Nick Pirro’s Roots Still Firmly Planted in Syracuse

At 85, former Onondaga County boss remains active, involved

By Mary Beth Roach

 

It was 1999, long before Micron became a household name in Central New York, when Nick Pirro, then Onondaga County executive, first saw the potential of some land on Route 31 in Clay.

The Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency would go on to purchase it. Pirro had hopes it could turn into a manufacturing hub providing a few hundred jobs.

A little more than two decades and a few hundred acres later, that vision is on its way to becoming a reality with Micron Technology Inc.’s upcoming move to the area.

“I think it’s a fantastic project. It’ll change the complexion of this whole area. It’ll produce a number of a lot of future jobs for young people and it’s probably the saving grace of the entire area.”

55 PLUS recently caught up with Pirro, 85, at Columbus Circle. So much of Pirro’s work over the years has been centered around this circle in downtown Syracuse.

Among his roles in local government, Pirro was on the Onondaga County Legislature, housed in the County Court House, right across from the circle. He served five terms as county executive, from 1988 to 2007, with his offices in the John H. Mulroy Civic Center, next to the courthouse. And for the past several years, as a member of the Columbus Monument Association, he has been heavily involved in the group’s efforts to keep the Christopher Columbus statue in the circle.

Guiding him continues to be his love for the city.

“I love Syracuse. I think it’s a wonderful community. We’ve got great people,” he said. “I’m a little disappointed in some of the directions that things have taken, but not enough to make me want to leave. I’d rather stay here and try to keep things moving in a positive direction and also fight for the things I believe in.”

One of those “things” he believes in, he said, is the Columbus monument and its current place in the circle.

Debates have raged for years throughout the country, including Syracuse, over Columbus, his explorations, his discoveries and his treatment of indigenous peoples.

Syracuse City Hall and others in this community have been advocating for the statue’s removal. Meanwhile, Pirro and others on the Columbus Monument Association are fighting to keep it where it stands. Many of the ancestors of the association’s current members — Pirro’s father, Nick Sr., included — spearheaded efforts to build and fundraise for the monument. Legal battles have ensued in recent years, but Pirro remains steadfast in the association’s work.

He pointed out the inscription on one of the sides of the monument, which reads “Erected By The Citizens Of Italian Origin of Onondaga County.”

“This was their gift to this community. It was endorsed and supported by everyone,” he said. “It’s more important to me than just about anything else I’ve ever done or could do,” he said.

Pirro added that his role as former county executive doesn’t play into his involvement with the monument.

“It’s got nothing to do with who I was, what I was. It’s what I am,” he said.

Pirro’s heritage is a point of pride.

He and his wife, Patti, live in the same house that he grew up in on the northside. He has resided there for almost all of his 85 years, except for a time when he was in the military and then when he and Patti were newlyweds.

He said that he is often asked why they stay in the city when they could live anywhere in the county. He explained that their home on McBride Street is in an area that has many owner-occupied residences; it has held its own, and “everyone there is committed to taking care of it.”

Its proximity to both routes 81 and 690 also makes it convenient for him.

The couple also has a second home on the Oswego River, between Baldwinsville and Fulton, purchased in 2001. It gives him the sense that he’s able to get away, but still not too far from Syracuse.

During his retirement, he has also remained engaged in the community.

He had taught a course on local government at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs for about eight years, prior to the pandemic.

“The last thing I ever thought would be teaching a college course, but it was great. I learned a lot. Hopefully the students did,” he said, chuckling.

And as a dog lover, he has served on the board of the CNY SPCA, playing “Santa Paws” for 25 years as a fundraiser for the organization and even stepping in as interim director during a tumultuous time for the group. He is no longer on the board, but continues to support them and help out how and when he can.

Pirro has cut back on some of his commitments, focusing on taking care of himself, he said. About 20 years ago, he had a heart bypass and attended St. Joseph’s Rehab until the pandemic. Since then, he goes to Elevate Fitness as often as he can. He stays involved “on the fringe,” he said, of local politics, supporting various people and issues he believes in. And he and Patti have been traveling a lot.

He remains rooted in Syracuse and Onondaga County and feels it necessary to remain involved.

“It’s important, because I live here and I want it to be a nice place. It’s as simple as that,” he said.