Draft Otis Jennings "Movement" Grows

With Joe Nicoletti’s announcement that he is running for mayor, there are now four Democrats officially in the race, with a few others likely to jump in as well. Despite this, there are still no Republicans who have announced that they are running. With such a large number of Democrats interested in the seat, there is a lot of pressure to announce their intentions early and begin raising money for a primary. The Republicans have a smaller pool of candidates and are likely working behind the scenes in order to avoid a primary like the one the Democrats are facing, so they can afford to wait a little longer before any candidate announces their intentions. Of course, this does not put an end to speculation.

Currently, a lot of speculation has centered around Republican Otis Jennings, and for good reason. Though he lost his race for Common Council President four years ago, the former Syracuse Parks and Recreation Commissioner may be in the process of staging a comeback. I mentioned yesterday that Joe Nicoletti was the only candidate that had official Facebook and YouTube accounts. Something that has been overlooked is the unofficial presence of Otis Jennings on Facebook. There currently exists a “Draft Otis Jennings for Mayor” Facebook group, with over 300 members. As an unofficial group for an unannounced candidate, this is rather impressive. Mr. Jennings was Special Program Director for the city schools and he continues to work with area schools as a lecturer and motivational speaker, so this likely explains the level of support he has from the Facebook generation. If he does decide to run and can turn some of his online support into volunteer support, he could be a force to be reckoned with, especially if the eventual Democrat candidate emerges from the late primary bruised and bloodied. Keep an eye on Otis.