man.
Although all three candidates expressed dismay that an innocent man spent time in jail, each differed in the way they would treat the police officers who lied.
Walsh called it “inexcusable” that any innocent person went to jail, but he stopped short of saying he would punish the officers involved. He said he’s discussed the issue with Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner.
“To this point, Chief Buckner has not shared any information with me that would suggest that discipline is necessary, so unless that changes, I’m comfortable with how the chief has handled the situation,” Walsh said.
Bey said that if an investigation proved the officers had lied, he would push for punishment.
Noting that it’s legal for officers to lie to suspects during interrogations, Burman said she didn’t believe they deserved discipline for their actions.
“While I would discourage that kind of practice, I recognize that there are times when those types of tactics are necessary,” she said.
The candidates also disagreed about residency requirements for police officers. The latest police contract requires newly hired officers to live within Syracuse city limits for at least their first five years with the department. That requirement starts with the next recruitment class but excludes all current officers.
Walsh said the five-year requirement was a win for the city, but Bey said he would negotiate a contract that keeps officers in the city beyond five years. Both said they would advocate for more legal changes at the state level to allow for flexibility with police residency requirements.
Burman said she wouldn’t support a residency requirement because she doesn’t think officers should be forced to live in the city. Instead, she said she would want to improve quality of life in the city so officers would want to live in Syracuse instead of in the suburbs.
Bey and Walsh briefly traded barbs over the most recent police contract, which Bey voted against as a common councilor.
“While my administration negotiated a contract that included residency, Councilor Bey did not support that contract,” Walsh said.
Bey fired back that the issue he and other councilors had with the contract was related to money, not residency. The Walsh administration initially said the contract would cost $12 million, when in reality it was closer to $20 million.
“That particular misdirection is the reason why the majority of the council voted no against the police contract,” Bey said. “We support residency, but we couldn’t … throw out the baby with the bath water.”
Another takeaway: The proposed aquarium
The candidates largely disagreed about County Executive Ryan McMahon’s proposal to spend $85 million to build an aquarium at the city’s Inner Harbor.
McMahon has said the 80,000-square-foot aquarium would create jobs, draw visitors and generate $50 million each year for the city.
Walsh, who has said he considers the county executive an ally, supports the proposal and believes it will bring much-needed activity to the largely empty Inner Harbor area. He said he was glad the county decided to spend its money in Syracuse instead of spending it in suburban or rural areas.
His opponents both expressed skepticism.
Burman said she wouldn’t support starting a business that’s already been dismissed by a private corporation as not viable, and that she’d prefer to see the money go to capital projects or grants for low-income homeowners to make improvements to their houses.
An aquarium isn’t -- and shouldn’t be -- a priority, Bey said. He and other councilors have pushed McMahon to match funds for city initiatives like rent relief for families dealing with unemployment during Covid.
“The county was not interested,” Bey said.
Early voting starts Saturday, Oct. 23. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Got a tip, comment or story idea? Call or text Megan Craig at 315-925-7137, email her at mcraig@syracuse.com or send a direct message on Twitter @megcraig1.
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