2 weeks Ago
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Common Councilman Rasheed N.
C. Wyatt made it official Monday night , announcing his bid for the top spot at City Hall and not mincing words when saying who his campaign is for. “We need somebody who is going to stand for the people,” Wyatt said.
The 10-year councilman, who announced his mayor campaign in front of supporters at The Bean Coffee Shop on Hertel Avenue, said his City Hall would come with an open door for those people. He plans to focus his campaign on transparency and openness. “I want to open up City Hall where you can come and talk to your mayor,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt’s time representing the University District has been defined by his outspokenness, and he vowed to continue to speak out as mayor. “Some people say, ‘Oh, he's mean. He's this.
’ No, I care about the people,” Wyatt said. “The same person I am as the council member, I'm going to be that as the mayor. Yeah, no change.
I ain't going to fall and hit my head and forget about the people. The people are going to be at the forefront of what I do.” Also at the forefront Wyatt said, will be change, particularly when it comes to the city’s handling of finances.
He placed blame on former Mayor Byron Brown’s administration for the city’s ongoing budget deficit in an exclusive interview with 2 On Your Side Sunday. He said that he’s the right person to fix it, pointing to his 15 years of experience in finance. “You got to look at those numbers and say, ‘How does this make sense?’ We have to start looking at those things,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt joins what’s becoming a crowded race with State Senator Sean Ryan and former Buffalo Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield already announcing their candidacies. Current acting Mayor Chirstopher Scanlon is also signaling he may soon join the race after making his pitch to Erie County democrats late last week. It’s a competitive field for an endorsement from Erie County Democrats that Wyatt said will not dissuade him from remaining on next November's ballot.
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