New 2nd Ward Councilor Johnathan Ashline narrowly wins race

by Jose Hernandez | December 9, 2025 11:50 am

OSWEGO- Jonathan Ashline won the 2nd ward councilor race by 4 votes as a Democrat. Ashline hopes to help the growing homeless community in Oswego and work with other councilors. Ashline also hopes to help preserve Oswego’s natural resources.

Ashline is a lifelong Oswego resident. He attended Onondaga Community College and SUNY Oswego.

Social programs are a significant focus for Ashline. He hopes to implement fairer housing practices and make transportation easier for residents.

Ashline is one of 3 new councilors from the Democrat party. “I think the council being split is excellent. There are 3 Democrats, 3 Republicans, and an independent. Everyone can feel represented,” said Ashline.

“I’ve always aligned with the Democratic party; to me, the party values are more working class,” said Ashline. Housing is one of those values Ashline considers essential.

“Oswego has a large housing and food insecurity, which is something I’d like to help with,” said Ashline, “I think there is a lot more that the city can do.”

Ashline believes landlords are abusing renters in the city. “I see it in the lower-income side, they are forced to rent and are being forced out of their apartments,” said Ashline.

Homeownership nationally is very difficult for the middle class. According to Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis, fewer than 13% of renters can afford to buy a median-priced home. The increased cost of rent could be a contributing factor.

Ashline hopes that the city can help local food pantries. Private entities commonly support food pantries and depend on volunteers. Ashline believes that something as simple as the town promoting volunteer work could help tremendously.

Expressing sentiments similar to those of the new 1st Ward Councilor, Chance Kennedy, he hopes the council can maintain transparency with its residents. “I’ve met most of the other councilors, except for one, and I’m eager to get to work helping people in Oswego,” said Ashline, “I want to see actual changes that help people. Whether it be pedestrian traffic becoming safer, or getting the word out to the public more.”

Many Oswego residents, especially on the West side, feel there are not enough stop signs on some back roads. It is a common problem that many residents have been reaching out to council members about. Many feel that the lack of stop signs at some four-way intersections isn’t the safest for pedestrians.

On transparency, Ashline expressed displeasure with the decision made behind closed doors. “The council comes out to the public and just passes everything; the community usually finds out after the fact, and they may not agree with it,” said Ashline. “We want residents to feel more involved in the decision-making process.”

If you’ve attended a common council meeting, you may notice that a vast majority of the items put up for a vote are rarely discussed. Typically, the motion is passed immediately, and Ashline feels this is due to many motions being predecided behind closed doors.

This can lead to some residents feeling blind sided, and creates more work for the council itself, in Ashline’s opinion. “The public gets upset, and we have to go back and reexamine the issue,” said Ashline.

Ashline is a member of Organize Oswego and has been a member since its inception, a little over a year ago. A fellow member, Kyle Dzintars, has made their presence known at many meetings regarding a variety of issues. Ashline appreciates them making their voice heard, but doesn’t appreciate the lack of feedback from councilmembers.

“We’ve been to these meetings, and Kyle has delivered great comments, and unfortunately, the council never gives any comments on what they have to say. They just move on,” said Ashline.

A self-described tree hugger, Ashline feels like there is a lot of life and potential here in Oswego. Ashline said his desire to enter local government was to ‘preserve, protect, and provide.’

 

 

 

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/new-2nd-ward-councilor-johnathan-ashline-narrowly-wins-race/

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