Aug 14
2025
Feds fault Scanlon campaign for Hatch Act violations
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Federal investigators last week ruled that Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon’s campaign violated laws prohibiting elected officials from using their offices or public resources for political gain.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel found the acting mayor’s campaign on four occasions violated the federal Hatch Act:
- Issuing a press release “using official City of Buffalo resources” attacking state Sen. Sean Ryan in response to Ryan’s criticism of conditions at the city’s animal shelter.
- Mailing invitations to a December fundraiser using the mayor’s office in City Hall as the return address on the envelopes.
- Publishing links to the Scanlon campaign’s social media pages on the city’s website.
- Attaching a campaign poster to a city street sign.
Investigative Post reported the first three of those violations when they occurred.
The press release critical of Ryan — who defeated Scanlon in the June 24 Democratic primary — came the day after the senator held a Saturday morning press conference outside the city’s animal shelter, calling conditions there “unacceptable,”“dangerous” and “a failure of leadership.”
Scanlon responded the following day with a press release saying the city had “identified a new location for a future shelter” that will open in 2026.
Donate to support our nonprofit newsroom“While Senator Sean Ryan will spend today talking about what’s wrong with the city and stirring emotions, during his 13 years in Albany he hasn’t provided a single dollar or worked with the city to develop any solutions or secure state funding to support the animal shelter,” Scanlon’s press release continued. “Talk is easy—leadership takes action. And that’s exactly what we’re delivering.”
The feds concluded this amounted to the use of “an official agency communication” in “prohibited political activity.” They issued a warning letter to Scanlon indicating further transgressions would be considered “willful and knowing” and “could result in disciplinary action.”
The Office of Special Counsel declined to take further action, however, noting that Scanlon had the press release removed from the city’s website after investigators advised him about “the Hatch Act concerns it raised.”
Likewise, the feds declined to penalize the Scanlon campaign for the other three violations, noting that they “appear true” but had been remedied.
They also noted that “Scanlon is no longer seeking reelection,” rendering the issue moot.
The feds launched their inquiry into the Scanlon campaign’s activity in response to a May 28 complaint from Buffalo resident Nathan Feist, an observer and critic of city government. The office of Special Counsel released its findings to Feist in a letter dated Aug. 4.
Feist alleged eight violations of the Hatch Act by the acting mayor’s campaign. Investigators dismissed four of those, including Feist’s allegation that “anonymous city hall employees reported pressure to donate to, volunteer for, or work for Mayor Scanlon’s campaign while on duty.” The Office of Special Counsel “found no evidence” to support that.
Feist’s complaint also took issue with taxpayers footing the bill for overtime paid to the police officer who served as Scanlon’s driver during the primary campaign season. Between last November and the end of June, Officer DeQuinn Saunders earned more than $100,000 in overtime — an average of more than $5,000 per two-week pay period.
The Office of Special Counsel ruled the increased overtime was okay, so long as the services Saunders provided were within the normal scope of activity for a cop assigned to the mayor.
A candidate for public office “may utilize agency resources — such as police department personnel serving on a security detail — to provide routine services they normally would, even if it relates to campaign activity,” the office wrote to Feist.
Investigative Post reported last week that Saunders’ overtime pay topped $7,500 for the pay period that included the June 24 primary. Saunders donated $389 to Scanlon’s campaign fund before the South District council member became acting mayor last October and $1,500 the week before the primary.
A spokesman for the acting mayor did not respond to a request for comment.
