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Post-Standard, The (Syracuse, NY)

May 6, 2003
Section: Local
Edition: Final
Page: B1

MAHONEY BUYS $540,000 CAMP
COMMON COUNCILOR SAYS IT'S SEASONAL AND HER FAMILY WON'T MOVE OUT OF THE CITY.

   Frederic Pierce Staff writer

Syracuse Councilor-at-Large Joanie Mahoney and her husband recently bought a $540,000 house on Skaneateles Lake, but Mahoney has no plans to leave the city and make that her permanent residence.

The two-story house in Spafford isn't a year-round home, she explained. It's a summer camp. "It's not insulated, and you can't get to it when there's snow on the ground," said Mahoney, who lives in a 191-year-old historic home at 9 Academy Green. "I have no intention of leaving Syracuse, and I have no intention of leaving Academy Green."

The April 16 sale of the Skaneateles Lake property to Mahoney and her husband, Marcus Overdyk, was published in The Post-Standard Sunday.

Its publication was followed by rumors at Syracuse City Hall that the purchase might explain Mahoney's unexpected decision not to seek re-election last month.

Mahoney announced April 1 that she would not run for a second four-year term because she wanted to devote more time to her family.

Mahoney had two little boys when she ran for office in 1999, and gave birth to two more while representing the city on the council.

At the time of her announcement, Mahoney was the most well-known name on the Republican Party's list of city candidates for November's election. The party has not found a replacement.

Mahoney said the Spafford property, at 2150 Precipice Ridge, has a large, level yard and a beautiful view of the lake.

The seasonal home was built in 1922 and sits on 2.15 acres, according to Onondaga County assessment records. It includes a patio, shed and boathouse.

"You could spend a lot more there," Mahoney said. "It's an awful lot of money, but it's exactly what I wanted."

Mahoney is a lawyer but hasn't practiced since becoming a councilor. Her husband is a vice president with Shell Trading, a unit of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies that conducts wholesale electricity trading.

Mahoney's father is Bernard Mahoney, a former assemblyman and Syracuse common councilor who ran unsuccessfully against Matt Driscoll for city mayor in 2001. He and his wife live in Syracuse but have a summer home overlooking Skaneateles Lake.

Copyright, 2003, The Herald Company
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