Oswego native Billy Barlow is now in the second year of his second and final term as the Port City’s mayor.

Barlow took office as mayor in 2016 at the age of 25, making him the youngest current mayor in New York.

At age 30, Barlow continues to be one of the youngest city mayors in the country. He’s also the youngest mayor to ever serve the city of Oswego.

Barlow spends more time today looking ahead, rather than reflecting on his successes.

“It’s important to look at the future and who we want our city residents to be moving forward. So, obviously, we have kids graduating from Oswego High School every year. We have people who attend and graduate from SUNY Oswego that we’d like to keep in this community,” said Barlow.

Still, the Oswego native who started his second four-year term last year has had plenty of success as the Port City’s leader. From waterfront development to securing a $10 million state downtown revitalization grant in 2016, several projects are taking shape in the city.

“This check was presented to me by Governor Cuomo back in 2016, and you know as you drive around downtown, you can actually see this money being put to use, and you see the skyline of Oswego changing,” he said.

From the day he took office at 25, Barlow has worked countless hours to reach his goals for Oswego. He said he instilled a strong work ethic from his parents. They taught him how to manage the family’s business Barlow Concessions when he was young.

“I had to start working, really, when I was an early teenager. And, I was actually supervising people when I was 16 or so, and I think a lot of the lessons and a lot of the life experience I gained as a young teenager still serve me as mayor, because you’re managing people,” Barlow said.

His experience at a young age inspired him to want to do more to help his hometown. However, when he decided to run for mayor at the age of 24, some doubted he was fit for the job.

“In a lot of ways, I think it’s my age that has served me so well in this office. And you know, I didn’t really have any preconceived notions, if you will,” Barlow said. “I just do things because I think it’s the right thing to do. I think it will help the city. I’m not worried about politics.”

Barlow is big on communication, always in touch with municipal leaders brainstorming ideas on how to make the city a better place.

“The mayor comes to the fire department for a lot of different topics, whether it’s pool testing to keep our employees safe in the city; whether it be police, fire, or DPW, working together on the recovery from the flooding in 2017 and 2019. And, just day to day,” said Oswego Fire Chief Randy Griffin.

Day to day, Barlow takes things in stride, but says he never shies away from something new.

“Every day I wake up, I’m excited to get to city hall, and there’s two things that I hope to accomplish: number one, every day, move the city forward in some way, shape, or form; and two, when you have the ability to help someone, you do it,” said Barlow.