Syracuse, N.Y. – Weeks of simmering tension between the Syracuse Common Council and Mayor Ben Walsh’s administration has boiled over with a bitter public fight over the city’s next budget.
Lawmakers on Thursday unanimously slashed $16 million from the mayor’s proposal, saying they needed to slow down spending in order to preserve the city’s long-term financial viability. Walsh responded in an hour-long news conference with senior staff, blasting councilors for keeping the administration in the dark about contemplated cuts and warning residents about major disruptions in city services.
At the center of the feud is a 30-page document, written by a regional accounting firm for the council. City lawmakers took the unusual step of hiring a consultant for an outside budget review. The report that came back provided a blueprint for the 80-plus amendments made to the budget…