Photography by Megan Mumford
Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs wants to turn the city’s lights back on.
The day after her inauguration, at which she became Albany’s first Black mayor, Applyrs signed an executive order creating an advisory council on nightlife. The goal: to revive the city as a place that brings people together. “We are a historic city in need of a new vision, a new vibe, a new path forward,” Applyrs says.
The action provided a glimpse into Applyrs priorities.
She’s focused on improving public safety and bringing economic prosperity to a city still recovering from the pandemic, but also wants to see Albany become a livelier place. During the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament at MVP Arena, ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo famously dissed the city, telling a national audience, “Good luck finding something to do in Albany.”
Applyrs, who was city auditor at the time, thought Lobo had a point. “I campaigned for three years,” says Applyrs. “People old and young said they felt the city had lost its luster.” Albany has many assets, such as strong, affordable neighborhoods, but “there’s so much more we could be doing,” Applyrs continues. “There’s so much potential here.”
A native of Washington, DC, Applyrs moved to Albany for graduate school, eventually earning a doctorate in public health from the University at Albany. Her career began in the city’s Arbor Hill neighborhood, as director of operations for the Capital District African American Coalition on AIDS (CDAACA), where she worked with peer educators—people living with HIV who do outreach in the community.
CDAACA’s mission was personal: Applyrs’ father died from HIV-related causes when she was a child. Eventually, she became interested in learning more about how policy can improve people’s lives, and was awarded a fellowship by the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society at UAlbany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. While there, she was encouraged to run for office, and in 2013 won a seat on the Albany Common Council.
Now, Applyrs wants to harness the energy of youth and young adults and better integrate college students into the fabric of the city. She named a recent UAlbany graduate, Sean Millington, her mayoral fellow to focus on issues that are important to young people.
Applyrs, who is now married with two daughters, says she never intended to settle in Albany long-term, but came to appreciate the city’s small-town feel.
“I found a level of stability and security here,” she says. “I bought my first home here in my early 20s. I started my career here. I met my husband here. It was like all of the pieces of the puzzle just fit and came together. When I talk about why I go so hard for this city—why I love the city so much—it’s because the city has given me so much.”
