SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Before politics, Thomas Babilon could most often be found outside. He and his fiancée would pack up their camper van on a Friday night, leave Syracuse behind, and disappear into the woods with their dog. No cell service and no distractions — just hiking, fishing, and campfires until Sunday rolled back around.
But these days, the van mostly sits in his driveway. Campaigning has replaced weekends in the wilderness, and Babilon admits the rare time he’s able to step away from the campaign only leaves him feeling further behind on everything else.
“I took a week off and, I’ll tell you, when I got back, I felt like I’d been gone for two months,” he said.
Even so, he says public service has always been at the center of his life.
“I dedicated my entire legal career to public service,” Babilon said. “…That’s really the reason I got into politics in the first place – because I would see things happen to people that I didn’t think were right. And that’s all I want to do. I want to help people.”
Babilon, 54, was born in Whitesboro, N.Y. and has lived in Syracuse for 22 years after pursuing his undergraduate and law school degrees in Florida. He works as an attorney and previously ran, unsuccessfully, in the 2021 Republican primary for mayor. He describes himself as being on the Libertarian end of the Republican Party. He’s been registered as a Libertarian and as a Republican. He was even a Democrat for a short period of time when he worked for the city of Syracuse. At home, Babilon’s blended family keeps him busy: his 20-year-old daughter, a stepson in high school, and a stepdaughter who visits often. He’s also expecting another baby in December.
Babilon’s impulse to help people is what first drew him to the law. In the mid-1990s, while working in a warehouse, Babilon found himself captivated by the lawyers arguing on television during the O.J. Simpson trial. By 1995, he was back in school, determined to become a criminal defense attorney. He spent time in a public defender’s office, then practiced criminal and general law in Syracuse before joining city government in 2008. For the next decade, Babilon worked as a city attorney, drafting legislation, advising the mayor and common council, and helping shape major projects like the city’s land bank and housing programs.
Over time the line between law and politics blurred. Babilon said his years inside city hall showed him too many people—especially homeowners and small business owners—who weren’t being treated fairly. That, combined with what he describes as a lifelong drive to help people, eventually pushed him to run for office.
There hasn’t been a Republican mayor of Syracuse since 1997. Babilon is hoping to change that with his straightforward style and focus on neighborhood-level issues.
“Every problem has a solution,” he said. “Let’s acknowledge the things that are wrong with the city, and let’s come up with real solutions to fix them.”
Babilon points to several urgent issues for Syracuse. His top priority, though, is public safety.
“Downtown is a complete mess,” he said. “We’ve got people that are defecating on the streets, that are starting fights. Friday, I had to call 911 because somebody overdosed in Lemp Park, which is right down the street from my office.”
He says that police presence has declined and says he wants to support the police department to improve safety and bring new energy downtown.
Babilon is also focusing on economic development. He argues that while Syracuse has done a good job encouraging large companies to come into the city, small businesses often feel squeezed.
“We have quite a few [small businesses], but the city makes it very difficult for small businesses to operate here,” he said. Babilon says he wants to make it easier to run small businesses and to encourage new ones to open.
Food insecurity is also on his agenda. He wants to attract practical grocery options to underserved neighborhoods, pointing to Price Rite as a successful example. Bailon adds that he doesn’t want more high-end grocery stores that leave once subsidies expire. He says he wants something that will actually solve problems.
Juanita Perez, a Democrat who served as Syracuse’s Corporation Counsel from 2010 to 2011 and later ran for mayor herself, said Babilon worked under her as a city attorney. She recalled him as always “very professional” and someone who consistently made decisions with the city’s best interest in mind.
“Even if it wasn’t what politicians wanted him to do…He took his time making his decisions…He really did what was best for the city and for the citizens of the city of Syracuse,” Perez said.
She added that what sets Babilon apart is his motivation for seeking office. She says Babilon never makes it about himself unlike some other candidates and she admires Babilon’s persistence, knowing how difficult it is to run for mayor.
“I am very proud to know him and to have worked with him and to see what he’s going through,” she said. “It’s a lot and it’s inspiring. He doesn’t give up; he reaches out to all sides.”
That determination is tested on the campaign trail. Despite Babilon’s ideas on how to revive Syracuse, running as a Republican in such a blue city presents challenges. Babilon acknowledges that there are voters who view him through the lens of national politics. He says many people agree with him on local issues, but clash with him on the national level.
Babilon says that he’s the type of guy who will acknowledge if he thinks President Trump is doing something good or bad, despite the amount of the anti-Trump rhetoric. He stresses the importance of working with the current administration, especially when it comes to funding, even if not everyone agrees with its actions — for example, those of ICE.
“There’s a reality, though,” he said. “The mayor of Syracuse is not going to stop ICE…If President Trump wants to send ICE to Syracuse, then he will…We haven’t seen any huge raids or anything like that, which is good, but you also need to kind of cooperate with the federal government.”
Babilon adds that refusing to do so could put millions of dollars at risk — money the city can’t afford to lose. He wants people not to worry about national politics when they go into the voting because, he said, “I’m not going to change them. I can’t as mayor of the city of Syracuse.”
For Babilon, the race is about more than party labels. It’s about making Syracuse a place “where people want to live, not a place they want to leave.”