Growing up, Timothy Rudd rode his bike all around Syracuse. By the time he graduated from Henninger High School and Syracuse University, Rudd was an expert on his city.

Born and raised in Syracuse, Rudd, a Democrat, is running to represent the 15th district in the Onondaga County Legislature, and is challenging Onondaga County Legislature Chairman Ryan McMahon. Rudd said he is running because he cares deeply about the city.

“I really think the county in general needs more progressive advocates,” Rudd said. “I’m from Syracuse and really believe in Syracuse.”

His platform advocates for a more open government that focuses on money being a corrosive force in politics, he said.

Some of his plans include not accepting more than $250 from anyone who does business with the county. Rudd said he also has a number of ethics proposals among his staff, which includes the disclosure of personal income.

Another part of his plan includes recording all of the county legislative sessions. Rudd said he believes that with the current setup, the only way to understand what’s going on in the county legislature is to go to a meeting, which happens in the middle of the day on weekdays, a time inconvenient for most people in the county.

Rudd said he has high hopes that his plans would help make the government in the county more accessible and more democratic, and added that another large part of his platform is to bring more of a focus on neighborhoods.

“A focus on neighborhoods would help with getting back to the basics of government, which I think should be building infrastructure and attracting good-paying jobs,” Rudd said.

Rudd received his undergraduate degree from SU’s College of Arts and Sciences and his master’s degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Peter Wilcoxen, a professor of public administration and international affairs at SU, said Rudd gets along with people and can talk to people of all different backgrounds. Wilcoxen added that Rudd has always been committed to coming back to Syracuse and making a difference in the city.

Pamela Kirwin Heintz, the associate vice president and director for the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service, worked with Rudd when he was an undergraduate tutor at the center. Heintz said Rudd is a passionate, reliable and committed person who loves Syracuse, Onondaga County and central New York.

“He shared his Syracuse experiences generously with the other SU students with whom he worked so they would come to know his hometown the way he did,” Heintz said.

Published on November 1, 2015 at 10:10 pm

Contact Nina: nsleeds@syr.edu