It is not often that Independent candidates are able to gain significant traction or the needed support to make it far, or become noticed at all, in an election cycle. This is true from local all the way to federal elections. However, in Central New York State, two young Independent candidates have made headway in their local elections.

An Independent Mayor for Syracuse

Ben Walsh, a “lifelong independent,” decided to run for mayor of Syracuse after spending six years working as the city’s Economic Development Director. It was there that he found a passion for local city politics, though he has never been a stranger to the political world. Walsh’s grandfather was elected mayor of Syracuse in the 1960s, and his own father served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 20 years; both were Republicans.

When his time came and Walsh decided to run for mayor, many expected him to finally choose a side politically.

“As I sought advice from people the majority said, ‘Well now is the time you have to pick a party, because Independent candidates don’t get elected,'” Walsh said.

However, running for mayor meant more. Walsh felt it was important to maintain his identity and hold on to the Independent status he had chosen when he first registered to vote at 18. Walsh said he didn’t quite fit into the category of Democrat or Republican.

“Ultimately I felt if I was going to take on this monumental task and put my family through what I’m putting them through, I had to do it in a way where I could come home every night and look myself in the mirror and feel like I’m being true to myself,” Walsh said. “For me that meant staying Independent, even if it means a more challenging road politically.”

And running without affiliation to a major political party certainly does put some extra obstacles in the road.

Extra paperwork must be filed and petitions submitted for an individual to run independently from an official party line. Independent candidates must receive endorsements from established parties or go through the process to create a party of their own. Both tasks can be tedious and difficult and often include resistance from the major parties.

When he went to the Republican party for support, Walsh discovered his views were not compatible with the party’s and he could not seek their endorsement. However, Walsh also said that because of his name and family history in the Republican party, he could not find support from the Democratic side either. Needing to find support from two polarized parties but aligning with neither is a challenge for Independent candidates, and the outward resistance from party members only exacerbates the problem.

A Seat for an Independent on the Tompkins County Legislature 

This type of resistance was experienced first hand by Keith Hannon, a Trumansburg resident who is vying for a spot on the Tompkins County Legislature as an independent. In the course of his campaign Hannon has encountered difficulty with the Board of Elections, and there was even an effort to remove him from the ballot over a petition error.

Hannon was inspired to run for local office after he moved back to Tompkins County to start a family and saw a lack of representation for young families in their government.

“Having someone that’s younger with a young family is a real missing piece of county politics,” said Hannon. “Buying homes, raising a family, paying for child care – all those things are very different now … It’s a whole different level of strain on families, and I don’t think that voice has really been there.”

However, like Walsh, Hannon felt that he fit into neither Column A nor B when it came to choosing a party with which to affiliate. He was lead to the decision to run independently, despite also being told, “you can’t win as an Independent.”

“[The two-party system] just really seemed to limit choice and, to some degree, limit free expression for what a candidate could say,” Hannon said.

Standing Apart From the Two-Party System

Both Hannon and Walsh shared that, though they’ve encountered road blocks when dealing with the established political parties, voters have been very receptive to their messages. In their experiences, it is easier to communicate and formulate relationships with voters when no one has to be hung up on labels and partisan differences.

“I’m not enrolled in a party,” Walsh said. “I think that gives me a unique ability to work with people of all different political persuasions.”

Hannon said that, especially on a local level, voters and community members are looking to be more engaged with their leaders, and this engagement is easier to achieve with Independents.

“People want to feel like they have a more intimate relationship with their representative, and that’s really hard to get in party politics,” Hannon said.

Both men have gained traction in their campaigns, but as election day draws near they are revving up more personal campaigning strategies, such as door-to-door solicitations, citing the importance of fostering that relationship with the voter.

Voting for both the Syracuse mayoral seat and the Tompkins County Legislature will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7.