Another Candidate Enters Race For 5th Ward Common Council Seat

Utica, NY (WIBX) - The field of candidates running to represent the 5th District of Utica just got a little bigger. Mark Mazzo says he's a Democrat running on the Independence ticket to replace sitting councilor, Jerome McKinsey. Mazzo says if elected he will, "Use common sense to implement a balanced budget," and work to create programs that are beneficial to the people in the district.

Some of the other items Mazzo says he'll address are the abandoned and burned houses, and the deteriorating streets in Cornhill. He said, "The orange cone solution doesn't work when you are driving to dodge potholes and flooded streets due to cluttered sewers." Saying that people in the area have "suffered long enough," he criticized McKinsey, adding that he voted twice to take out $200,000 out of the road paving fund, money he says is critical to the needs of the area.

In a released statement Mazzo says he understands the issues the people in the district face on a daily basis and promised to find solutions to improve the area. "Past representation has proved they were unable or unwilling to address this problem: we have suffered long enough. New streets for our area is what I will provide," he said.

Currently, there are four candidates running for the 5th District.