With the arrival of the new year, three of New York’s four largest upstate cities saw new mayors sworn into office.
In Albany and Syracuse, history was made with those cities electing their first black mayors.
In all four cities, issues of public safety, affordability, and quality of life dominated inaugural addresses.
In Buffalo, state Sen. Sean Ryan was sworn in as the 64th Buffalo mayor, taking the reins from acting mayor Chris Scanlon.
In November, the Democratic state lawmaker defeated Republican Erie County Assistant District Attorney James Gardner and independent candidate and founder of Buffalo ReUse Action, Michael Gainer.
Ryan is the first new mayor in the city in 20 years, after Byron Brown left office to run Western Regional Off-Track Betting.
In Syracuse, Democrat and current deputy mayor Sharon Owens began her first term as the city’s 55th mayor after defeating Republican Thomas Babilon and independents Timothy Rudd and Alfonso Davis.
Owens makes history as Syracuse’s first Black mayor. She is also the city’s second-ever woman mayor. She has served as deputy mayor for the entirety of Ben Walsh’s eight-year tenure in City Hall. Walsh, an independent, was term-limited and couldn’t seek reelection.
In Albany, Dorcey Applyrs was sworn in as the city’s 76th mayor after beating Republican Rocco Pezzulo. She made history as the first Black mayor in Albany’s history, as well as the second woman to hold that title.
Applys, the city’s chief auditor, is succeeding Democrat Kathy Sheehan as Albany’s first new mayor in 12 years. She was elected to the Albany Common Council in 2013 and 2017, representing the First Ward, before becoming auditor in 2020.
In Rochester, incumbent Democratic Mayor Malik Evans began his second term with an inaugural address.
He won reelection against small businessman and Conservative Party candidate Louis Sabo and promised to continue his focus on public safety, housing and economic development.