Jun 25
2025
Buffalo primary voters sought change in City Hall
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With a commanding voice Tuesday, Buffalo’s Democratic voters said they preferred state Sen. Sean Ryan to lead the city over Acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon.
At polling sites across the city Tuesday, voters told Investigative Post reporters that they were ready for change in City Hall — be that Ryan, former fire commissioner Garnell Whitfield, University Common Council Member Rasheed Wyatt or even newcomer Anthony Tyson-Thompson. Most of those interviewed favored someone other than Scanlon, a reflection of the actual vote.
The acting mayor, some said, had failed to gain their trust eight months after succeeding Byron Brown, who resigned in October to run the casino and racetrack at Batavia Downs. Elected Common Council president in early 2024, Scanlon ascended to the mayor’s office via the city charter following Brown’s long-rumored departure.
Keefer Williams, a 28-year-old musician living in the West Side and a Ryan voter, summed up Scanlon this way: “He’s an extension of Byron Brown.”
“I just feel it’s going to be a continuation of the same stuff we’ve had for the last 20 years,” he said.
That was a common sentiment among Ryan supporters.
“I’m just sick of the old regime and I’d like to see a guy who wants to make some change and do some stuff for the community,” said Jonah Rosel, 29, who voted on Albany Street.
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In particular, Rosel and other Ryan voters said they liked that the state senator campaigned on fixing potholes, plowing snow and giving residents a sense that City Hall was functioning properly. Street repairs became a major theme of Ryan’s campaign, and he was endorsed by the “Pothole Bandit,” a West Side artist who fills potholes city crews have not gotten around to fixing.
It was an issue that animated city voters. Tonya Robinson, 55, voted for Anthony Tyson-Thompson.
“I’ve had a car tore up because I hit one,” she said, taking particular issue with the condition of Main Street.
“For that to be our main street, it is unacceptable. It’s sad.”
Donate to support our nonprofit newsroomOther Ryan voters said they backed him because they viewed him as untainted by associations with the city’s developers and wealthy elite.
Ryan, campaign finance records showed, enjoyed the support of plenty of business owners, the state Realtors PAC, several local developers and pro-development labor unions. But his messaging about Scanlon’s ties to developers Carl Paladino and son William resonated. Early in the race, the Paladino family as well as other major real estate families lined up behind Scanlon.
“I think the concern [with Scanlon] is the deep connections with some of the not-so-savory people,” said Katie Burton, a Ryan voter. “His ties are to the bigger, more powerful, prominent people in Buffalo, not little people like us.”
Her partner Kathy Dean put it more bluntly: “Paladino is trash. I’m tired of the Republicans.”
Katie Burton and Kathy Dean, who both voted for Sean Ryan. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker.
Other Ryan voters, in all corners of the city, believed he could reform City Hall.
Kevin, a South Buffalonian “surrounded by Scanlon voters,” asked to be identified by his first name only. He told Investigative Post he considers himself a progressive, and vacillated between Ryan and Wyatt because he worries about the city’s financial woes. He chose Ryan as the best person to balance the books.
Scanlon, he said, “is just way too tied to the corruption of the Brown administration, and his proposals going forward are more of the same.”
“The next mayor has to take on the police and fire unions to cut down on the unnecessary overtime, which is one of the biggest drivers of our deficit,” he said. “Scanlon is way too tight with police and fire to make any meaningful impact.”
Maxwell Carr of Kaisertown in the Lovejoy District told Investigative Post he voted for Ryan “because of his strong record as an ally to unions as well as his campaign promise to reform the city ethics board.”
“I think it’s time to shift the dynamics within City Hall and disrupt the status quo,” he said.
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Not all voters bought Ryan’s pitch that he was squeaky clean and could run the city better than Scanlon has since October.
Ryan running as the “endorsed Democrat” was a turnoff for Anita Leon, 51, a West Side voter.
“Screw you and the whole committee, too. That’s how I feel about that,” she said of the Erie County Democratic Committee. “Oh, now all of a sudden you want to fix the potholes? The potholes have been here day in and day out.”
Scanlon, she said, deserved a chance. She said she liked that he got state approval to institute a 3 percent tax on hotel stays to ease the city’s budget deficit so that homeowners like herself didn’t bear 1oo percent of the burden. It showed creative thinking, she said.
“I’m not saying he’s doing an amazing job right now because we know there’s always room for improvement, but so far what I’ve seen is potential, and potential is all we can ask,” she said. “I see him trying to work things out.”
Regardless of who they supported, voters said they were looking for a mayor to address some of the city’s most glaring problems: The cost and quality of housing and the lack of development on the East Side.
Chonntal Billups, a downtown resident, believed Scanlon was up to the task. She said she believed in his vision for the city at large and for the Black community on Buffalo’s East Side.
“I would like to see the East Side rebuilt. Better roads, better business opportunities, more activities [for young people]. With the Tops situation, we definitely need more grocery stores,” she said.
University District resident Lois Young said she thought Wyatt was best set for the task of improving the East Side. She said Wyatt had proven himself to be a capable leader as her district’s Council member.
“I’ve worked with him in the community and I know his heart,” Young said. “I believe that he allows us to use our voices, and I think he empowers us, and that’s what a great leader does, so that’s why I cast my vote for him.”
West Side voters, too, said they were concerned with the future of Buffalo’s East Side. They expressed concern about the lack of grocery stores, arts and cultural attractions for young people, and the poor quality of housing — all factors they view as driving people away from the city.
But it was housing that animated voters the most. Supporters of both Scanlon and Ryan complained of landlords purchasing properties, making only superficial improvements and charging hundreds of dollars more in rent per month — an issue on both sides of Main Street.
Campaign signs on the West Side.
“You have to make a choice, are you going to pay your rent, or are you going to feed your kids?” said Leon, a Scanlon voter.
“So which one is it going to be? We go straight into having a homeless family, an entire family being homeless, because they can’t afford the place.”
That was something Dean, who voted just ahead of Leon on Albany Street, complained about, too.
“People are on fixed incomes and you’re charging $900 to $1,000 for an apartment you just slapped a coat of paint on,” she said.
She was clear about what she wants to see from City Hall.
“Stop the segregation. Focus on the East Side,” she said. “It’s time for some change. We’re supposed to be the city of good neighbors and we’re not looking like good neighbors right now.”
A North Buffalo voter who wanted only to be known as Stan told Investigative Post he voted for Whitfield, the former fire commissioner, “because he’s the only candidate supporting Good Cause Eviction protections for renters.”
“I’m tired of centrism and incremental change, and the city needs someone with a bold, progressive vision,” Stan said. “Eagerly looking forward to independent candidate Michael Gainer debating whatever tired centrist wins today’s contest.”
