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“I believe effective city leadership requires keeping state and federal policy in view so Syracuse can act with agility, secure resources, and deliver sustainable measurable results.”

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<h2>How to handle donations on your website</h2>Run does not process donations directly on our platform, as is standard with most political and advocacy sites.Campaigns are often required to comply with reporting requirements, donation limits, and other regulations, so using a donation processor that specializes in serving campaigns is generally a good idea. Sign up with a donation processor and then on your Pages sidebar, click the Link icon on the Donate page and add the link to your donation page. Some common options for donation processing include:<ul><li><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ActBlue</a></li><li><a href="https://www.campaigndeputy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Campaign Deputy</a> </li><li><a href="https://goodchange.app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GoodChange</a></li><li><a href="https://numero.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Numero</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ngpvan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NGP VAN</a></li></ul>

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get to know cjala surratt

These are the issues I hear about most from residents across Syracuse and exactly what I'm running to address.Every priority here is connected. Safe neighborhoods help kids thrive. Good jobs keep families stable. Stable housing keeps communities whole. Here's where I stand.

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<h4>Cjala Surratt is bringing fresh ideas, real community voice, and a new kind of leadership to the Common Council. But she can't do it alone. It's time to show up, speak up, and make history together.</h4><h4>Ways to Volunteer:</h4><ul><li>Canvassing: Go door to door in your neighborhood and talk to voters about Cjala's vision for Syracuse.</li><li>Phone Banking: Call community members from home or at our campaign office to share the message and answer questions.</li><li>Text Banking: Send texts to voters to spread the word and drive turnout.</li><li>Event Support: Help set up, greet guests, and represent the campaign at community events.</li><li>Visibility: Wave signs, wear the campaign, and show Syracuse who's with Cjala.</li><li>Data Entry &amp; Admin: Keep the campaign organized behind the scenes. Every detail matters.</li><li>Social Media Sharing: Amplify campaign posts and help grow our reach online.</li></ul>

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<h2>Why Am I Running?</h2><h3>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.</h3><h4>My Approach</h4>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.

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<h2>Advocacy</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/2959d2da-298b-41dc-84f7-5b22845e7ccb/1079c887-4857-4fd2-b03b-30f08459eddd/1079c887-4857-4fd2-b03b-30f08459eddd.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=-100&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C960%2C720&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="Ruth McCrae second from left. Pictured with her siblings and my great-grandparents." align="left" alignwidth="42" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">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.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/2959d2da-298b-41dc-84f7-5b22845e7ccb/98728a17-ae5b-49d7-a6e3-a0c91a4c6f95/98728a17-ae5b-49d7-a6e3-a0c91a4c6f95.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1277%2C1579&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="Cjala Surratt 1995, Protest HEOP/EOP cuts" align="left" alignwidth="37" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">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.

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<h2>June 23rd</h2>

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<h2>June 13th - 21st</h2>

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<h2>Apply by June 13th</h2>

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Explore Cjala's journey as a Syracuse PR and marketing professional, community advocate, board member and downtown business owner. See how building businesses, nurturing the arts, and engaging with our neighborhoods creates opportunity, connection, and lasting community change.

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WE’RE BUILDING A STRONGER SYRACUSE

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My campaign is rooted in a simple principle: leadership should advance the common good. I'm a lifelong Syracuse resident, a Syracuse City School District graduate, and a Syracuse University alum. I've worked as a community advocate, policy leader, and entrepreneur, supporting local organizations and connections across our city. As a downtwown business owner and parent raising two daughters with my spouse, Emad Rahim, I know how policy shapes everyday life. I'm committed to affordable housing, reducing poverty, protecting vulnerable neighbors, supporting youth and workforce development, investing in the creative economy, and ensuring public resources are direct to the public good.

