get to know cjala surratt

Why Am I Running?

Syracuse deserves leadership that delivers results in every neighborhood—not just downtown or in moments of crisis. I’m running for Common Council to strengthen housing stability, improve public safety, expand opportunity for young people, and ensure City Hall works for everyone.

My Approach

My approach is policy-forward and results-driven. Local progress depends on aligning budgets with priorities, preparing infrastructure for future investment, and coordinating with state and federal partners so Syracuse can compete for resources and deliver measurable outcomes.

I believe effective municipal leadership means planning ahead, staying accountable, and ensuring public investment translates into real improvements for residents.

Advocacy & Entrepreneurship

Ruth McCrae second from left. Pictured with her siblings and my great-grandparents.

Ruth McCrae, my grandmother, was a shipfitter on the Norfolk, Virginia, docks in the 1970s. She became the first Black woman president of Boilermaker Union Local 684 and fought for fair wages, safer working conditions, and contracts that reflected workers’ needs. I learned from her that true equity requires persistence and dedicated leadership that centers those most directly impacted. Grandma McCrae’s example continues to inform how I approach public service today. Her leadership was grounded in refusing to accept that inequity was inevitable. She understood that systems are changed by people willing to persist through resistance and remain accountable to those most directly impacted.

Cjala Surratt 1995, Protest HEOP/EOP cuts

“Yes for College Aid" — In 1995, Governor Pataki proposed a state budget that included cuts to public higher education funding, a $1,000 tuition increase, an 8% reduction in TAP aid for low-income students, and significant reductions to access programs like HEOP and EOP. For first-generation and low-income students across New York, those proposals weren’t numbers on a page; they were barriers to college and opportunity. In protest, I helped organize walkouts at high schools across the Syracuse City School District. We marched downtown, joining a statewide call to stop the cuts and protect access to education. Today, shifting federal priorities reinforce the importance of local governance. 1995 taught me lessons that guide my campaign for Common Councilor At-Large, including the importance of expanding opportunity for students and families through equity, sound fiscal stewardship, and accountability.

As an entrepreneur and small business owner, I understand firsthand both the opportunities and challenges of investing in Syracuse. Three years ago, I opened a vintage clothing and bookstore in a former service alley in downtown; a space many people overlooked as an asset. Through partnerships with Washington Street Partners support from a SEDCO microgrant and lots of hard work, that underutilized corridor has grown into a vibrant destination now joined by a restaurant, tea shop, and art gallery.

That experience reinforced my belief that Syracuse's future is built not only through large-scale development projects, but also through strategic investments in people, small businesses, and neighborhood-scale placemaking. When we support street-level businesses and activate underused spaces, we create more than economic activity, we create opportunities for connection, strengthen community identity, and build the kind of welcoming, walkable city where residents and visitors want to spend time.