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28-697: From Buffalo's incorporation in 1832 the common council existed under New York State charters. In the early years of the common council the Buffalo Mayor , the head of the executive branch of the Buffalo government was also the president of the common council, head of the legislative branch . From 1832 to 1854 all mayors were also Common Council President. Eli Cook was the first mayor who did not serve as Common Council President for his whole term as mayor. From 1832–1913, no mayor served as Common Council President. In 1914, New York State charters established

56-587: A council that consisted of five members – a mayor and four council members. From 1913 to 1927, the council was composed of the mayor, Commissioner of Finance and Accounts, Commissioner of Public Works, Commissioner of Parks and Public Buildings, Commissioner of Public Affairs, and the mayor was the chairman of the board. In 1926, the Kenefick Commission was appointed to form a new city charter after New York State authorized its cities to write their own charters in 1924. Since 1927, no Mayor has presided over

84-428: A fifth term on February 25, 2021, through a video on Facebook . During the primary campaign his campaign spent $ 71,000, which was less than the $ 360,000 he had spent during the 2017 primary, he refused to participate in debates, despite having participated in two debates during the 2017 primary, and his greatest expense during the primary was $ 9,730 on lawn signs. Brown only turned in around 6,000 signatures to appear on

112-640: A regular contributor to Byron Brown's campaign. The Erie County Board of Elections and the Walton campaign appealed the decision, and on September 16, state and federal courts definitively took Brown off the November ballot. On September 17, the Board of Elections began printing general election ballots with Walton as the only listed candidate. Brown's campaign accepted significant donations from individual Republicans and benefited from independent expenditures by

140-454: A seat on the council in several decades, and all occupied seats are currently held by Democrats. As of October 15, 2024 the current membership is as follows: According to the web site of the City of Buffalo, there is a Majority Leader and a Minority Leader if there are members from more than one political party. In practice, there is a majority leader even when all members of the council are from

168-427: A write-in candidate, and then attempted to obtain ballot access, but continued as a write-in when he was unable to secure a place on the ballot. The race attracted national attention as a proxy battle between progressives and moderates with Walton running as a socialist, and Brown running with moderate Democratic as well as Republican support. In addition to Brown, there were at least three other write-in candidates. On

196-570: A write-in candidate. A majority of the members of the Buffalo Board of Education endorsed Walton on August 19, 2021. Board members Kathy Evans Brown, Hope Jay, Jennifer Mecozzi, Ann Rivera, and Lawrence Scott held a joint press conference to announce the endorsement. On August 30, 2021, Walton publicly stated her support for Starbucks employees' effort at unionization in Buffalo. In October 2021, Walton voiced support for elderly, veteran, and disabled tenants at Peace Bride Apartments fighting

224-558: The 2013 election . Brown defeated Comptroller Mark J. F. Schroeder in the Democratic primary and the general election in 2017. Brown's four previous terms as mayor made him the longest-serving mayor of Buffalo alongside James D. Griffin . Scott J. Wilson Jr., a nineteen-year-old who had worked for Comptroller Mark J. F. Schroeder and unsuccessfully ran for comptroller in 2017, announced his campaign for mayor on June 13, 2020, but he did not collect enough signatures to appear on

252-575: The Buffalo police shoving incident . Walton defeated Brown and Durham in the Democratic primary, but Brown did not immediately concede. After the primary Jeremy Zellner, the chair of the Erie County Democratic Party, stated that the party was in support of Walton. State legislators Local officials Organizations Newspapers Political parties Newspapers The Working Families Party had supported Brown in

280-508: The F.B.I. , for multiple allegations involving political donations and city government contracts since 2015. Many of Brown's close political advisers and employees have been interviewed and Steve Pigeon , a political operative who lobbied Brown's office on garbage contracts, pleaded guilty to arranging an illegal donation to the campaign of former Governor Andrew Cuomo , also a close ally of Brown. Brown has not been charged, but multiple investigations remain open. Brown attempted to appear on

308-581: The 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017 mayoral elections. Walton won the nomination of the Working Families Party, but failed to formally accept the nomination in time for the filing deadline. So the Erie County Board of Elections ruled her ineligible to appear on the ballot with their nomination under the deadline rules. The Working Families Party raised over $ 230,000 to support India Walton notwithstanding. Wilson attempted to appear on

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336-579: The Common Council is currently considering legislation on how to address the vacancy. The term of all current Common Council members expires on December 31, 2027. Buffalo Mayor The following is a list of people who have served as mayors of the city of Buffalo in the U.S. state of New York . 1848 November 1853 1863 1872 (special) 1887 1891 1913 1925 1969 1973 1981 1985 1989 1997 2001 2009 2013 2017 2021 In 1853,

364-597: The Democratic Party primary, Brown launched a write-in campaign for the general election. Brown's staffers staged a rally outside Sahlen Field days after the primary to encourage support for his general election write-in campaign . The president of the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association stated that Brown would have the support of the union if he ran as a write-in candidate. Brown announced on June 28, that he would run as

392-502: The Democratic nomination. On October 18, Jay Jacobs, Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee and close ally of former Governor Cuomo, restated his own refusal to endorse. He said that it is not a requirement for him to endorse every Democratic nominee. In a comparison that quickly drew controversy and condemnation, he used the example of not endorsing white supremacist former Grand Wizard of

