The Mayor would like to invite you to enter the Oregon Mayors Association's "If I Were Mayor" Contest! Each year, talented Albany students have the opportunity to share their creative ideas about what they would do if they were the mayor of Albany. Local winners win prizes and are entered into the statewide contest for a chance to win up to $500!

How the contest works

The 2025-2026 contest is now OPEN!

Deadline: March 2, 2026

How to enter:

Review the contest rules: English | Spanish
Create your submission (4-5th grades: poster, 6-8th grades: essay, 9-12th grades: video)
Download and complete an official entry form
Submit your completed entry before the deadline:

Submit your entry

Judging:

Judging of the local contest will be conducted by the Mayor and city officials or other persons appointed by the Mayor. Albany winners will be announced in April, and statewide winners will be announced by the Oregon Mayors Association (OMA) around May.

oregonmayorsassoc A panel of Oregon mayors judges the statewide entries. First-place statewide winners and their families are typically recognized at the OMA Summer Conference in August.

Questions?

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Past winners

Details: Last Updated: November 13, 2025

About City Council

The City Council is the legislative branch of our local government. It is composed of a mayor and six councilors with two councilors elected from each ward. The councilors serve for a term of four years, and the mayor serves for a term of two years. The Council adopts laws called ordinances, passes resolutions, sets policies, adopts the budget, levies taxes, and conducts public meetings.

The current Albany City Charter became effective on January 1, 1957. By Charter, the City of Albany adopted a council-manager form of government. The Charter provides that the City Manager is the administrative head of the City, and the manager serves at the pleasure of the Council.

Council Member Manual

The manual includes protocols that were developed at an Albany City Council training session held on January 19, 2018, and endorsed by council on February 26, 2018. They are intended to set expectations for the conduct and working relationships of council members.

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