Ryan McMahon was appointed Onondaga County Executive in November 2018 following the resignation of Joanie Mahoney. At the time, McMahon was serving as chairman of the Onondaga County Legislature. McMahon is running for county executive for the first time next month. His opponent is Democrat Tony Malavenda, a longtime business owner running for political office for the first time since the early 1980s. McMahon and Malavenda sit down for their first broadcast debate with Grant Reeher, and discuss

Congressional races in central New York are often considered bellwethers for the nation. In 2018, some central New York Democrats successfully challenged Republican incumbents, while others came up short. Why? Was is because of Donald Trump? This week, Grant Reeher explores the reasons behind this with Luke Perry, a professor of political science at Utica College, and author of the book "Donald Trump and the 2018 Midterm Battle for Central New York."

In an era of diminished public confidence in the media, what steps has NPR taken to strengthen connections and trust among its listeners? How does radio compare with other news mediums in communicating essential information? This week, Grant Reeher is joined by Rachel Martin, co-host of NPR's "Morning Edition." They discuss these issues, as well as some of Rachel's more memorable stories and interviews, and who her favorite NPR voice is.

The city of Syracuse has been a recent magnet for refugees. More than 10,000 have settles there in the last 12 years. But this year, at least one refugee will be the first in Syracuse to win public office. This week, Grant Reeher speaks with Chol Majok, the Democratic nominee for Syracuse 3rd District Common Council seat.

New York came up just short of legalizing recreational marijuana this year, and many political observers regard full legalization as just a matter of time. What are the important questions facing policymakers as they prepare for the inevitable? What can legalization in other states teach us? This week, Grant Reeher talks with Stanford University professor Keith Humphreys, an expert on marijuana policy and legalization.

For 28 years, Bill Fitzpatrick has been Onondaga County's District Attorney, facing relatively little challenge in his last seven elections. Hoping to change that this November is Charles Keller, a Democrat and Syracuse-based defense attorney. This week, Keller speaks with Grant Reeher on why he's running against Fitzpatrick, and to describe the changes he'd make in the criminal justice system if elected.

In recent decades, Republicans have dominated elected offices in Onondaga County. This week, Grant Reeher speaks with one Democrat who hopes to change that. Tony Malavenda is challenging incumbent Ryan McMahon in this year's race for Onondaga County Executive. They discuss the rationale behind his campaign, economic development, I-81, housing, poverty and more.

Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick is finishing up his 7th four-year term in office, and is seeking an 8th this November. Given his past elections, he might seem unbeatable, but this year he has two challengers. This week, Grant Reeher talks with Fitzpatrick about recent initiatives in his office, controversial cases, policing, opioids, and more.

Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow is no stranger to politics. At 23, he was elected to the Oswego Common Council. In 2015, at 25, he was elected mayor, the youngest in New York. He's running for reelection this year, and he's currently unopposed. This week, Grant Reeher talks with Barlow about some of the initiatives he has taken in his first term, how the city is coping with record high water levels on Lake Ontario, and some of the things he didn't expect when he first took office.

The two new state Senators from the Syracuse area, Rachel May (D-Syracuse) and Bob Antonacci (R-Syracuse) both ran for the Senate by running against Albany. Now they've finished their first legislative session. This week, Grant Reeher speaks with May and Antonacci about their experiences, what improvements or outcomes they saw, and what they see on the political horizon.