Meet New York's Newly Elected Mayors And Leaders For 2026

Just a couple of months ago, we all places all over the Empire State made a change in the ballot box. From Buffalo to New York City and just about everywhere in between, the local and county elections that happened in 2025 saw New Yorkers elect new leadership across just about all levels of government. From new town and village council members, new highway superintendents, and mayors, the offices in our local town and city halls are looking a little bit different now that 2026 has arrived.

When looking at New York's Big 5 (actually 6), that's the state's largest cities, three of them elected new leadership this past November. New York City, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Albany all elected new mayors; plus Rochester returned a mayor who now starts his second term. Many people are seeing and will start feeling quite a bit of change in the air.

While the bigger offices seem to get all the attention, like the President and Governor, it's truly the mayor's and city council members who make New York go, or stop, moving forward. That was a major theme in the past election, an eagerness to move forward from what many felt like was the status quo in so many places in the Empire State.

In Buffalo, Sean Ryan takes over as the first newly elected mayor in 2 decades. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani defeated people who were seen to be major insiders in New York politics. Syracuse and Albany both elected the first black mayors in the history of those cities with the election of Sharon Owens and Dorcey Applyrs, respectively.

Now, many people are looking forward to the 2026 elections as the Governor of New York State is on the ballot this year, along with the Congressional Midterms. Maybe more change is in the air in the Empire State.