By Russ Tarby

Contributing Writer

Onondaga County Republicans have nominated Salina Town Supervisor Colleen Gunnip to run for 4th District County Legislator, a post now held by retiring Legislator Judy Tassone.

Village of Liverpool Trustee Christina Fadden has also expressed interest in that position. Because the district includes parts of the town of Geddes and part of the city of Syracuse, county Republicans hosted a meeting on Saturday, Jan. 30, at Driver’s Village in Cicero, at which Gunnip was nominated for the legislative seat.

On Jan. 19, however, Fadden won the county Conservative Party nomination. She’s now deciding whether to gather signatures to force a primary run against Gunnip. Petitions are due by April 1 and the primary is scheduled for June 22.

Incumbent 5th District Legislator Deb Cody (representing the other half of Salina) was also nominated.

Meanwhile, first-term First Ward Town Councilor Nick Paro — who also happens to be the town’s GOP chairman — will run for supervisor in November.

Democrat Kathy Zabinski had announced her candidacy for the 4th District legislature seat even before Tassone dropped out.

A resident of Galeville, Zabinski is a retired sergeant of corrections at the county’s Jamesville Correctional Facility and former president of Civil Service Employees Association Local 834. She challenged Tassone in 2019 but lost the election.

A second Democrat, Stephon Williams, has also thrown his hat into the ring. He’s a coding analyst for Molina Healthcare.