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In a move that has been anticipated for months, Mayor Christopher P. Scanlon has made official his bid to keep the office he now occupies. Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon is officially entering the race for mayor.
He was elevated to the position from Council president in October on the resignation of former Mayor Byron Brown. Scanlon, a three-term member of the Buffalo Common Council, was voted president of that body in the beginning of 2024. He became acting mayor upon the resignation of former Mayor Byron Brown in mid-October.
While Scanlon has been fundraising and holding political events for several months, he had declined to say whether he was running to replace Brown, who was the longest-serving mayor in Buffalo history. Wednesday night Scanlon put an end to the speculation, announcing his run in the city’s Old First Ward neighborhood. The neighborhood, long identified with the story of Buffalo’s Irish immigrants and their descendants, is where Scanlon’s father, John “Scanoots” Scanlon, was raised.
The elder Scanlon was a top adviser to Buffalo’s second longest-tenured mayor, the late James D. Griffin. Get to know Christopher Scanlon, Buffalo's new mayor.
Scanlon the mayoral candidate, whose father died in 2022, said it was important to him to honor his dad in the announcement of his campaign, in an interview with The News. To that end, Scanlon announced his candidacy at the Barrel Factory restaurant on Vandalia Street, a building with direct ties to the region’s industrial past. “It’s no coincidence where I’m making that announcement, at the Barrel Factory in the Old First Ward where my father grew up, where black barrels were built that were shipped throughout the canal system and filled with grain,” Scanlon said.
“My father was one of those scoopers who filled those boats and filled those barrels with grain that helped contribute to the Buffalo economy, and the economy at large across the United States.” Scanlon joins a crowded field that includes six other candidates − State Sen. Sean Ryan, former fire commissioner Garnell Whitfield, University District Council Member Rasheed Wyatt, former city court judge James McLeod, educator and activist James Payne and activist Michael Gainer.
Activist Terry Robinson and former School Board member Terrance Heard have expressed interest in the endorsement of the Erie County Democrats, but have yet to publicly announce their intention to run. Scanlon is in the unique position of campaigning for the office while also occupying it, despite never winning a citywide election. He stepped into the role with the city facing a steep deficit and will have to work to resolve issues through hard decisions that likely involve spending cuts, layoffs and tax increases.
While other candidates can discuss the city’s options going forward he will have to show citizens how he plans to address the shortfalls in presenting a budget to the Common Council in April. “I’ve been very upfront about that since day one,” he said. “I’ve made it very clear to the public that we are not hiding from it, but we’re embracing it and using it as an opportunity to become more efficient, more cost effective and more innovative.
” The next mayor also will face the longstanding problems in the city of entrenched poverty, a housing affordability crisis that is affecting communities throughout the country, and neighborhoods deeply segregated by race and wealth. Scanlon said he plans to build on existing relationships with community groups and other government agencies to work to fix those issues. In particular, he sees working with Buffalo Public Schools to provide students with expanded educational opportunities as a key to combatting those problems.
“We have to make sure that we’re providing for our children and making sure that they have an environment where they can come in and learn and be educated and improve their lot in life,” Scanlon said. “And we do that by making sure that we’re on the same page and working together.” Scanlon also has had a busy beginning to the snow-clearing season, consistently a topic of complaint for Buffalo voters, especially in his often hard-hit South Council District.
He said he has been working with Department of Public Works’ leadership, and county and state governments to improve communication, create efficiency and better prepare for the ever-present threat of snow emergencies that loom during the winter months. “That has led to a more uniform approach in response to snow events that we’ve been having,” Scanlon said. “And some of these have been rather sizable events and hitting different areas of the city.
But we’ve been able to communicate better and make sure that we’re out there.” Scanlon said he sees Buffalo on an upward trajectory and he hopes for an opportunity to lead the city on a continuation of that path. “I envision a Buffalo that is cleaner, safer, more populated, with more housing opportunities and more economic opportunities for the residents of the City of Buffalo,” he said.
“And I think that working together with our partners in the public sector, the private sector, the nonprofit sector, we’ll get there.” Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
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