Benjamin Zastrow is a small business owner, neighborhood leader, and community servant running for mayor because Rochester cannot afford to drift while growth outpaces leadership.
He believes strong cities are built block by block, not top-down, and that leadership must be rooted in accountability and respect for the people and history that make Rochester home.
For nearly two decades, Benjamin helped build award-winning businesses. His hands-on experience in bookkeeping, operations, strategy, and creative production gives him a clear understanding of how organizations function, how jobs are created, and why fiscal discipline and follow-through matter.
He knows firsthand that decisions made at City Hall directly affect workers, families, and neighborhoods like yours.
Here in Rochester, Benjamin has earned a reputation for showing up and getting results. As President of the Lowertown Neighborhood Association, he led a post-pandemic rebuilding effort that restored engagement, updated bylaws, created new committees, and turned resident concerns about safety, predatory development practices, and quality-of-life issues into meaningful action.
Appointed by the Mayor and unanimously confirmed by City Council, he serves on the Heritage Preservation Commission and was unanimously elected Chair for 2025. In this role, he works to balance rapid growth with thoughtful planning that strengthens neighborhoods instead of erasing their character.
Before moving with his family back to his wife's hometown of Rochester, Benjamin worked across the Midwest as a contracted artist, producer, and mentor, often partnering with schools and community organizations. He supported at-risk youth through arts education programs, including mentoring through a groundbreaking hip-hop curriculum.
His work included collaborations with hundreds of artists worldwide, co-producing multilingual projects, and earning multiple awards in his field. He also completed an accelerated degree in Electronics and Audio Engineering, graduating at the top of his class–reflecting a lifelong commitment to discipline, excellence, and learning.
Benjamin believes effective leadership requires continuous learning and independence. He spends much of his remaining time studying local governance and strengthening his effectiveness as a public servant.
To better understand modern policing practices in our community, Benjamin completed the 2025 Rochester Police Community Academy and a 2023 shift ride-along. Additionally, in 2025, he passed his exam and was accepted into the National Association of Parliamentarians, where he continues to sharpen his chairmanship skills to ensure fair and effective decision-making.
This preparation is matched with backbone. Benjamin has consistently stood against bad policy, ineffective leadership, and powerful interests when they conflict with the public good.
Benjamin is not a career politician, and he sees that as a strength. His leadership was forged in neighborhoods, small businesses, and community rooms, not behind closed doors. He listens first, acts decisively, and then leads with integrity and respect for the people he serves.
Rochester is at a crossroads. Growth is accelerating, affordability is tightening, and trust in city leadership is wearing thin. Benjamin Zastrow is running to provide steady, practical leadership rooted in community, informed by our history, and focused on results, because Rochester cannot wait.