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Housing &amp; Healthy Neighborhoods

INvest in Youth &amp; Families

Safe &amp; Inclusive Communities

Reduce Poverty &amp; Expand Job Opportunity

expand Creative Economy

Responsive &amp; Reliable City Systems

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<h3>Fighting for Every Syracuse Neighborhood</h3>My platform focuses on urgent, interconnected priorities that strengthen stability, opportunity, and trust across our city.

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The Syracuse Arts and Culture sector generates more than $148 million in economic activity, supports nearly 6,000 full-time jobs, produces approximately $125 million in household income, and contributes more than $21 million in local revenue. The arts are a core part of our economic development, neighborhood revitalization, and quality-of-life strategy.I support policies that strengthen Syracuse’s creative economy through the creation of an Arts and Culture District, the use of creative placemaking to activate neighborhoods and commercial corridors, and the establishment of a Percent for Arts program that invests public capital dollars into public art and cultural infrastructure. Supporting arts and culture means investing in small businesses, economic and workforce development and a more vibrant and connected city.As your Councilor, I will:<ul><li>Recognize creative workers as a real part of our city's workforce strategy.</li><li>Support creative businesses, cultural districts, and live-work spaces through Council policy.</li><li>Push to activate city-owned properties for arts programming, maker spaces, and cultural ventures.</li><li>Make sure that Council-approved programs include and support artists and cultural workers.</li><li>When we invest in our creative community, we invest in what makes Syracuse unique.</li></ul>

Arts and Culture a s an Economic EngineThe Syracuse arts and culture sector drives over $148 million in economic activity, supports nearly 6,000 jobs, and contributes more than $21 million in local revenue. Arts and culture strengthen neighborhoods, support small businesses, and improve quality of life and educational outcomes.As your Councilor, I will:Recognize creative workers as a real part of our city's workforce strategy.Support creative businesses, cultural districts, and live-work spaces through Council policy.Push to activate city-owned properties for arts programming, maker spaces, and cultural ventures.Make sure that Council-approved programs include and support artists and cultural workers.When we invest in our creative community, we invest in what makes Syracuse unique.

The Creative Economy

City government should be easy to access, easy to understand, and held accountable for results. Technology can help make that happen.As your Councilor, I will:<ul><li>Review and improve how city departments operate to make sure they are running efficiently and communicating clearly.</li><li>Make it easier for residents to report issues, get answers, and track what the Council is doing.</li><li>Ensure city programs and services are accessible to everyone.</li><li>Use data to measure what's working and make better decisions.</li><li>Protect residents' privacy and security as we modernize city systems.</li><li>Good government isn't complicated. It shows up, it listens, and it delivers.</li></ul>

Government Should Work for YouCity government should be easy to access, easy to understand, and held accountable for results. As your Councilor, I will:Review and improve how city departments operate to ensure they run efficiently and communicate clearly.Make it easier for residents to report issues, get answers, and track what the Council is doing.Ensure city programs and services are accessible to everyone.Use data to measure what's working and make better decisions.Protect residents' privacy and security as we modernize city systems.Good government isn't complicated. It shows up, it listens, and it delivers.

Responsive &amp; Reliable City Systems

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When people have a safe, stable place to live, everything else gets better — school, work, health, and community.As your Councilor, I will fight for:<ul><li>Policies that keep people in their homes and prevent displacement from the neighborhoods they love.</li><li>Investment in communities that have been left behind for too long.</li><li>Development that comes with real benefits for the people already living there.</li><li>Protection for renters, including access to legal help if they face eviction.</li><li>Fair treatment for landlords who follow the rules.</li><li>Strong code enforcement so that every home in Syracuse is safe to live in.</li><li>The goal is simple: every person in Syracuse deserves a safe, stable place to call home.</li></ul>

Housing security is the foundation of healthy families, strong neighborhoods, and real economic opportunity. I will work to expand affordable housing, stop displacement, and ensure that investment strengthens the communities people already call home.As your Councilor, I will fight for: Ending displacement by advancing policies that keep residents in their homes and protect long-term neighbors from being priced out. Redirecting investment into neighborhoods that have been left behind, so development benefits existing residents, not just outside interests. Requiring development to deliver real community benefit, including affordability, local input, and neighborhood stability. Strengthening protections for renters and enforcing tenant rights so housing cannot be treated as unstable or disposable. Holding landlords accountable while ensuring fair treatment for those who maintain safe, quality housing. Strengthening code enforcement so unsafe and unhealthy housing conditions are not tolerated anywhere in Syracuse.

