Chol Majok will win Syracuse’s 3rd District Common Council seat today, making him the first former refugee to be elected to office in the city and county.

Majok, a Democrat, will represent six of the city’s southern-most neighborhoods. The 34-year-old is running without a challenger, but plans to canvas parts of those neighborhoods throughout Election Day.

Majok’s election is a milestone for refugees in Syracuse.

The former “Lost Boy” of South Sudan escaped civil war as an 8-year-old. Now, he’s proud to be a role model for new U.S. citizens.

Democratic Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny said he wasn’t aware of any other former refugees elected to office in Syracuse or in Onondaga County. Around New York state, former refugees have been elected, including to the state Senate.

While Majok has his seat locked in, another former refugee is vying for a spot on the Common Council, in the 1st District representing the North Side. Jay Subedi is running on the Working Families party line against incumbent Republican Joe Carni. District council seats are two-year terms, and pay $21,224.

Majok, a former City Hall and New York Senate staffer, began his Election Day with his family for their normal routine: getting the three oldest children Akuch, Gop and Majok to school, and feeding Akau, 2, and Yar, 14 months. (In Majok’s cultural tradition, children take their father’s first name as their last, so the kids’ surname is Chol.)

He and his wife Abiei Gai bought their home in Syracuse’s Elmwood neighborhood 4 years ago. They live on a quiet, dead-end street, where the kids can play and they have gotten to know their neighbors.

On the morning of Election Day, everywhere Majok went, he greeted people with “Hi, how’s it going?” or a tip of his signature Fedora-style hat.

Majok will soar to victory today, but that’s only after winning a hotly contested primary -- against the odds. He beat out the Democratic Party’s pick as well as Emad Rahim, who was endorsed by the mayor. Majok now considers Rahim a close friend. Rahim was born in a concentration camp in the killing fields of Cambodia. Both men expressed mutual respect for each other and for the story they share of immigration and overcoming. Rahim, who was endorsed by the Working Families Party, suspended his campaign after the primary and endorsed Majok.

Majok credited his primary victory to canvassing, during which he wore holes in his shoes. Despite running unchallenged now, Majok hasn’t stopped walking the streets.

“I kept going because I want to see what this community is like, what people are going through," he said. "It’s so important because people want to be seen and heard.”

Majok plans to carry the lessons he learned on the campaign trail into office. For example, during budget talks, he wants to bring the proposed budget to his community through meetings and knocking on doors to gather feedback from residents. He said he believes that’s how the city can overcome challenges and solve problems.

“There’s a lot of answers in these streets,” Majok said.

Around 8:30 Tuesday morning, after dropping the older kids off at Most Holy Rosary School, Majok voted with his wife, their two youngest in tow.

He said it felt good to cast the ballot, to mark a full year of campaigning. He is excited to start the next chapter, of serving in office.

He said over the last 24 hours, he’d received calls from relatives back in South Sudan and from young African leaders in training, commending him for setting an example.

“For me, for many of us here in Syracuse ... we refugees have lived in foreign lands almost all our lives. We really never had a stable place we could call home. It’s so important to all of them, to see one of our own people accomplish this," Majok said. "This is more than just me. The symbolism is very important.”

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Stick with Syracuse.com for election coverage throughout the day. Results will be posted beginning around 9 p.m. tonight.

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government, education and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992

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