Schenectady City Council President Carl Williams has filed paperwork to run for mayor, according to filings from the New York State Board of Elections.
Williams, who registered as a candidate on July 8, declined to comment in a brief phone call Monday, but said he would make a formal announcement on Wednesday.
Williams is the third candidate to enter the race, which will be decided in 2027. Writer and community organizer Orlondo Otis Hundley entered the race in October, and Schenectady County Legislator Omar Sterling McGill filed to run in May.
City council members voted to make Williams council president in February. His election ended a month of deadlock over who would lead the council that rendered the body inert.
Williams first joined the council in a special election in 2021. He won a full term in 2023.
Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy, who has served since 2011, has not announced a bid for a fifth term — although he is considering a run, according to the Daily Gazette.
McCarthy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
