Onondaga County

BIOGRAPHY

Legislator Cody M. Kelly represents the 14th District in the Onondaga County Legislature, covering the eastern portion of the Town of Clay, where he has lived his entire life. He graduated from Cicero-North Syracuse High School in 2009 and earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from SUNY Upstate Medical University in 2016. Since 2017, Legislator Kelly has worked as a pediatric physical therapist, treating children across Onondaga County. Providing home-based care let him see firsthand how issues like poverty affect families in different communities.

County Executive Ryan McMahon appointed Legislator Kelly to the Legislature in February 2021, and voters have since re-elected him to represent the 14th District for three terms. During his time chairing the Health & Human Services Committee, he leveraged state and federal grant funding to address poverty, food insecurity, school attendance, substance abuse, and housing, and he introduced legislation that increased preschool special education funding countywide.

Legislator Kelly has a lifelong commitment to service, including many years coaching youth basketball. He has served as Vice President of the Brockport Chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and as Class Representative to the New York Physical Therapy Association’s Central District, and VFW Post 7290 recognized him as an “Outstanding Spokesperson for Freedom.”

In the Legislature, Legislator Kelly currently serves on the Health & Human Services Committee, after previously chairing it and serving as Vice Chair of the Environmental Protection Committee.

Legislative priorities include:

• Keeping property taxes low while promoting economic growth and job opportunities
• Expanding workforce development programs that create pathways out of poverty
• Supporting initiatives that address food insecurity, substance abuse, and housing needs
• Increasing funding for preschool special education across the county