WASHINGTON - Syracuse lawyer Rick Guy, saying he is the only candidate with proven conservative credentials, has joined a crowded race for the GOP nomination in the 24th Congressional District.

Guy, 52, a former member of the Syracuse Common Council, said he will file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission this week declaring his candidacy for the Republican designation. He had been exploring the possibility of a campaign since July.

Guy said he is also seeking the Conservative and Independence Party endorsements. He becomes the sixth Republican to ask for the party's designation to challenge Rep. Dan Maffei, D-Syracuse, in November.

Former Syracuse Common Council member Rick Guy is seeking the Republican nomination in the 24th Congressional District. He is the sixth GOP candidate to seek the party's designation to oppose Rep. Dan Maffei, D-Syrause, in November.

"I would say I am the only candidate who has a record against which my lip service can be tested," Guy said in an interview. "I'm the only one who has ever been elected. I've been in the belly of the beast. There is a 29-year record of my public service. And when I say I'm conservative, they can test that."

Guy served three terms on the Syracuse Common Council in the 1990s, twice defeating Democrat Matt Driscoll, who would later become council president and Syracuse's mayor.

None of the other Republicans in the race has been elected to public office. They are Syracuse economist Janet Burman, Syracuse businessman Ian Hunter, former federal prosecutor John Katko, Rome businesswoman Jane Rossi, and Randy Wolken, president of the Manufacturers Association of Central New York.

Guy said he touted his record and conservative background during candidate interviews Thursday night with the Cayuga County and Wayne County Republican Committees.

"I'm unequivocally pro-life, and equally unequivocal in my opposition to gay marriage," Guy said. "I think that marriage is a sacred thing between one man and one woman for the good of each other and their kids.

"That being said, though, I want to emphasize carefully that the Republican Party is not the party of 'no.' It is the party of 'grow' and we need to focus on economic issues," Guy said. "In fact, the No. 1 social issue is a job. If a family doesn't have a good source of income, you don't have time to focus on anything else."

Republican committees across the four-county district are in the process of interviewing the candidates. The 24th District covers all of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties and the western half of Oswego County.

Tom Dadey, chairman of the Onondaga County Republican Committee, said he would like to have the process completed by the end of February. Candidates can begin passing petitions March 4.

Guy said he already met with Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long in Brooklyn to ask for the party's designation.

Guy said he hired Jamestown Associates, a Republican political consulting firm in Washington, D.C., to run a campaign he plans to focus on the economy and education reform. He described himself as a social and fiscal conservative.

"I think we are at a very critical juncture in our nation's history," Guy said. "In fact, I would say that we've gone beyond the crossroads, and taken a left hand turn, and we've got to find our way back -- principally through free enterprise."

Guy said he will spend a lot of time talking about education.

"We need to break the monopoly over content so that parents can again be the principal educators of their children," he said. "We will save billions of dollars in the process. And we'll have young people who grow up to be better citizens and will be better prepared for the workforce of the 21st century."

Guy's last campaign for public office was in 2010, when he lost the 120th Assembly District race to Bill Magnarelli, D-Syracuse.

Contact Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com or 571-970-3751. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWeinerDC