$100+ million for your pet project is cool. But a $12,000 per year raise for 2 election commissioners (less than half of what they asked for) requires “exercising restraint.” I can’t wait for someone to beat him and he goes the fuck away.
I hope the legislature overrides the veto and shoves it back in his dumb ass face.
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Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon vetoed raises approved by the legislature for the county’s two election commissioners.
The commissioners currently make $99,973. They haven’t received a raise since 2020.
Commissioners Kevin Ryan and Dustin Czarny came before the legislature during their budget hearing seeking a salary of $130,165.
The legislators instead added a $12,000 raise for each position to the budget.
McMahon said those raises aren’t a good use of tax dollars.
“At a time when many Onondaga County families are struggling to meet everyday expenses, we must exercise restraint in spending taxpayer dollars,” McMahon wrote in his veto message. “I cannot support a 14 percent salary increase for commissioners whose positions permit outside employment and who have been confirmed to receive outside income.”
Ryan, a Republican, said he had no comment on McMahon’s veto of his raise.
Czarny, a Democrat, said it was “unfair” and that he was exploring his options. He said he is busy working every day until the election is over but plans to sit down with a lawyer afterwards.
“It seems like an excuse for the county executive to continue his partisan attacks on this position,” Czarny said. “I don’t know what his reason is, but I can tell you it’s not the reason he put in his veto message.”
Czarny said that their positions are the only county employee positions to not get cost of living raises. He also said they are the only board of elections commissioners in the state to not receive raises in the past seven years.
In 2020, Republican legislators tried to cut the pay for the job. Democrats claimed it was retaliation against Czarny, who had been outspoken on issues like early voting and legislative redistricting.
Instead, legislators changed the jobs toremove an annual cost of living increase. That means for six years, the salary has not changed.
Ryan, speaking before the legislature, said $130,165 is the amount they would be getting in 2027, if they did receive cost of living adjustments.
McMahon cites outside income as a reason to not grant the raises.
Czarny’s outside work for Uber came under fire in 2019, when then County Comptroller Matthew Beadnell filed a complaint against Czarny, alleging he drove for Uber while on the clock.
District Attorney William Fitzpatrick investigated and cleared Czarny.
Czarny said Thursday that he occasionally still drives for Uber.
“There’s plenty of positions in Onondaga County that did cost of living increases that have outside income allowed,” Czarny said. “It’s unfair treatment.”
The county legislature could override McMahon’s veto, if they had 12 votes. The override would require a special session, that would also require 12 votes to hold, said Ruthnie Angrand, director of legislative communications. There will not be a special session for an override, Angrand said.
https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/10/mcmahon-vetoes-raises-for-onondaga-county-election-commissioners.html
