Bill Kinne to run for County Legislature seat that includes University Neighborhood

Bill Kinne will run for the seat in the 15th legislative district in the Onondaga County Legislature this year, The NewsHouse can exclusively report. The district includes the University Neighborhood.

The current legislator in the 15th district, Maurice “Mo” Brown, announced a run for New York State Assembly on Friday morning and will no longer seek re-election in the county legislature.

Kinne represented the 15th district in the county legislature from 1991-2010 and again from 2020-2023 before leaving the legislature to run for Onondaga County Executive against Ryan McMahon.

Kinne will now return to local politics, looking to replace Brown, who replaced him just two years ago after his unsuccessful County Executive bid. If his campaign is successful, Kinne will join a county legislature controlled by Democrats for the first time since 1978. Kinne is joined by 16 other Democratic candidates — the party will run candidates in all 17 districts after a successful 2025 election.

The 15th legislative district comprises the University neighborhood and spans from Clarendon Street to parts of South Campus, including all of Euclid Avenue before Westcott Street.

The Onondaga County Republican Party designated Woodruff Carroll as its nominee for the 15th district in the legislature. Carroll ran for the Syracuse Common Council in 2022 and lost. He is Kinne’s likely opponent in a November general election.

The position of county legislator pays $38,748.