Newly appointed as a mayor, perhaps.

[The answer piques his interest. Even if he wasn't new, most people didn't acknowledge new people. It was a sign. Perhaps?]

Most people do not seem to notice the new ones, or perhaps-- they do not realize they are new. It is rather difficult to tell who could be a likeminded individual this way.

Ah, but you already noticed the strangeness of this place, haven't you?