Albany’s Chief City Auditor is on the cusp of making history as the city’s first Black mayor after winning Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Dorcey Applyrs, Albany's chief city auditor and a former common councilor, delivered a victory speech late Tuesday after pulling ahead by a large margin in the four-way Democratic mayoral primary. Her closest challenger, businessman Dan Cerutti, conceded the race at a muted election night party.
“My hat's off to Dorcey and her team,” Cerutti said. “They ran a good campaign. I think at the end of the day, what we're going to find out is this characterization of me as a Republican backed by the MAGA stuck, and it could not be further from the truth.”
Applyrs earned about 52 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results, with Cerutti next at 28 percent. About 12,000 ballots were cast, with more than 3,100 coming during early voting.
Applyrs said her run for office has never been about her. She was the first to join the mayoral field in November 2023, framing it as a race to give back to a community that has given her so much. She says since moving here more than 20 years ago, she has planted her roots and thrived.
“We are people who will always be 10 toes down for Albany, people who have come together, who have a shared belief in democratic principles and values that government should work for everyone, regardless of which zip code you live in, regardless of the color of your skin, regardless of how much money you have in your account, even if you have an account,” Applyrs said. “Regardless of who you love and regardless of who you pray to, Albany should and must work for all of us.”
Applyrs, who is 43, says her family played a key role in her success. In a message aimed at her two children, Applyrs thanked her husband for stepping up while she was on the campaign trail for years.
“Despite not spending a lot of time at home, please know that every moment spent away from the home was all about you, with you in mind, because you need to know that regardless of that beautiful brown skin that you have that when you work hard enough, dream big enough, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to,” she said.
Albany has not elected a Republican mayor in more than a century, so the Democratic primary was pivotal. Also running were Common Council President Corey Ellis and Albany County Legislator Carolyn McLaughlin.
Mayor Kathy Sheehan is not seeking a fourth four-year term and endorsed Applyrs late in the primary. Applyrs says she has received complaints and hateful comments calling her a continuation candidate.
“I always tell people, first and foremost, I am my own woman, unbought and unbought,” Applyrs said. “But I am also a woman who shares the belief that Mayor Sheehan does, that this is not about ego. It's always about the people of Albany.”
Sheehan, the city’s first female mayor, says Applyrs has championed transparency and equity in her tenure. Sheehan spoke with WAMC Wednesday and expects Applyrs to succeed her.
“Dorcey [Applyrs] already participates in, for example, our senior leadership meetings,” Sheehan said. “I certainly think that if she wants to attend operations meetings with me, with each individual department, which I do every month, really having her in the room as we talk about the $200 million investment, the total of $400 million that the governor wants to make I've been meeting regularly with Empire State Development and other stakeholders, and I think it's certainly would be helpful for her to be in the room, since that really won't be implemented until next year fully and she will in all likelihood, be the mayor at that time.”
In the three-way race to succeed Applyrs in the citywide auditor post, Albany County Legislator Sam Fein of District 6 defeated former Common Councilor John Rosenzweig and Sheehan's chief of staff, David Galin, who was making his first bid for elected office. Sheehan says Galin didn’t have the name recognition Fein did, but regardless, he has a “bright future ahead of him.”
“David [Galin] ran a really great race. I still believe he's the best person for the job, but I know that Sam Fein can do the job, and I look forward to again, you know, reaching out to him and helping in any way with that transition,” Sheehan said.
The general election for mayor, typically a pro forma race in heavily Democratic Albany, is in November.
