My Position on the Syracuse Aquarium as of March 2026
March 12th 2026
I opposed spending over $100 million on the aquarium. Now that the decision has been made, the real question is what responsibility looks like moving forward.
The Fish Tank Analogy
Let me explain my position in a way that makes sense, it makes sense in my head at least.
Imagine you are a kid in a household where money is tight. Your family needs food. Maybe the car is broken and your siblings need transportation to work or school. Instead of spending money on groceries or fixing the car, your parent comes home with a brand new fish tank. You are still hungry. You still need food. You still wish the car worked. But now there is a fish tank sitting in the living room.
You did not ask for it. You probably would not have chosen it. But it is there. At that point, what do you do? You could sit there and be angry about it forever. And to be fair, that anger would be justified. But letting the fish tank sit there collecting dust does not help anyone either. That, in a nutshell, is how I see the aquarium project.
I Have Fought This Project
The accomplishment I am most proud as an elected official happened during the aquarium debate. In December of 2024, with serious help from the community, we were able to block an additional $11 million in public money from going to the aquarium project. I coordinated with community groups to get several public comments submitted before the vote took place. Residents spoke up, advocates organized and ultimately the agenda item was pulled, and never reintroduced. Together, we stopped more taxpayer money from being added to the project. This vote ultimately lead to the current stage of the fight with the transparency with private donations. I fought this project for as long as I could. I have been fighting this project before I took office even, I believed then, and still believe, that there were better investments our community could have made.
But at a certain point you have to accept the harsh reality. That fight ended. The votes were cast. The Republicans won, we lost. And part of leadership is recognizing when a fight is over so that the community can move forward.
The Reality We Are In
I have been very clear that I believe there were many better ways the county could have spent over $100 million. Housing, transportation, food security, neighborhood investment. The list is long. But that money is already spent. The fish tank is already in the living room, and we just bought some fish to put in it.
From a policy perspective, economists would call this a sunk cost. Once the money is spent, the real question becomes what we do next. So my position is simple. We have to at least try to make the aquarium work.
Do I believe it will generate the kind of economic return some people promised? I am skeptical. The numbers do not convince me yet. But the project is moving forward, and the community is now on the hook for it. That means the responsible thing to do is give it a fair shot.
I Still Believe Our Community Needs Different Investments
Supporting the aquarium moving forward does not mean I believe it was the right investment. We got the idea wrong, but we got the scale right. Investing over 100 million dollars into Syracuse isn't a bad thing. The problem is that we don't need an Aquarium, what we need is an Aquarium-sized investment into affordable Housing, childcare and essential services are community needs to restore our social safety net.
Imagine what a $100 million investment in affordable housing could do. Imagine what it could do for affordable child care, food security programs, and the essential services that hold our communities together. For decades we have slowly eroded parts of our social safety net. Housing has become harder to afford. Child care costs more than many families can manage. Food banks are serving more people than ever. Those are the kinds of investments I believe government should prioritize.
So while the aquarium is now a reality, my larger goal remains the same. I want to see major investments that rebuild the systems that help people live stable lives.
Rooting for It Anyway
And if I am wrong about the aquarium, I will happily admit it. In fact, I hope I am wrong. If it becomes a major economic driver for our region, that would be great news for everyone.
But if it does not work, then at some point the conversation will shift. Eventually we may face a harder question: do we pour more money into it, or do we accept that it failed? That will be a difficult conversation when the time comes.
For now though, this is the situation we are in. The aquarium is our fish tank. We may not have chosen it. But it is ours now. So I am rooting for it the same way a fan roots for their team even when the odds are stacked against them.
Right now it feels a little like hoping Geno Smith leads the New York Jets to a Super Bowl. The numbers might say it is unlikely. But you still show up on Sunday and root for the team.
So yes, I am rooting for the aquarium. I still wish we had spent the money differently. But this is the team we have on the field. And this is the fish tank in the living room. Let us see what happens. And if I am wrong, I will be the first one to say so.
- —Me, at the New Orleans Aquarium.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Did Maurice Brown vote forthe Syracuse aquarium project?
No, but it’s because Maurice Brown was not in office in August of 2022 when the original 9-8 aquarium vote was cast. He has opposed the aquarium during the legislative process and voted against funding measures related to the project. He argued that large public investments should prioritize housing affordability, essential services, and community stability before tourism driven economic development projects.
Why did Maurice Brown oppose the Syracuse aquarium?
Maurice Brown opposed the aquarium because he believed the public funding could have been better used to address urgent community needs such as housing, child care, transportation, and food security. He has argued that large public investments should first strengthen the systems that help people live stable lives before funding tourism projects.
Did Maurice Brown help block additional aquarium funding?
Yes. In December of 2024, Maurice Brown worked alongside community advocates and residents to block an additional $11 million in proposed public funding for the aquarium project. Brown has pointed to that effort as an example of how organized community engagement can influence major public spending decisions.
Did Maurice Brown change his position on the Syracuse aquarium?
No, Maurice Brown did not change his position on the aquarium project. He opposed the project during the decision making process and voted against funding measures tied to it. However, since the project moved forward and public funds have already been committed, Brown states that the responsible approach is to give the aquarium an opportunity to succeed rather than rooting for it to fail. He continues to argue that future large scale public investments should prioritize housing, child care, food access, and essential services for Central New York residents.