A second candidate has announced a run for mayor of Albany.
Dan Cerutti admits he has no history in public service. He grew up in Albany's Pine Hills as one of six children. His father was a bricklayer, and his mother worked nights at the Gateway Diner. He left the city long ago.
"But I moved back home about seven years ago, my wife and I, and I've gotten reconnected with the city," said Cerutti. "About 10 years ago, I reconnected with the state, I did a lot of work. But it brought me back to New York State and back to Albany. And in recent years, I have been out and about quite a bit, especially during COVID. And I've noticed that the city is not, not what I remember. And I've been approached by a number of people who said, you know, perhaps you can help."
The 65-year-old Cerutti quietly kicked off his mayoral campaign by quietly launching a website where he says he was "shocked" by the changes to Albany over the past decade.
He says initially he thought he might engage in business development works or public/private partnerships.
"And what I agreed to do was to talk to 50 people, I wanted to sit down with 50 people, expecting to get some insight into what might be done and what we might do collectively, as a group," Cerutti said. "And as I did my research, I discovered that there was a lack of leadership, I guess, is a way to describe it. And of course, the mayor's not running again. And several people have said, have asked me if I would run. And so their support has bullied me has made me feel confident and even more passionate than I feel already about our city."
When Cerutti looks at Albany, he says he sees a city that has deteriorated over the last decade, sporting thousands of vacant properties and delinquent taxes, and an ever-growing population of unhoused individuals.
"We have opportunities to attract businesses to create jobs, to bring more people into the city, some to live, some to play, some to work, and it takes work," Cerutti said. "But probably the largest problem in the way of everything is public safety. Because people are worried and people are scared. And so that's the first thing I think we have to deal with. It's a complex problem. It's multifaceted. It involves engaging the communities. It involves rebuilding, to some extent, the police force and the morale. We've lost some some police officers over the years. It involves probably and hopefully lobbying to get some of the laws moved back a little bit towards law enforcement, if you will."
Cerutti says he is aware that two-thirds of the property in Albany is tax-exempt, and New York state owns nearly 60% it. He's also got an eye on two city parcels that are playing a role in shaping Albany's future: Central Warehouse and the College of Saint Rose campus.
"We need to give Saint Rose some time to work this out. It is challenging, everybody knows it's challenging. The neighborhoods, the people in neighborhood are worried. I've been to a couple of neighborhood association meetings. And I understand. I have the same concerns that they have," Cerutti said. "But I'm a glass half-full guy. And I've talked to a number of people who have some ideas about what we can do. And so I am optimistic. I remain optimistic. And I think we have to work with to make it happen. And so that's Saint Rose. Central Warehouse is another matter. We collectively have tried for many years. And the sheer fact of the matter right now is that the cost of taking that down, as a parcel of land is, is tough. If it's indeed $10 million, it's not worth it to any single developer for that parcel of land, yet it's got to come down, it absolutely has to come down. So whether the city, or the city and the state, or the city and state with help from federal government takes care of it, we have to do it. And the way I think about that is, we have to think holistically. So there is land around Central Warehouse that could be part of a larger plan. And so we have some thoughts around that. There are people working to think about that."
Cerutti says the city faces a fist full of issues and challenges including food deserts, housing, blight, concerns about public safety and education shortfalls.
"And so when we think about the city, those are things we think about. There's one other thing day that I think is really important and doesn't get talked about enough. And that's our youth. We have an obligation to our youth in the city. This is not a comment about the school system. This is a comment on us collectively. But in the city, we have a large proportion of kids who go to Albany, Albany public schools, non-charter and non-private, that cannot read by third grade. And it's just it's unacceptable. Because if we can't teach them to read by third or fourth grade, then they're behind. And by seventh and eighth grade, they're really behind. And so the old adage that you learn to read from from when you're born to third grade, and then you read to learn, is something we have to take more seriously," said Cerutti.
The key Democratic primary is in June 2025. Cerutti says he's looking forward to debating and fully participating in the local political process. Chief City Auditor Dorcey Applyrs was first to declare her candidacy to succeed Kathy Sheehan, who has said she will not run for fourth term, formally announcing her intent to run on November 19th.
Expectations are high that Common Council President Corey Ellis, who has run for mayor twice, will toss his hat in the ring. Former Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin, now a county legislator, has been hinting at a run for mayor. And former Albany County Legislature Chair Andrew Joyce has been mentioned as a possible candidate.
