On Tuesday night, hundreds gathered to congratulate Republican Billy Barlow on his win in the Oswego Mayoral race against Democrat Amy Tresidder and incumbent Thomas Gillen.
A crowd of supporters in the Oswego Conference Center cheered and whistled for Barlow, 25, when the results were announced.
Two months ago, Barlow spent his birthday greeting local business owners and residents.
“You would think it would be a wild 25th birthday but I did some door-to-door getting feedback from residents,” Barlow said. “This campaign is a lot of work [and] at the same time I run a business. I went to dinner downtown and I called it a night.”
On Jan. 1 he will serve as the youngest mayor in New York State. Barlow takes the title from, 28-year-old Ithaca Mayor, Svante Myrick, who was 24 when elected in 2011.
Barlow defeated Tresidder with 56.2 percent of the votes. Tresidder held 43.8 percent of the voters. Current mayor Gillen received 97 write-in votes.
Humbled by a nearly six-month-long process, Barlow, an Oswego native felt apprehensive throughout Election Day as the final day of the campaign arrived.
“I was a little nervous as the night wore on,” Barlow said in a recent video posted on Facebook. “I got a good night’s sleep. I was laying in bed last night…and we hit a bunch of doors. All of our I’s were dotted and T’s were crossed.”
On Monday, Barlow was endorsed by U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik. At the viewing party, supporters wore blue-shirts and pins with “Barlow” across the chest.
“I was just going through my head making sure that I did everything I could do,” Barlow said. “I went to bed comfortable knowing that.”
Since the campaign began last spring, Barlow has fought to keep the FitzPatrick nuclear power plant open. On Tuesday, Entergy, a chief operator of the facility, announced its closing and the loss of 615 jobs.
During his four-year-term Barlow aims to bring “fresh energy” to Oswego County.
“The unfortunate news regarding FitzPatrick but also the hope of real opportunity that was on [the] Billy Barlow for mayor shirt…can speak volumes for the resilience of this community,” Barlow said
The former door-to-door candidate, now elected official, has spoken to thousands of residents across the city.
According to Barlow, revitalizing communities and lowering taxes were high priorities during his candidacy.
“Many folks are concerned about their taxes continuing to climb to the point to where they can no longer afford their home,” Barlow said in an email. “At the same time, we need to invest in our infrastructure and neighborhoods.”
In 2016, Barlow hopes to use Oswego State to generate revenue across the city.
“SUNY Oswego brings thousands of young adults into our community who choose to live, work and play in our city,” Barlow said in an email. “We can capitalize on this opportunity by creating a downtown that is livable and walkable and serves as a destination.”
Barlow also has plans to fight corruption his first week in-office.
“Number one is reconvening the charter committee to hold city government accountable, makes sure there within the law and following the rules and regulations so we don’t have backdoor deals,” Barlow said.
Starting Jan. 1, Barlow will enter his term as mayor with a salary of $40,000.
“Campaigning is the easy part,” he said. “Once I win is when it starts to get difficult. I need to understand the issues and take it to city hall.”
