County legislature run in limbo

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Cicero Town Councilor Mike Becallo has jumped ship from the Republican Party. Becallo announced June 28 that he has changed his party registration to Libertarian, holding a press conference outside the Onondaga County Courthouse with state and county Libertarian officials June 29.

“This is something that’s been coming for a long time down the road,” Becallo said. “My voting record shows that I truly am Libertarian, I’ve always been.”

Becallo is now one of only two Libertarian elected officials in New York state, according to the Libertarian National Committee. William Brooke Harris of the Alfred-Almond Central School Board of Education is the other.

Becallo, who has dubbed himself the “Taxpayers’ Watchdog,” said he has met many voters who are dissatisfied with the two-party system and feel disenfranchised. He said he is excited to be a part of a “youthful team” and said his registration as a Libertarian is “coming home.”

“You can rest assured that I will fight for fiscal responsibility and individual liberty in our hometown, and that I will do so without restraint from any political leadership,” Becallo wrote on his Facebook page.

Shawn Hannon, chair of the Onondaga County Libertarian Party, congratulated Becallo on joining the party.

“He is someone who has stood up for his hometown, and now he is making the change to come join the Libertarian Party,” Hannon said. “I think it’s a very exciting time for not only Onondaga County, not only for Cicero, but for the state as well. We always encourage and try to attract as many high-quality individuals to our party as possible, and I think Mike fits the bill.”

Becallo’s change in party registration is largely symbolic at this point. The change does not take effect until after the general election in November.

With Becallo’s announcement comes some uncertainty. His campaign for Onondaga County Legislature’s District 3 hangs in the balance, as he announced his run as a Republican earlier this year. The Onondaga County Conservative Committee endorsed Becallo in March, but the county GOP chose to endorse incumbent Tim Burtis.

The Onondaga County Libertarian Party has endorsed three candidates for county legislature: Derek Shepard in District 13, Casey Jordan in District 14 and Will Martin in District 8. The party also endorsed Chris Fowler in the city of Syracuse’s mayoral race, Syracuse City Judge candidate Jason Zeigler, Van Buren Town Councilor incumbent Darcie Lesniak and Manlius Town Board candidate Michael Beshara.

“After this weekend, Shawn and I are going to talk and see if it’s a good idea for me to run,” Becallo said.