Buffalo's mayor is resigning. What's happening there?
Forget New York City's mayoral issues. Buffalo is going through a big change as well.
Good afternoon — it’s Monday and National Kick Butt Day.
In today’s CapCon:
Buffalo’s mayor is resigning, setting up an open field for the first time since 2005
This Week in New York History: A 10-ft. tall “man,” upside down at MoMA and an historic writer
New Bills of Note: Raise the Age, renewable energy and reckless driving
Bills Passed But Pending: Nursing home oversight, property tax relief and homeowner protection
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🦬 Forget NYC. Who’s going to be the next mayor of Buffalo?
I know we’re all watching the tracks below the train of New York City government continue to break, but let me bring you to Buffalo for a moment.
Buffalo is the second-largest city in New York, with about 278,000 residents as of the 2020 U.S. Census. That’s about twice the size of Syracuse and more than two and a half times the size of Albany.
Byron Brown has been the mayor of Buffalo since 2006. He served more than two terms in the state Senate before that but got his start in politics on the Buffalo Common Council.
Brown has been reelected four times, most recently in 2021. You might remember that race because Brown, a Democrat, wasn’t his party’s nominee on the ticket. That was India Walton, a nurse and progressive who won the primary election against Brown.
It was a contentious race because, even though Walton won the Democratic primary, the party did not support her. Top Democrats, including Buffalo native Gov. Kathy Hochul, decided not to endorse in the race. Brown also got support from the state Republican Party.
Brown won that election by nearly 20 points. Fun fact: Walton was actually the only candidate for mayor on the ballot that year. A pair of independents and a Republican candidate also led write-in campaigns exclusively. She still lost.
So a lot of effort was put into electing Brown to a fifth term in office — by the party, allies and by Brown himself. But it now turns out he won’t be finishing it.
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