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Every person in Syracuse deserves a clear path to a good job. And every entrepreneur deserves a fair shot at growing their business here.As your Councilor, I will:<ul><li>Expand paid apprenticeships and job training programs.</li><li>Build stronger connections between schools, job programs, and local employers.</li><li>Increase support for small businesses and minority-owned businesses through city funding and policy.</li><li>Push to use city-owned properties for business incubators, creative workspaces, and community enterprises.</li><li>When local businesses grow and local workers have good jobs, our whole city benefits.</li></ul>

Economic and Workforce DevelopmentEnsure city investments lead to real jobs, fair wages, and career growth. Connect residents to growing industries, support local hiring and MWBE participation, strengthen neighborhood business corridors, and back small businesses, keeping economic development accountable and focused on our communities.As your Councilor, I will: Track results: Ensure programs deliver real jobs, fair wages, and career growth for Syracuse residents.Fund what works: Invest in workforce programs that create opportunities for residents to succeed.Tie incentives to community: Prioritize local hiring, apprenticeships, and MWBE participation.Equitable neighborhood investment: Strengthen business corridors, activate vacant or underused spaces, and support local entrepreneurs.Coordinate for impact: Push for alignment between city departments and community organizations to maximize benefits and accountability.

Our kids deserve every chance to succeed. The Council can help make sure city programs and resources reach the young people who need them most.As your Councilor, I will advocate for:<ul><li>Youth enrichment programs that give young people something to do, learn, and work toward.</li><li>Partnerships between schools, community organizations, and city programs.</li><li>Budget decisions that prioritize young people across every neighborhood.</li><li>When we invest in youth, we invest in the future of Syracuse.</li></ul>

Investing in Family is Investing in Our Future.I will advocate for investments that support our kids not only in moments of crisis, but through the everyday systems of care and opportunity. Prioritize youth and family well-being in the city budget as a core investment in Syracuse’s future.As your Councilor, I will advocate for:Prioritize accountability for publicly funded programs by requiring clear outcomes, equitable access, and transparency. Support wrap-around approaches that recognize kids thrive when they have access to stable housing, food, transportation, mental health support, arts, recreation, and safe spaces. Strengthen career pathway opportunities through youth employment, job training, apprenticeships, and workforce developmentEncourage stronger coordination between schools, community organizations, and city programs.Investing in youth, we invest in the future of Syracuse.

Youth &amp; Family investment

Public safety is about more than police. It's about people feeling secure, supported, and heard in their own neighborhoods.As your Councilor, I will:<ul><li>Support community-driven programs that prevent violence before it starts.</li><li>Push for coordination between city departments and community organizations that are already doing the work.</li><li>Demand transparency and real accountability in how public safety resources are used.</li><li>Explore ways to use city-owned property for youth programs and safe community spaces.</li><li>Strong, safe neighborhoods are built on trust between residents and their government. I will work to earn and protect that trust.</li></ul>

As your Councilor, I will:Invest in prevention-first public safety through violence interruption and neighborhood-based support.Push for coordination between city departments and community organizations that are already doing the work.Demand transparency and real accountability in how public safety resources are used.Explore ways to use city-owned property for youth programs and safe community spaces.Support the Citizen Review Board (CRB) with stable funding and intentional appointments. Support NYS4All and policies that protect community. Codify non-cooperation with ICE Advance safeguards around data collection and surveillance to prevent discriminatory targeting and protect civil liberties. Prioritize standards for technology procurement and public use so that systems do not reinforce bias or cause harm.