July 12th, 2026

Former councilor challenges mayor in Albany

Alex Johnson II and Carolyn McLeod

  Albany Mayor Alex Johnson II will face at least one challenger, former City Councilor Carolyn McLeod, in the Nov. 3 General Election.  Both say they plan to file as candidates for the office.
  McLeod, who announced her intent to run last month, resigned her Ward 2B Council position Aug. 6. Citing a 50-page complaint by Albany resident John Robinson and concerns by former city councilors  about her ward residency, she said she decided to step down despite her interpretation of the city charter and that of the city attorney that she was following legal requirements.
  McLeod said she was unmarried at the time she filed to run for council in 2024 but got married since then. She owns a home in Ward 2 in southwest Albany and spends time at a home she doesn't own in North Albany (Ward 1).
  In her resignation statement, McLeod said, "Because I value the opinions and input of everyone in Albany, I have decided to resign my position as city councilor in ward 2 to fully focus on the upcoming election, and my campaign for mayor of the city of Albany. (The full text of McLeod's resignation statement appears under the title "Good Trouble" on her mayoral campaign website.)
  Johnson and McLeod are registered Democrats and veterans. Johnson served in the Navy, McLeod in the Army.
  First elected in 2020, Johnson is seeking his fourth two-year term as mayor.
  "I’m running to continue the vision of Albany when I first got elected,” he said last month, noting that his priorities will again be economic development, housing affordability, infrastructure improvements and public safety. Progress has been made in all four areas, “and you can see it all over town,” he said.
  “As your city councilor," McLeod said last month, "I’ve been assisting neighbors citywide with their community issues. ... “Now is the time for change in Albany leadership and I’m ready for the task."
 City Councilors Steph Newton (Ward 1A) and Ramycia McGhee (Ward 3A) have filed for reelection.
 Councilor Chris Van Drimmelen (Ward 2A) has said he does not plan to run. He was appointed in the spring of 2025 to fill the seat vacated by Jackie Montague after she resigned to work as a business analyst in the city’s IT department. Rachel Biscoe has filed to run for that seat.
  The filing deadline for mayor and council positions is Aug. 25. For more information, see the city's Elections webpage.
  The City Council will appoint someone to serve the remainder of McLeod's Ward 2B term, which ends Dec. 31, 2028.

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