In the first of three final matchups before next Tuesday’s election, the four Syracuse mayoral candidates met at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Gateway Center to debate Monday night.  The event was a relatively tame affair for those used to the mudslinging of the presidential debates, but one thing was made clear: the era of savior politics reigns king.

By savior politics, I mean the idea that a politician can serve as the sole solution to all of our problem — the “I alone can fix it” mentality. The problem with this message is how it entices voters to pick a candidate that may bring nothing more to the table than a charismatic personality.

Each of the four candidates exhibited their own version of savior politics. From Laura Lavine’s call for mayoral control of the schools to Howie Hawkins’ suggestion of a Marshall Plan for Syracuse, the candidates lacked the calls for community governance that we need to succeed as a city.

Juanita Perez-Williams and Ben Walsh were particularly unimpressive, and both resorted to the cliche they learned by knocking on doors in the community. They went on to spout nothing more than the highlights of their passive party platforms.

These two candidates, one of whom could very well be the next mayor of Syracuse, represent more of the same for the city who can’t move past cookie-cutter campaign personalities and rehearsed statements. Perez Williams and Walsh should instead embrace the city, its citizens and its problems.

The idea of savior politics is not a new one. We have often put our politicians on a pedestal, turning them into celebrities rather than public servants. The new political era of President Donald Trump has escalated this idolization, a trend that continues to damage our policy and our communities. On Monday night, we saw this on the local level with candidates full of lackluster politics and hollow promises. 

Cole Jermyn is a senior environmental resource engineering major at SUNY-ESF. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at cdjermyn@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @Cjermyn8.