Schenectady County Legislator Omar McGill announced Sunday that he will run for Schenectady city mayor in 2027.
The Democrat has been a county lawmaker since 2021. It remains to be determined if he will face four-term incumbent Mayor Gary McCarthy in a primary.
WAMC spoke with McGill on Monday about his campaign and what he would hope to bring to the table as mayor.
The conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
WAMC: One of your campaign promises that you touched on is about putting people first, and there's a lot of rumblings around in the city of Schenectady, where people have criticized the fact that a lot of the investment is very focused on downtown. What are some areas that you're hoping to focus on and bring forward if you do get elected as mayor?
Omar McGill: Well, I hope to definitely put together a strategic plan to fix our roads, fix our potholes, help people fix their sidewalks. So mothers and, well, not just mothers, but parents do not have to push their strollers in the street, you know, and they can actually push their strollers on the sidewalk. I hope to go into communities and, you know, work to, you know, take care of the problem with absentee landlords who are not taking care of their properties and bringing down the value of their neighborhoods and not taking care of their homes. So we want to make sure that we're doing that so we can help elevate our community as far as aesthetically as well, and encourage more people to want to come to Schenectady, not just the visit, but move to Schenectady, and want to live here and raise their families here. Yes, people go to downtown, and we need downtown to thrive. I don't want people to think that, you know, I'm saying, Okay, we're just going to forget about downtown. No, we need downtown to thrive, and I know that too well by being on the county [Legislature], because the downtown Schenectady serves as the economic engine for the county as a whole, and specifically for the city of Schenectady. So yes, we do need that to thrive, but we need the rest of our neighborhoods and the rest of our corridors to thrive as well.
WAMC: You touched on how you have been serving on the Schenectady County [Legislature], and you have been there for a couple of years now, so why the jump from county Legislature to Schenectady mayor?
Omar McGill: Being on [the] county [Legislature], I've seen the progress, ... but I've seen more of the frustration as well. And I think that I can take what I've learned at the county, you know, we work together a lot. You know, work together on the county level. Working together works. That's our kind of, our moniker, if you will. And I think that that's something that's lacking right now in city government. I don't think there's enough cohesion between the mayor and the city council, and I think that we can do I think that you know, when you have those two, those two most important leadership positions in the city, not really coalescing the right way, it's not really keeping the people at the center of the decision making.
WAMC: Yeah, and you talked about just the back and forth between the Schenectady City Council and the Schenectady mayor. You know, earlier this year, there was a whole conundrum about the] council president and quorum within the city council. As mayor, how would your relationship with [the] city council be different than [the] current mayor, Gary McCarthy?
Omar McGill: You know, I think that, you know, I've learned, and my roles at the state legislature, when I was working in policy, and when you know my role at the county Legislature, I've been able to work with people no matter our if we don't, if we don't align on the same ideals. I think when you put the greatest asset of Schenectady first, which is the people, then all the other things that are going on should take a backseat. You know [what] I mean, every decision that we make in our city government should be at the people first, keeping the people first in those decisions. And I think that, if you're in government, that's what you should be doing and then aligning with those individuals. So it's about building those relationships. It's about understanding that we need to work together. We're not in opposition. We need to work together. The city council cares about Schenectady, the mayor cares about Schenectady, but to be able to work together is the best way to move forward.
WAMC: Thank you so much, Mr. McGill, for joining me. I really appreciate your time.
Omar McGill: Thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time.
