While local elections often have light slates of candidates and uncontested races, the Rochester City Council isn’t one of them.
There are nine candidates, including three incumbents, competing for five at-large seats on the council. Whatever happens on Nov. 4, there will be fresh faces on the council, with incumbents Willie Lightfoot and Kim Smith not seeking re-election.
And the new council will have opportunities to shape the city’s future as issues bubble like the sanctuary city tension with the Trump administration, the next version of downtown Rochester and the end of some COVID-era funding programs resulting in hard budget choices.
The June Democratic primary validated the incumbents, with Miguel A. Melendez Jr., Stanley Martin and Mitch Gruber making the cut. Joining them were Lashunda C. Leslie-Smith and Chiara “Kee Kee” Smith, securing an important nomination in a race that followed party lines in 2021.
The candidates for city council are Kelly Cheatle, Gruber, Leslie-Smith, Martin, Melendez, Victor H. Sanchez, Smith, David Sutliff-Atias and Marcus C. Williams.
Kelly Cheatle, Working Families
A community organizer and artist, Cheatle is a fixture on picket lines and public meetings. She opposed the Business Improvement District, which was halted in 2024 due to a lack of majority support from the Rochester City Council. Cheatle was named Activist of the Year by Metro Justice in 2024.
Along with husband Larry Moss, Cheatle operates Airigami, a sculpture studio at High Falls.
In the 15-candidate Democratic primary for the city council this June, Cheatle received 4,089 votes and finished outside of the top five spots for the party nomination. She is one of four candidates running on the Working Families line.
Mitch Gruber, Democrat
First elected in 2018, Gruber is one of three incumbents seeking re-election to the council this November. He also serves as the chief impact officer at Foodlink, where he’s worked for the past 16 years.
Legislative priorities for Gruber if re-elected include working toward a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the University of Rochester, promote pedestrian safety through Rochester’s Vision Zero Plan and complete the Zoning Alignment Plan, with his priorities including density and growth through mechanisms like accessory dwelling units and regulation on short-term rentals.
Gruber received the fourth-most votes in the Democratic primary to secure a spot on the ballot.
Lashunda C. Leslie-Smith, Democrat
Leslie-Smith, a licensed clinical social worker, is the executive director of Connected Communities, an organization focused on improvement in the EMMA and Beachwood neighborhoods. She also founded Sent One Consulting, which aids nonprofit organizations with fundraising, governance and community impact.
If elected, her priorities include affordable housing, community-driven development, economic empowerment and community policing efforts. Leslie-Smith told the D&C in June that poverty is policy-driven and that she wants to shift how resources are distributed, especially in historically disadvantaged communities.
In the Democratic primary election, Leslie-Smith totaled 5,856 votes, the third most of any candidate.
Stanley Martin, Democrat and Working Families
Martin is among the three Democratic incumbents, first elected to the city council in 2021. She’s the co-founder of Free the People Rochester, an organization focused on care-based community safety, and leads the Daniel’s Law Coalition, which aims to bring a non-police response to mental health crises.
Martin has served as a mental health counselor for incarcerated people; she holds a master’s degree in community mental health counseling. She’s endorsed by The People’s Slate, an organization that supports progressive candidates with focuses like reimagining public safety and expanding tenants’ rights.
Martin received the most votes of any candidate in the Democratic primary in June, with 6,358.
Miguel A. Melendez Jr., Democrat
Melendez was appointed to his seat in 2020 and was elected unanimously by his colleagues as Rochester City Council president in 2022 after his first re-election bid. He’s also the chief community engagement officer at the Ibero-American Action League.
Priorities for Melendez include safer neighborhoods, quality housing and equitable access to opportunities. His highlighted accomplishments include investment in housing units for Peace Village, Roc the Block employment fairs and expanded the public safety committee to include all members of the council.
Melendez received the second highest vote total in the Democratic primary in June.
Victor H. Sanchez, Working Families
Shortly after gaining his U.S. citizenship, Victor Sanchez ran for the Monroe County Legislature in 2019. Now he’s running for Rochester City Council on a platform highlighting housing justice, equitable development, economic growth and reimagining public safety.
Sanchez works as a project manager in the planning, design and construction department at the University of Rochester. He’s also served on the board of numerous local organizations including Reconnect Rochester and Genesee Land Trust. Attracting and retaining young talent is a priority for Sanchez, along with combating gentrification, emphasizing sustainability and investing in small businesses.
Sanchez received more than 4,110 in the Democratic primary in June.
Chiara ‘Kee Kee’ Smith, Democrat and Working Families
Smith, a community advocate and volunteer, previously ran for the city council in the Northeast district in 2023. She is a program officer at the Greater Rochester Health Foundation. The planks in her platform include mental health access and support, barrier-free mental health services, affordable housing and gun violence prevention.
Smith wants to transform how the city responds to violence prevention instead of relying on a crisis response. The issues of violence prevention, housing and mental health are interconnected, she told the D&C in June.
Smith secured 5,336 votes in the Democratic primary, securing the final spot on party line.
David Sutliff-Atias, Green
Sutliff-Atias previously ran for the city council’s East District seat in 2019. He’s running again on a similar platform. His priorities include replacing Rochester Gas & Electric with a public utility, housing as a human right and restoration of the Police Accountability Board.
A teacher and advocate, Sutliff-Atias has volunteered and participated with a number of local groups. His platform includes changing the city’s compost program to curbside pickup, expanded library and recreation center hours and fixing the Verona Street Animal Shelter.
In the 2019 East District council race, Sutliff-Atias received 1,445 votes; Mary Lupien won with 8,517 votes.
Marcus C. Williams, Conservative
There are no Republicans on the ballot in the Rochester City Council at-large race this year, with three candidates — including Williams — running in 2021. Williams has plans that include offering low-cost broadband internet, offering free self-defense training for residents and offering a 50% property tax break for first-time homebuyers.
Williams wants to boost police hiring, encourage officers to live in the city and advocate state law makers to amend bail reform and “Raise the Age” laws.
During his last city council bid, Williams received 4,577 votes in the general election.
— Kerria Weaver works as the Government and You reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and in Monroe County.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who’s running for Rochester City Council in 2025? Meet the candidates
Reporting by Steve Howe and Kerria Weaver, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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