L
ongtime New York State Assemblyman William “Bill” Magnarelli, set to begin his 14th term in 2025, first began campaigning in grade school.
As a child, Magnarelli and his two brothers would walk down Butternut Street of Syracuse’s North Side, then home to a conservative Italian community, asking businesses to post campaign flyers for their uncle, Armond Magnarelli — a Democrat who was running for the Syracuse City Common Council. Neighbors weren’t friendly at first.
“When I was in grade school, and in high school, and in college, he would ask us to put posters up for him,” Magnarelli said. “I’d walk in and people would get mad at us and say, ‘I’m not putting that sign up.’ And they’d start talking bad about Armond.”
Eventually, business owners showed mercy on the three brothers and the Democrat’s posters lined the streets of a predominantly Republican neighborhood. For the young Magnarelli, this experience solidified his goal of pursuing a political career — one which has now spanned over 25 years.
On the ballot for the 2024 United States general elections, several Onondaga County voters will see Magnarelli listed as the lone candidate for the state’s 129th Assembly District — which encompasses multiple neighborhoods in Syracuse, as well as Geddes, Solvay, Van Buren and a portion of Baldwinsville.
Unless a write-in candidate receives more votes, Magnarelli will be re-elected, marking his 26th year representing the district in the assembly. Throughout his decades-long career, he said his policy goals have remained the same — improving access to healthcare, education and jobs.
Magnarelli grew up in Syracuse and received both his bachelor’s and a law degree from Syracuse University. He served in the Army Reserve for six years, where he eventually became a captain. The assemblyman is also a licensed lawyer and practices real estate law with Scolaro Fetter Grizanti & McGough, P.C.
Ann Magnarelli, his daughter, said that early in his early political career, Magnarelli had to work hard to transition from lawyer to politician.When he first took office in the Syracuse City Common Council, the conversational aspect of the position didn’t come naturally, she said.
“He ran for the Common Council when my brother and I were still in high school. That’s where he started his political career, and it was exciting,” Ann Magnarelli said. “He was terrible at small talk in the beginning, and he really had to come out of his shell to get good at that.”
Ann Magnarelli said she watched her father work six-to-seven-day weeks growing up, but he never missed any of his three children’s sports games or school performances. She also said the Magnarelli family would always find time to eat family dinner at 6:30 p.m. every night despite their father’s busy schedule.
She said politics and current events were a common discussion at the table. Ann Magnarelli, who currently works as a Syracuse City Court Judge, closely followed her father’s path — attending SU for graduate and law school before working as an attorney and eventually taking a job in the public sector.
Over the years, Magnarelli said he’s witnessed the city’s economy worsen. In the 1950s, when he was growing up, companies like General Motors, Chrysler, General Electric and Syracuse China operated factories throughout central New York — many of which are now closed. Today, the city has an almost 30% poverty rate, significantly higher than the national average.
“When I was a kid … we had a lot of prosperity in terms of that people were working,” Magnarelli said. “We are talking about tens of thousands of jobs that left Syracuse. Now, we have the opportunity to bring those jobs back.”
Along with the city’s economic changes, Magnarelli also said he’s watched generations move in and out of the district he serves. Still, he said the city has maintained its character as a “melting pot,” as it continues to house diverse immigrant populations. He said he hopes some of the city’s impending economic prospects, like the arrival of Micron Technology, will revitalize the city.
Alex Levy | Contributing Designer
Over the years, Magnarelli has been involved with many policies related to education, including the establishment of a “Say Yes to Education” program for Syracuse in 2008 and the Syracuse STEAM School in 2023.
In his next prospective term, Magnarelli said he hopes to mitigate the city’s high rate of chronic absenteeism in public schools. He said improving education in the city will have a positive impact on the economy.
Magnarelli’s other legislative focuses are healthcare, tax rates, resources for veterans and other community improvements — including the city’s relationship with SU. He was involved with securing $20 million in state funding for the Connective Corridor in 2008 and $2 million for Landmark Theater’s restoration in 2019.
Assemblyman Al Stirpe, who represents the adjacent 127 district, said newly-elected assembly members often look to Magnarelli for guidance due to his experience in office. Stirpe referred to Magnarelli as one of the early mentors in his political career, as he wasn’t elected into the assembly until 2006.
Before he ran for office, Stirpe met with Magnarelli. The two had a connection already since Magnarelli went to high school with Stirpe’s sister-in-law. At the time, Stirpe said he was contemplating whether running for public office would be worth it.
“Bill seemed like a lawyer. He was careful about what he said,” Stirpe said. “But one of the first things I asked him was, ‘Do you think you can really make any difference in this position?’ And then he kind of lit up a little bit, and he said, ‘Yes, I really feel you can.’”
Stirpe and Magnarelli have worked together in the assembly ever since. Even when Stirpe wasn’t re-elected for the 2010-12 election cycle, Magnarelli kept him in the loop about the goings on of the state legislature and invited him to different political events, Stirpe said. Stirpe was reelected after those two years and has continued to hold office in the assembly.
While in the assembly together, the two have collaborated on many policies. In March, the pair said they’d vote “no” on a statewide “Good Cause Eviction” mandate. Stirpe said he and Magnarelli supported some of the tenant protections listed in the bill but feared its rent increase limitations would discourage developers from building more affordable housing.
Stirpe said Magnarelli’s enthusiasm leaves an impression on others. When he gets upset, Stirpe said Magnarelli often jokes that “he goes Italian on them.” Stirpe recalled a time when Magnarelli advocated for New York to opt into NIL legislation for college athletes, something he was especially passionate about as a fan of SU sports.
“He went Italian on them. He started raising his voice and going, ‘You know how important this is?’,” Stirpe said. “He just kept going on and on, and I had to sort of pull him back a little bit. But the end result of that was we got the bill passed.”
Stirpe said he and Magnarelli have had several “big disagreements” over policy, specifically regarding how to approach the Interstate 81 viaduct removal efforts and the establishment of central New York’s inland port. But they continue to work together, and frequently go out to dinner together when the assembly is in session, Stirpe said.
Magnarelli said he hopes to continue bringing his extensive knowledge of the Syracuse community to the assembly. He said that, though the composition of the city has changed, his goals have remained the same throughout his over-quarter-century career.
“Four years on the Common Council, 26 years in the Assembly, is kind of hard to come by, and I’ve worked hard at it,” Magnarelli said. “I would hope that one of the reasons why I’m unopposed this time is that people are happy with what I do.”
Photo by Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
Published on October 31, 2024 at 1:08 am
Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu
