“As your next mayor, I will lead proactively rather than reactively, restoring Albany as a vibrant, appealing community that every resident can take pride in calling home.”
Meet Carolyn McLeod, the right candidate for Albany Mayor!
Carolyn has been fielding so many requests for information about her campaign and what matters to her, that she decided to post some answers to common questions here. If you have additional questions, please email them to hello@carolynforalbany.com
Comparison of the 2026 candidates for Albany mayor
Street Funding:
- Carolyn McLeod: She wants to proactively lobby the state to increase cities funding for street maintenance. Source: Albany Democrat Herald October 3, 2026
- Alex Johnson: He wants a street fee of $11.28 a month per dwelling and $8.04 for apartments. The proposed fee would increase in four years to $15.28/$10.89. Source: City Council agenda Oct. 7, 2026
Homelessness:
- Carolyn McLeod: She wants existing programs to focus on self-responsibility for the homeless and wants to form a work group to find viable solutions to homelessness. Source: Carolyn McLeod for Mayor web site
- Alex Johnson: The public hasn’t seen any plans to address homelessness since he has been in office for six years, yet tent camping is worse and panhandling has risen.
Downtown parking:
- Carolyn McLeod: She wants to preserve existing public lots in the downtown area.
- Alex Johnson: He supported selling off the downtown public parking lots.
Housing growth impacts and traffic:
- Carolyn McLeod: She wants well-managed responsible growth, so existing residents are not subsidizing every new house being built. Source: Carolyn McLeod for Mayor web site
- Alex Johnson: He publicly stated he is pro-growth and wants more housing. Source: Housing Voices Podcast
Housing Density:
- Carolyn McLeod: Carolyn wants to push back on the state’s rules over housing density requirements, then cities can once again zone for low-density housing if they choose. The families in our community deserve to have a choice of owning a home with a yard for their children to play in.
- Alex Johnson: He has supported every new high-density apartment built in Albany and voted yes to annex land east of the freeway for up to seven-story apartments. Source: City of Albany minutes. He also worked with the developer to get the high-density apartments approved by Bowman Park. Source: Housing Choices Podcast
Frequently Answered Questions
1. How has your background in leadership and management prepared you to step into the role of Albany’s mayor?
“As a U.S. Army veteran, city councilor, and business manager, I bring calm, disciplined oversight to local government. My focus is delivering transparent, practical results for every Albany family.”
2. How do you view the mayor’s role in managing working relationships across the city council, city manager, staff, and the community?
“Under our city charter, the mayor provides transparent leadership that respects professional city staff, maintains orderly council meetings, and ensures every Albany family has a clear voice in local government.”
3. Where do you stand on introducing a local city gas tax to help pay for street repairs across Albany?
“Street maintenance is a top priority, but major tax decisions belong in the hands of our residents, not imposed by city hall without a vote.”
4. Do you favor raising utility rates or city service fees to fund street maintenance, or should Albany look elsewhere for that revenue?
“I oppose back-door fee hikes on utility bills that burden working families and seniors. Road maintenance is a core responsibility that must be funded through disciplined budget reprioritization, state revenues, and ensuring new development pays its fair share.”
5. How can Albany expand housing and commercial development without burdening existing neighborhoods or shifting infrastructure costs onto residents?
“We balance economic growth by requiring developers to cover their own infrastructure costs, preserving neighborhood character while protecting local residents from higher bills and traffic congestion.”
6. How can Albany lower costs and reduce friction to encourage building attainable housing options like starter homes, apartments, and manufactured units?
“Albany can make building attainable starter homes faster and cheaper by streamlining permitting and cutting red tape. We can speed up city approvals while ensuring new development still pays for its own infrastructure so current taxpayers never foot the bill.”
7. Where do you stand on allowing camping in Albany’s parks and natural spaces, and how would you balance compassion with maintaining public safety and cleanliness?
“Our public parks are built for recreation and natural preservation, not residential camping. We protect our community spaces by enforcing land use laws while guiding individuals to properly zoned shelter options.”
8. What specific changes should Albany make to handle illegal camping, litter, and abandoned property in our neighborhoods?
“We need firm, consistent enforcement of city nuisance laws to keep our neighborhoods clean and safe. Real progress requires pairing swift cleanup protocols with structured outreach for addiction and mental health support.”
9. How should Albany balance supporting individuals experiencing homelessness with maintaining personal accountability and public standards?
“Providing real help requires pairing access to recovery services with clear enforcement of community standards. We serve people best through structured, accountability-based support that keeps our public spaces safe and clean for everyone.”
10. Looking ahead to your first two years as mayor, what three issues will serve as your top priorities for Albany?
“During my term, I will focus on fixing our roads without back-door fee hikes, restoring safety and cleanliness to public spaces, and requiring new development to fully fund its own infrastructure.”
