Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse Common Council President Helen Hudson is looking to extend her service on the city’s legislative body after her term as its leader ends this year.
Hudson confirmed that she will ask councilors to appoint her to an at-large council seat that will become vacant at the start of 2026.
Hudson has served on the Syracuse Common Council since 2012, but life-threatening health problems limited her involvement in the last two years of her final term as the body’s president.
At-large Councilor Rita Paniagua won an uncontested election this year to take over the presidency from Hudson. Because Paniagua is finishing up the second year of a four-year term, her at-large seat will officially become vacant when she’s sworn in as president at the start of 2026.
The vacancy triggers an election in the fall to fill out the term. In the meantime, the council will have the power to appoint someone to serve through that election.
Hudson, 65, wants the job.
“I still have some work to do,” she said. “I want to continue to be a voice for the community, and I want to continue the work that I started.”
In 2024, Hudson endured treatment for lung cancer, the deaths of her mother and sister, and a rare form of pneumonia that nearly killed her. She could not come to City Hall to preside over council meetings for more than a year. In early August of this year, she ran her first study session since May 2024.
Hudson believes her experience on the council would be a valuable asset for the body in the new year. Two new councilors will be sworn in and three others will be starting their third year on the body. Paniagua and At-large Councilor Chol Majok will have the most experience, having served since 2019.
“I would be the most experienced councilor,” Hudson said. “That would be a plus.”
Hudson has not decided if she would also run in the election next year to fill out the final year of the term. She’s certain, though, that she would not attempt to run for a new four-year at-large term in 2027.
“I have 14 years in — that’s a long time to be involved in politics,” she said. “I want to continue to be that voice for the community. ... And then after that I would actually be mentoring young people and shepherding them into politics.”
Hudson’s appointment, however, is not a sure thing. Council rules provide for a public application process that will likely play out in January and early February.
There are several potential newcomers to political office also interested in the seat, said 5th District Councilor Jimmy Monto, who is also the Syracuse Democratic Committee chair. None have publicly come forward at this point.
Monto, who will be starting his second full term in January after being appointed to his seat in 2022, would like the council to appoint someone who is committed to run in the fall election.
“The problems we have in the city are not going to be fixed in one year,” he said.
Monto said he’ll make his decision about whom to support after seeing who has applied. There are some qualities he’ll be seeking when evaluating the options.
“I’d be looking for somebody with some new ideas and some fresh thinking in how we’ll fill revenue gap and in talking about housing and public safety,” he said. “The candidate’s ideas are really what matters to me.”
That’s also important to Majok, who will be starting his seventh year on the council. He said experience on the council is also an important factor.
“You don’t want to have too many novices at the table,” he said. “We need some level of institutional knowledge to be retained.”
Majok said the councilors should give all of the interested candidates a “fair shake,” while also saying he’s happy to hear Hudson would like to continue.
“She is a gem,” he said. “She is a treasure to the community and also for the council.”
The council has detailed rules in place for the process of making appointments to fill vacant seats. The rules were first adopted in 2019 after prior appointment decisions raised concerns about transparency.
The process includes the following steps:
- At the first regular meeting after the vacancy is declared, the city clerk announces the opening and invites qualified residents to apply.
- Applications have to be submitted before the next regular meeting. They are publicly posted on the city website.
- Councilors individually choose their top two candidates within a week of the application deadline.
- Council holds a committee meeting to interview two finalists.
- Council can vote on the appointment as early as the third regular meeting after the vacancy becomes official.
Based on the tentative council meeting schedule for 2026, the first three regular council meetings will take place Jan. 12, Jan. 26 and Feb. 9.
Councilors can vote to waive or change their rules at any time.
