Sharon Owens was sworn in as mayor of Syracuse in an emotional ceremony at City Hall

Syracuse, NY – In a historic moment for the city of Syracuse, Sharon Owens was sworn in Wednesday night to become the city’s first black female mayor.

Owens, 62, is 55 in the city^Thursday mayor in its 177-year history. She is the second woman in this position.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at Syracuse City Hall with about 30 family members, friends, supporters, city officials and reporters in attendance.

People flocked to the mayor’s office for the ceremony.

Excitement echoed through the room as one supporter exclaimed to Owens’ husband, Shaun Owens, “Wow, this is really happening, oh my god!”

Shaun Owens held a Bible during the ceremony as his wife took the oath and was joined by their daughter Simone and son Isaac.

Syracuse Municipal Court Judge Staci Dennis-Taylor administered the oath of office. Echoing Dennis-Taylor, Owens vowed to fulfill her role to the best of her ability while upholding the state and national constitutions.

Outgoing Mayor Ben Walsh, joined by his family, was the first to applaud after Owens was sworn in.

Owens signed the official City of Syracuse Oath – under the supervision of City Clerk Patricia McBride.

“I’m not going to cry,” Owens said immediately after the ceremony, before thanking God and her supporters for believing in her. “Let’s kick for this town.

The group then went into the lobby, where a photo of Owens was revealed on the wall, featuring photos of the city’s mayors. Her photo will appear in color. The previous color photo of Walsh was replaced with a black and white copy to match previous mayors.

Walsh and his family quietly sneak out while Owens answered questions, but not before the two shared a hug.

For Owens, 62, who has worked in public administration for more than 40 years after first coming to Syracuse University from her hometown of Geneva in 1981, this moment was a long time coming.

Owens won the mayor’s post with a landslide victory at the ballot box in the November election, where she received 73.5% of the vote.

Earlier in 2025, Owens won a similarly decisive 62% of the vote to win the Democratic primary for mayor of Syracuse, despite the Onondaga County Democratic Committee endorsing challenger Pat Hogan.

Owens has spent the last eight years as deputy mayor for Walsh, who reached his term limit and could not run again.

After graduating from SU in 1985, Owens spent time as a key figure working with nonprofit organizations throughout the community, including the Dunbar Center, PEACE Inc., Jubilee Homes and Home Headquarters.

She also served as deputy commissioner for neighborhood development under the last mayor, Stephanie Miner, working alongside Walsh. Eventually, Walsh made her his second in command after becoming mayor in 2018.

As deputy mayor, Owens was instrumental in the city’s police reform efforts, creating a gun violence reduction office and strengthening housing policy.

Owens said Wednesday night that she is not done with the fight for affordable housing in the city, citing modular and pre-built homes as a way forward that she has already discussed.

She also said replacing the city’s lead pipes, straightening the budget and developing the Inner Harbor are other challenges she plans to tackle soon.

Owens said she already has her executives lined up and they have a meeting scheduled for Monday to get things rolling. She said she would be ready for any challenge as soon as tomorrow.