New Lancaster Mayor is a Marauder

"I wasn't always drawn to politics, but I was drawn to leadership," shares Jamie Arroyo, a 2010 graduate of Millersville University who was sworn in as Lancaster's 44th - and first Latino - mayor in early January 2026.

The former CEO of ASSETS Lancaster, a nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurs through business training, microloans, mentorship and resources, got his initial start in the world of banking.

As a first-generation college student and business administration major, he said his early career goals were to, "Wear a suit, have an office and make money." His mother was a bank teller, and he followed in her footsteps, earning a $1,500 scholarship from Fulton Bank as a high school student and a job at the company. As he balanced college classes and his job, moving up the ranks to eventually become a mortgage loan officer and winning awards along the way, he reconsidered his long-term career goals.

"I was successful, yes, but unsatisfied. I started to wonder if there was something I could do that would have a more positive impact on my community," notes Arroyo. A friend connected him with a volunteer position at ASSETS, where he taught classes and became deeply involved with the organization. Jess King, a Lancaster native with deep roots in the community who ran ASSETS at the time, noticed his hard work. "I let her know that I wanted to work at ASSETS. The nature of the work was deeply meaningful to me, and I believed - and still believe - in the mission of the organization. They created a position for me, and I took it, even though it meant a pretty significant pay cut."

As Arroyo continued to work under the mentorship of King, he searched for more ways to better his community. King told him, "The work we do has an impact, but if you really want to make a change, you need to look at policy." Eventually, with the encouragement of others, he successfully ran for a seat on the Lancaster City Council in 2019 and began his work in 2020.

Echoing King's sentiments, Arroyo: "To make a change, you have to change policy for the good of everyone." He brought that mindset to the council during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the mayor's website, Arroyo advanced efforts like the COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund, and updates to housing laws related to lead poisoning and rental property standards as the chair of City Council's Economic Development Committee. He also played a major role in directing $15 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to support affordable housing and community facilities. When the former mayor Danene Sorace announced she would not run again, people started coming to Arroyo, encouraging him to run.

The people of Lancaster City elected Arroyo as their new mayor. Pulling from his background at the nonprofit, Arroyo says he wants to help small businesses in Lancaster thrive. "When I worked at ASSETS, I had the privilege to meet Chef Oliver. He brought samples of banana bread and West African soup and explained that he wanted to open up a business." Through the help of Arroyo and the team at ASSETS, the chef enrolled in a training program, eventually opened a food truck, a market stand and a catering company. "With our help, he was able to quit his full-time job to work for himself. The more we can support small business in the city, the more we all can thrive."

Arroyo also plans to focus on addressing the housing crisis through rezoning and making the city safer. "Part of the reason my family settled here when we moved from Puerto Rico is because the community was welcoming to them. We want everyone to feel safe walking the street; feel comfortable talking a police officer offer and be able to access resources in the language you speak."

To learn more about Arroyo, visit cityoflancasterpa.gov/departments/mayors-office/