An Oswego State administrator is making her first foray into local politics. Cathy Santos has announced her candidacy for the Oswego Common Council as third ward alderman.
Santos currently works as Oswego State’s associate provost for multicultural opportunities and programs. She said that becoming the third ward alderman would be a part-time job, and that, if elected, she would continue to serve as an associate provost. Santos’ candidacy is backed by both the Democratic and Independence parties.
"I’m a strong believer in serving the community," Santos said. "It’s important to me to be a part of that." She said she was motivated to run for common council so that she could "give back to the community."
Santos lists employment, the economy and the concerns of young people as the biggest issues in Oswego and upstate New York.
"I have always been very concerned about youth —what our youth are doing and what’s happening with our youth," Santos said.
She also said that strengthening relations between the college and the Oswego community is a priority. Santos plans to hold four "community voice forums" a year to gauge public concerns and build community.
"It’s a chance for people’s concerns to bring change to the community," Santos said. "It’s an opportunity to work with some of the existing agencies. It would be cool to bring all of that together."
She also said that she would take guidance from those community meetings, and that it’s a chance for people to provide the issues she would deal with.
"There are probably issues and concerns I am not aware of yet," Santos said. "So it would be unfair of me to come and assume I know what all the issues are. Santos has lived in Oswego since 1972 and has worked for the college for the last 22 years.
"It’s my home and I care about my home," Santos said. "It’s been very important to me to work with the people in the city that I have. Being here for 37 years brings with it a lot of learning experiences."
She said that the skills she learned from working at Oswego State for 22 years would be useful as a member of the common council —namely mediation training and conflict resolution.
