One person was left standing after a pivotal four-way Democratic primary for mayor of Albany on Tuesday. Chief City Auditor Dorcey Applyrs kicked off her bid to replace outgoing three-term Mayor Kathy Sheehan back in November 2023 — and in the end, more than 52 percent of voters of backed her.
Applyrs spoke with WAMC Thursday.
Why do you think your message ended up resonating with the majority of the Democrats who voted?
Well, I think that over time we ran a campaign for almost two years that consisted of first talking to residents, and so my message and vision for our city really was informed by those conversations. It was a vision that resonated with our constituents, because they were a part of creating it, first and foremost. But also, I think that what people were able to see, whether it was during the debates or just standing at their doors, my authenticity and my desire to really serve this city with heart and compassion. And for those who knew me, they know my track record of service, of being able to get things done. And so I think it was a combination of factors, but I think being able to campaign for so long, talk to so many residents, and really demonstrate my love and compassion for the city, but also fight. This campaign season, it got pretty hot and heavy, and what I wanted to demonstrate to our city and our residents was that, you know, this is my home. This is our home, and home is always worth fighting for, and I'm going to fight every single day. And that was also demonstrated during the campaign.
There were three other candidates, and a lot of people didn't vote for you. So what is your message to people who cast a ballot for someone else in the field?
So we also were hearing on the doors and talking to people that there were some who were not happy with the way that the city has been run. Some people feel that the city is not progressing. And so I think that was one of those main points, that people were just dissatisfied, and they connected me a lot with the current administration, even though I am an independent elected official and have been during my tenure. People still made that connection. And so what I need to do at this juncture is really work to build the trust with those residents who were concerned, who had their candidate for a variety of reasons, but it's time to get to work. I would like to partner with every single constituent. It will take all of us to move Albany forward. And I am a leader who always looks to bring people together, a bridge builder, a listener, and that's what Albany residents can expect from me, someone who’s ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work on their behalf, to listen to them, and regardless of whether you voted for me or not, I am here to be of service to all of our residents.
Just to be clear, Mayor Sheehan did endorse you late in the race. What does distinguish you from Mayor Sheehan, and what would you like to do differently than what she's done over her 12 years?
Well, some talk about some similarities, which I would agree with: this notion that we are both short, feisty women. That came up a lot on the campaign trail, and the fact that I've worked with Mayor Sheehan for some time, we both are individuals who love the city, put ego aside, and have always worked in the best interest of Albany residents, even when she and I have not seen eye to eye. What most people don't know is that over the years, we have had serious disagreements over leadership and some decisions that the mayor has made. But I am not someone who, just because I don't agree with you, I can't work with you.
And so what makes me different is one, style. I am someone who, I talk to everyone. You will often see me out in the neighborhoods, hugging people, talking to people, spending a lot of time. That is just by nature who I am. I think in order to connect with people, you have to go where they are, be where they are, listen intently to what they need, and that has served me well as a city councilwoman, but also as a city auditor. I'm known to be a listener and compassionate, as I mentioned. I think also I am very much community-centric. I come from nonprofit work. I started my career doing HIV/AIDS work on Clinton Avenue. I have a master's and doctorate in public health, and so you don't go into public health because you want to get rich. You go into public health because you have a genuine love and passion for people and wanting to improve quality of life issues. And so that expertise allows me to see city issues, some of our most pressing issues, from a unique perspective. I am trained to tackle public health challenges like the housing crisis, substance use crisis, gun violence. The other thing is, I believe in building a broad-based coalition, and that was clear and apparent through the team that I built, the campaign team, but also the coalition of people that supported my candidacy.
I am not someone who likes to live in an echo chamber. I want to be surrounded by people who have difference of thought and opinion, because that is what truly makes Albany what it is. We are a very diverse city. We have different perspectives, a variety of different cultures, and our cultures and lived experiences inform how we view the world and view the city and make decisions. And so as a leader, I am someone who will have diversity at the table as we are working hard to address all these most complex issues. So those are just some examples. The last thing I'll say is that one of the biggest issues and challenges that residents have talked about is feeling disconnected from city government and what I will do is ensure that we are focusing and investing in communication to make sure that Albany residents know what we're doing. It’s not enough to stand up programs and initiatives or make certain investments, and you don't communicate with the residents. And so I look forward to spending more time investing in communication strategies to let our residents know what we're doing, why we are doing it, and how best to include them and how we're moving our city forward.
There aren't a lot of living past mayors of Albany, partially because of how long they served; we just haven't had that many in the past century. And Jerry Jennings, who had the job for five terms, endorsed Dan Cerruti, who finished second in this primary. Have you had a chance to talk to Mayor Jennings since your victory on Tuesday?
No, I have not.
Do you want to? Do you think you can get any advice from him that would be helpful?
Absolutely. I firmly believe that our city's challenges will only be addressed effectively when whether you are again, as I talked about, someone who wasn't initially supportive, it takes all of us, and having the expertise of two past serving mayors, I think would be invaluable to my tenure. And I would love the opportunity to consult with Mayor Jennings. I've heard so many great things about his radio show. A lot of people still talk about that show. And in fact, I would be happy to start a radio show. It was so effective the, and I see the benefit of having it now, and I would love to be able to talk to him more about his love for our city, but what he would like to see and what he thinks would be effective as we look to move our city forward, especially since he has such a strong base of support and people who just love and admire him.
You know, I don't hear a lot of people talking about dying to get into radio these days, so we'll take that as a win here at WAMC. Just one more question for you, Auditor, and I think it's fair to say, Mayor-elect Applyrs. There was an analysis about the support you had from the Working Families Party, which also clearly played a key role in the New York City mayoral primary on Tuesday with the somewhat surprising win by Assemblyman Zoran Mamdani. And in the larger picture, I wonder if you have any thoughts about the direction of the Democratic Party at large, given that this was one of the first elections after November's big losses for the party. Did you take any lessons away from both your win and other primaries this week in New York state?
You know, I'm still processing what has happened in this race, as well as races across the state. What my initial thoughts are as someone who is a strong Democrat through and through, I think some of the same challenges that we've talked about over the years with the Democratic Party continue to persist, and that is oftentimes not being able to fully embrace the electorate and support candidates that reflect the diversity of the electorate. And so in this case, when we look at the races across the state, including the New York City race, candidates who won were the candidates that many folks in the Democratic Party counted out, felt that they did not have certain qualities to lead and chose to throw resources and energy in other places, and I think that if we do not be more open minded to big tent politics and policies, we will continue to see challenges at the national level, because we continue to get In our own way, continue to have a very narrow view at times, at what leadership should look and feel like and what it has felt like in the past, and trying to replicate that versus understanding that people are crying out and really want to see different styles of leadership, leadership that reflects their values. And so we still have a lot of work to do within the Democratic Party.
