Joanie Mahoney
Joanne M. "Joanie" Mahoney (born 1965) is the Chief Operating Officer at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, in Syracuse, New York.[1] Previously, she was County Executive of Onondaga County, New York. The first woman to hold, and to be elected to, that position, she served from January 1, 2008, through November 1, 2018.[1][2]
Joanie Mahoney | |
---|---|
3rd Executive of Onondaga County, New York | |
In office January 1, 2008 – November 1, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Nicholas J. Pirro |
Succeeded by | J. Ryan McMahon |
Personal details | |
Born | 1965 Rochester, NY |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Marc Overdyk |
Alma mater | Syracuse University (BA, JD) |
Profession | attorney |
Personal
Mahoney was raised in Syracuse, New York, as the middle child of nine children.[3] Her father, Bernie Mahoney, was a member of the Syracuse Common Council and then the New York State Assembly.[3]
Mahoney attended Shea Middle School and Corcoran High School in Syracuse, then received her B.A. degree from the Management School at Syracuse University. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Mahoney received her J.D. degree from the Syracuse University College of Law.[4]
She is married to Marc Overdyk and has four children.[5]
Career and political experience
An attorney by trade, Mahoney served as Criminal Prosecutor in the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office. She left the position in 1997 to become a full-time, stay-at-home mother, but decided to run for a seat on the Syracuse Common Council.[5] She won election to the Syracuse Common Council in November 1999, and served from 2000 until 2002.[4]
Mahoney decided against running for re-election to the Common Council, choosing to spend more time with her children. In 2005, she announced she would seek the office of Mayor of Syracuse, challenging incumbent Matthew Driscoll, a Democrat. She lost to Driscoll 49% to 46%, with Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins receiving 5% of the vote.[6] It was the closest mayoral race in over 80 years for Syracuse.[7]
After Mahoney's victory in the 2007 County Executive race, she was inaugurated as Executive of Onondaga County on January 1, 2008. She was reelected in 2012, and again in 2016. She announced her resignation in September 2018, midway through her third term, to take a position with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) as Chief Operating Officer.[2]
County Executive election, 2007
In February 2007, long-time incumbent County Executive Nicholas J. Pirro announced his retirement. Mahoney decided to run, but failed to win the endorsement of the Onondaga County Republican Party. The republicans then endorsed Dale Sweetland, Chairman of the County Legislature.[7]
Mahoney then decided to seek the Republican nomination in a party primary held on September 18, 2007. In the primary, she edged out Sweetland by only 21 votes.[7] However, Sweetland's name would remain on the ballot on the Conservative Party and Independence Party lines.
During the general election, Mahoney was pitted against New York State Assemblyman, William "Bill" Magnarelli. Mahoney campaigned on bringing a "fresh start" to the county, while Magnarelli campaigned on the grounds that he was more experienced than Mahoney. She also argued that Magnarelli was too tied to Albany to understand how Onondaga County worked – something the voters should not tolerate.[5]
In the course of the race, Mahoney picked up some key endorsements. She was endorsed by Syracuse Tomorrow, the political action committee of the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce;[8] The Post-Standard, the local newspaper in Syracuse;[9] and Republican presidential-hopeful Rudy Giuliani, who is popular in upstate New York.[10]
Ultimately, Mahoney won the election in a landslide victory, earning 58% of the vote to Magnarelli's 36% .[11]
On November 19, 2007, Mahoney announced the names of her transition team that would ease the switch from Pirro's administration to hers. As she had promised on the campaign trail, it was a bipartisan team of Republicans and Democrats. The honorary co-chairs of her transition team were Republican County Executive Nick Pirro and former Syracuse Mayor Thomas Ganley Young, a Democrat.[12]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Joanie Mahoney | 68,183 | 58.1 | N/A | |
Democratic | William Magnarelli | 42,144 | 35.9 | N/A | |
Independence | Dale Sweetland | 5,862 | 5.0 | N/A | |
Working Families | William Magnarelli | N/A | |||
Conservative | Dale Sweetland | N/A | |||
Independent | Ed Ryan | 1,083 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Independent | Joanie Mahoney | N/A | |||
Majority | 26,039 | 22.2 | |||
Turnout | 117,292 |
- Totals for each candidate are for all lines
- Mahoney ran as a Republican and under the Fresh Start Party line
- William Magnarelli ran as a Democrat and under the Working Families Party line
- Dale Sweetland ran under the Conservative and Independence Parties of New York
- Ed Ryan ran under the It's Your County Party line
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Joanie Mahoney | 10,412 | 49.2 | N/A | |
Republican | Dale Sweetland | 10,391 | 49.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 21 | 0.1 | |||
Turnout | 21,125 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Matthew Driscoll (Incumbent) | 16,470 | 49.7 | N/A | |
Republican | Joanie Mahoney | 15,110 | 45.6 | N/A | |
Green | Howie Hawkins | 1,551 | 4.7 | N/A | |
Independence | Joanie Mahoney | N/A | |||
Working Families | Matthew Driscoll (Incumbent) | N/A | |||
Conservative | Joanie Mahoney | N/A | |||
Majority | 1,360 | 4.1 | |||
Turnout | 33,131 |
- Totals for each candidate are for all lines
References
- Knauss, Tim. (2018, November 1). "Why Onondaga County Exec Joanie Mahoney is leaving the 'best job I could hope for'," Syracuse.com. Accessed: November 1, 2018.
- Knauss, Tim. (2018, October 2). "Joanie Mahoney makes it official: 'I hereby submit to you my resignation'," Syracuse.com. Accessed: October 24, 2018.
- Steve Carlic. "Untested but undeterred, she promises a 'fresh start'". Syracuse.com. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
- Knight Political Reporting Archived June 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- "Syracuse & Central NY Local News". Syracuse.com. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
- Daily Orange
- The Post Standard
- "Chamber's PAC backs Mahoney". Syracuse.com. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
- Archived November 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Archived November 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Daily Orange Archived November 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- The Post Standard
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Nicholas J. Pirro |
Onondaga County, New York Executive January 1, 2008–November 1, 2018 |
Succeeded by J. Ryan McMahon |