420-560: The Erie County Republican Committee, and at least one member of local far-right organizations, as well as members of the Conservative, Independence and Libertarian parties. As part of his write-in campaign, Brown distributed "push stamps" with his name so that voters could simply stamp his name onto the ballot. Governor Kathy Hochul declined to endorse a candidate in the race, despite Walton winning

448-530: The New York Republican Party, including mailers promoting his write-in campaign. Brown expressed openness to accepting Republican support, saying “I don't see a conflict of interest because we're in the general election . . . I'm appealing to every voter.” Brown accepted significant assistance in gathering signatures for his attempt at ballot access from Republican activists opposed to Walton, including Republican elected officials, members of

476-623: The charter of the city was amended to include the town of Black Rock and the city proper was divided into thirteen wards. In addition, the term of city offices, including mayor changed from a one-year term to a two-year term and was elected directly by the people. Pre- consolidation : Post- consolidation : Pre- consolidation : Post- consolidation : (winners are in bold ) 2021 Buffalo mayoral election Byron Brown Democratic Byron Brown Democratic Pre- consolidation : Post- consolidation : Pre- consolidation : Post- consolidation : The 2021 Buffalo mayoral election

504-439: The common council. A 1983 downsizing eliminated two at-large members. A 2002 downsizing eliminated the remaining three at-large members and the elected Common Council President. The size of the council's membership has been shrinking roughly in tandem with the decrease in population. (Shading indicates majority caucus) The Democratic Party is the dominant party in Buffalo politics; no Republican or other party member has won

532-543: The general election ballot as an independent candidate, but his petition was challenged by the Erie County Board of Elections. His name did not appear on the general election ballot. Carl Paladino , who previously served on the Buffalo Public Schools board of education and unsuccessfully ran in the 2010 gubernatorial election as a Republican , considered running as a write-in candidate, but would only have run if Brown did not continue his campaign in

560-401: The general election ballot through a petition and court challenge as an independent, with the party label Buffalo Party, but ultimately lost the court cases and continued campaigning as a write-in. Brown was placed on the ballot by Judge John Sinatra , who had been appointed by president Donald Trump . Walton criticized the ruling and accused Sinatra of bias, pointing out that his brother is

588-665: The general election. Paladino endorsed Brown in the general election, but withdrew his endorsement of Brown on August 26 and announced a boycott campaign instead, urging Buffalonians to neither vote for nor donate to Brown, Walton nor any other candidate. Other write-in candidates included Independent attorney Benjamin Carlisle, Republican candidate for district 141 of the New York State Assembly in 2020 Jaz Miles, and Republican sports booking manager William O'Dell. Following India Walton's defeat of Brown in

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616-478: The longest serving Mayor of Buffalo once he began his fifth term on January 1, 2022, breaking the record held by James D. Griffin . Byron Brown was elected as mayor of Buffalo, New York , in the 2005 mayoral election , becoming the first black mayor of Buffalo. He was reelected in the 2009 election after defeating common councilor Michael P. Kearns in the Democratic primary. He won reelection in

644-507: The night of November 3, 2021, Brown declared his victory over Walton although tabulation of the write-in votes in Erie County (of which Buffalo is a part of) would not commence until November 17. The day after the election, Walton released a statement stating that although a victory "seems unlikely," her campaign would not concede until all votes were counted. Brown's victory became official on November 19, 2021. Brown's victory made him

672-742: The owners of the apartments for lease renewals. Walton also spoke in favor of increased funding and maintenance for city parks at an event at Shoshone Park in October. On August 19, The Buffalo News published an article on Walton, who was arrested in 2014 on a charge of second-degree harassment after Walton allegedly threatened to commit bodily harm to a fellow nurse at the Buffalo Children's Hospital. All charges against Walton were dismissed. The Buffalo News separately reported, on September 19, that Byron Brown and his administration have been under investigation by federal authorities, including

700-503: The primary ballot which was less than the 20,000 he turned in in 2009, and the 15,000 he turned in in 2017. Late in the primary, Walton's campaign received a boost when New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams endorsed her and headlined several fundraisers to support her campaign. Walton had previously received some local attention while active in the George Floyd protests , when she criticized Mayor Brown for his handling of

728-604: The primary ballot. India Walton , a longtime member of Families Against Mandatory Minimums and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East , executive director of the Fruit Belt Community Land Trust , and member of the Democratic Socialists of America , announced her campaign on December 13, 2020. Le’Candice Durham, a compliance clerk for Buffalo's 3-1-1 line, ran in the election. Brown announced that he would seek reelection to

756-563: The same political party; a local law was passed in November 2002 to allow this. Mr. Christopher Scanlon was appointed by a majority of the Council on May 16, 2012, to fill the vacancy created when Michael P. Kearns won a seat on the New York State Assembly in a special election to fill a vacancy there. Mr. Scanlon secured his seat by winning in a subsequent general election. Scanlon vacated his South District seat after he became Mayor of Buffalo through right of succession in October 2024, and

784-479: Was held on November 2, 2021. Democratic Mayor Byron Brown won his fifth term in office as a write-in candidate . Brown's victory marked the first time since 1985 that Buffalo did not elect the Democratic nominee for mayor. Four-time incumbent Democratic Mayor Byron Brown lost the June Democratic primary to India Walton , a political activist and nurse. Brown chose to run in the general election as

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