Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens has set up an exploratory committee to run for mayor in 2025, New York Board of Elections filings show.

The filings show Owens is the first candidate to do so.

Owens has been deputy mayor since Ben Walsh was first elected in 2017. Walsh is term-limited and cannot run again next year.

Prior to being Walsh's second-in-command, Owens served in Mayor Stephanie Miner's administration as a deputy commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development.

She has also been CEO of Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility and worked for various non-for-profits over the years.

If Owens were to launch a campaign and win, she would be the first Black mayor of Syracuse.