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The Daily OrangeStephanie Miner | Veteran Democrat pushes 50-point plan for Syracuse, starting with education
By Michelle San Miguel
Posted: 11/3/09, 2:13 AM EST Section: News
On childhood weekdays, Stephanie Miner went to school, played with toys and hung out with friends. But on weekends, she spent time with politicians.
Her grandmother was Betty Cooney, a political legend in Syracuse. In 1976, a 6-year-old Miner went to a politician's party with her grandmother. The party's host was then-Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter. Shortly after the party, Cooney received Carter's trademark thank-you gift in the mail - a bag of peanuts.
"My grandmother was very active in politics, and as a kid I used to spend a lot of time with her," Miner recalled. "And that's what I did when I was with her. She did that with all my brothers and sisters. But with me, it stuck."
Now, 33 years after Carter's party, Miner is running for mayor. If she wins the election, Miner will become the first female mayor of Syracuse.
On Sept. 15, Miner won the Democratic primary with 4,040 votes. She is running against two candidates: Steve Kimatian, a veteran TV executive, is the Republican and Independent Party candidate. Otis Jennings, a former Syracuse Parks, Recreation, and Youth Programs commissioner, is the Conservative party candidate. He lost the Republican primary to Kimatian.
Miner has been an at-large common councilor for eight years. In her campaign for mayor, Miner is running on a detailed agenda of proposals and a reputation as an independent spirit who challenges even members of her own party. She has been the city's most outspoken critic of tax breaks for the Destiny USA, a mega-mall and hotel expansion to Carousel Mall. Destiny USA was championed by Mayor Matt Driscoll, also a Democrat. Driscoll can't run for a third term because of term limits.
If elected mayor, Miner has promised to focus on three areas: improving education, modernizing government and invigorating neighborhoods.
Miner was born in Syracuse and grew up in Cortland, N.Y., as the oldest of five siblings - four girls and one boy. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1992 with degrees in political science and newspaper journalism. In 1999, Miner graduated from Buffalo Law School and joined Blitman & King, a labor law firm in Syracuse.
Her grandmother was Betty Cooney, a political legend in Syracuse. In 1976, a 6-year-old Miner went to a politician's party with her grandmother. The party's host was then-Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter. Shortly after the party, Cooney received Carter's trademark thank-you gift in the mail - a bag of peanuts.
"My grandmother was very active in politics, and as a kid I used to spend a lot of time with her," Miner recalled. "And that's what I did when I was with her. She did that with all my brothers and sisters. But with me, it stuck."
Now, 33 years after Carter's party, Miner is running for mayor. If she wins the election, Miner will become the first female mayor of Syracuse.
On Sept. 15, Miner won the Democratic primary with 4,040 votes. She is running against two candidates: Steve Kimatian, a veteran TV executive, is the Republican and Independent Party candidate. Otis Jennings, a former Syracuse Parks, Recreation, and Youth Programs commissioner, is the Conservative party candidate. He lost the Republican primary to Kimatian.
Miner has been an at-large common councilor for eight years. In her campaign for mayor, Miner is running on a detailed agenda of proposals and a reputation as an independent spirit who challenges even members of her own party. She has been the city's most outspoken critic of tax breaks for the Destiny USA, a mega-mall and hotel expansion to Carousel Mall. Destiny USA was championed by Mayor Matt Driscoll, also a Democrat. Driscoll can't run for a third term because of term limits.
If elected mayor, Miner has promised to focus on three areas: improving education, modernizing government and invigorating neighborhoods.
Miner was born in Syracuse and grew up in Cortland, N.Y., as the oldest of five siblings - four girls and one boy. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1992 with degrees in political science and newspaper journalism. In 1999, Miner graduated from Buffalo Law School and joined Blitman & King, a labor law firm in Syracuse.
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