Rosen-on-a-quest
Plattsburgh Mayor’s Next Chapter
In a wide open room, bureaucratically colored with shades of brown, a large salt lamp sits perched on a long table, glowing orange, creating a warm, welcoming environment.
Chris Rosenquest, Plattsburgh, New York’s 29th mayor sits lax in dark jeans, a beanie and a black zip-up sweatshirt repping his small business, Chapter One: Coffee & Tea, a local favorite.
Rosenquest is one of us. He was raised in Plattsburgh after moving here when he was about 8 years old. Growing up in an Air Force family, he spent his childhood living on the now closed Plattsburgh Air Force Base.
After his formal education in the Plattsburgh City School District, he then went to Clinton Community College and later the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, where he earned an English degree, focused in print journalism.
Rosenquest then left the Plattsburgh area for about 10 years, living in various cities, including San Francisco and Minneapolis, before moving to Seattle to pursue a Master’s of Business Administration in technology at the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. There, he started his own business, Seattle Burlap, a company that sells biodegradable burlap bags.
But Rosenquest had been looking to move back home to Plattsburgh for some time. He saw the opportunity to run for mayor in 2013 as a reason to make it happen.
“I didn’t grow up thinking I would run for office or be the mayor of Plattsburgh,” Rosenquest said. “It’s one of those things where I reflect back and it’s an amazing opportunity to serve my hometown in the capacity that I’ve been able to serve it, not only just as the mayor, but as a county legislator as well.”
Rosenquest first ran for the mayoral position in 2013, when a friend invited him to consider it. Although he said it was the scariest thing he’s ever done, he knew if he passed up on the opportunity he would have regretted it.
Being completely unknown in the community, Rosenquest said he had no party backing. But it just felt right.
“It also allowed people to understand who I am and more of like a grand introduction into what I wanted for Plattsburgh – and what a lot of people wanted for Plattsburgh – and start to introduce those ideas.”
Although he didn’t win in the 2013 race, he wasn’t discouraged from running again in 2020, this time as a Democrat instead of an Independent.
Rosenquest was eager to address an underlying complaint of the city he had observed while growing up here: Plattsburgh has unfulfilled potential. He saw the importance of at least attempting to influence a conversation about it. Rosenquest has worked toward pushing businesses to make a significant impact on the decisions of municipalities, as well as quality of life development.
During his time living in bigger cities before returning to Plattsburgh, Rosenquest often felt a personal sense of unfulfilled potential when it came to making a significant difference in more populated communities. But with Plattsburgh being a smaller city, he was motivated by the fact that change could be more obvious.
“Coming home, even small projects made a significant impact in terms of quality of life and the opportunity to engage our community in a way that made sense and was more permanent or long lasting,” Rosenquest said.
This idea has been a driving factor in his role as Plattsburgh’s mayor, but also in his business endeavors with Chapter One: Coffee & Tea – located down the street from City Hall, at 30 City Hall Place, where you can order a cup of coffee with locally roasted beans from Lakeside Coffee, Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
There’s a fine line that Rosenquest knows he has to walk between serving as mayor and being a downtown business owner. On one hand, he knows the value of what the city can provide and how those decisions impact local businesses. On the other hand, Rosenquest knows how to run a successful business and the importance of those collective voices being heard in order to have a say in how the government represents them. He said this kind of collective effort was seen in the Margaret Street Construction Project, which included updating downtown Plattsburgh’s infrastructure.
Another group of voices Rosenquest believes are crucial in the Plattsburgh community and that offer perspectives that often go unheard is the diverse population of people on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus. He acknowledges that while the university is its own entity, there are individuals there who have voices worth hearing to better the community as a whole.
“We have a campus right in our neighborhood, right in the heart of our city that has a population of people that have diverse thinking, come from diverse backgrounds, come from communities much larger than ours, that have ideas that can contribute in a meaningful way.”
As the City of Plattsburgh’s first Black mayor, Rosenquest believes he has brought a new perspective to the office, and provided an outlet particularly for SUNY Plattsburgh students who may have never seen a mayor who looks like them, reflects their values and understands their background. There have been multiple occasions where his office has heard from students who have concerns about racial injustice on campus or in the greater community and he has appreciated being able to provide those individuals with support.
Quality of life has been an important focus for the mayor since his term started in 2021. Because he understands that people move throughout the city on foot, bikes, skateboards, scooters and public transportation – ways other than just cars – he’s been able to make progress in improving infrastructure. Added bike lanes on roads and expanded sidewalks downtown has allowed community members to feel safe utilizing these methods of transportation.
“These are the things that attract people to our community,” Rosenquest said.
Although he can look back on his time in office and feel proud of what he and his team have accomplished, he recognizes that there is always more to be done. He emphasizes the dedication it takes because “government work isn’t the sexiest work.”
“If you’re going to be the mayor and you’re going to do the job right, you really have to take on the identity of mayor 24 hours a day,” Rosenquest said.
This necessary level of involvement is the main reason Rosenquest announced in early February 2024 that he will not seek reelection. He wants to spend more time with his family and his 6-year-old son.
But in early April 2024 Rosenquest announced that he plans to make a bid for the Ward 3 seat on the Common Council.
As he finishes out his mayoral term, Rosenquest looks to the future of Plattsburgh and emphasizes the importance of the young individuals in our community making their voices heard. He says it’s crucial that the younger generation steps up to run for office. Not just to benefit the city of Plattsburgh, but to foster personal growth and purpose, like it did for Rosenquest in his late 20s and early 30s.
Now 48, Rosenquest can confidently point a finger to the opportunity he received to sit as the city’s mayor as his true life’s purpose.
“Not everybody gets this chance. I’m the 29th person in the history of the City of Plattsburgh to be given this opportunity to represent the city. So it really has been a life-defining privilege to sit here and represent our community in this way,” Rosenquest said.
