Syracuse, New York’s fifth-most populous city, has elected its first Black mayor in the city’s 177-year history. Sharon Owens makes history as the first Black mayor of Syracuse. Owens, who has served as deputy mayor for nearly eight years, will be the 55th mayor and is the second woman ever to serve in the role, following Stephanie Miner.
After winning the election, Owens, the New York Working Families Party (NYWFP) endorsed candidate, celebrated her win at Palladian Hall in Hanover Square in downtown Syracuse. She walked onto the stage to the 1979 Black national anthem, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead.
“To the elders of this community, you who for decades looked to the future of a time when there would be a mayor that looks like you, that comes from your experience, that understands the struggle, that gets the hopes and the aspirations of generations of Syracusans. Syracuse, you adopted me, I’m your daughter and you are my elders. All of you who I’ve met, and said I walked into a booth and I voted for a Black woman to be the mayor of Syracuse. Not only is she a Black woman, but she’s qualified to do that job. So to you elders in our community, I’m going to work hard to make you proud, I’m going to work hard to stand for you, because I stand on your shoulders,” Owens, surrounded by her family, friends, and prominent local politicians, including Mayor Ben Walsh and U.S. Rep. John Mannion, told more than 300 supporters at her campaign’s election night party.
Sharon Owens — whose career in public service launched more than 40 years ago with a college internship at a neighborhood community center — has now made Syracuse history. Owens beat Republican Tom Babilon, independent candidates Alfonso Davis, and Tim Rudd, with more than 73% of the vote, according to unofficial results Tuesday night from the Onondaga County Board of Elections.
Syracuse becomes the fourth of New York state’s five largest cities to elect a Black mayor. Of that group, only Yonkers, the state’s third-largest city, has never elected a person of color into the seat. The sixth-largest city, the state capital of Albany, also elected its first Black mayor, Dr. Dorcey Lanier Applyrs on Tuesday, November 4th.
“We have been honored to be part of their journey of service for years, and look forward to
supporting their work to govern,” Jasmine Gripper & Ana Maria Archila, Co-Directors, New York Working Families Party, said in a statement about Owens and Applyrs.
Owens was up most of the night after her victory in the race for Mayor, but when the phone rang at 4 in the morning, something told Syracuse Mayor Elect Sharon Owens to pick it up.
“I saw private and I thought, let me pick it up. I said ‘Hi, this is Sharon’ and I heard that voice,” Owens said during a post-election live interview on CBS5 News at 5:00 Wednesday.
“She said, this is Kamala Harris.” “It was amazing,” Owens said. “She said congratulations and that she looks forward to great things that will happen in Syracuse.” The two politicians had never spoken before.
New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also endorsed Sharon Owens during her campaign for Mayor of Syracuse, praising her as a steady, compassionate, and results-driven leader. Stewart-Cousins stated that Sharon Owens is the leader Syracuse needs.
Owens and her husband live in the city’s Meadowbrook neighborhood. They have two grown children who also live in Syracuse.
She takes office Jan. 1. The job pays $150,000.
