# Politics and government of Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York's government is run by a democratically elected mayor and council of nine members.

## Local government

Buffalo has a Strong mayor–council government. As the chief executive of city government, the mayor oversees the heads of the city's departments, participates in ceremonies, boards and commissions, and serves as the liaison between the city and local cultural institutions. Some agencies, including those for utilities, urban renewal and public housing are state-and-federally funded public benefit-corporations, semi-independent from city government. With its nine districts, the Buffalo Common Council enacts laws, levies taxes, and approves mayoral appointees and the city budget. Darius Pridgen, a pastor, has served as Common Council President since 2014. Generally reflecting the politics of the city's electorate, all nine councilmen are members of the Democratic Party. Buffalo also serves as the seat of Erie County and is within five of the county's eleven legislative districts.
U.S. President Grover Cleveland's short stint as mayor in 1881 grew his stature statewide for opposing local political machines. This would culminate with his party nomination and election as governor in 1883. During the late 1970s, Jimmy Griffin presided over the decline of the city's economy and population while also developing the plans that would later evolve into the city's medical campus, theater district and revitalized waterfront. After Griffin, Anthony Masiello was elected in the early 1990s and faced layoffs, budget cuts, and the state-operated Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority, formed to prevent a potential bankruptcy in the early 2000s. Byron Brown, the city's first African American mayor, a Democrat and the longest-serving mayor, has held the office since 2006 and has helped to end the city's long period of declines and hardship, the result showed when Buffalo had its first population gain in 70 years. No Republican has served as mayor since Chester A. Kowal in 1965.
At the state level, Buffalo is within the Eighth Judicial District. Court cases handled at the city level include misdemeanors, violations, housing matters, and claims under $15,000; more severe cases are handled at the county level. Portions of Buffalo are represented by members of the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate. At the federal level, the city comprises the majority of New York's 26th congressional district and has been represented by Democrat Brian Higgins since 2005.
Federal offices in the city include the Buffalo District of the United States Army Corps of Engineers' Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States District Court for the Western District of New York.
In 2020, the city spent $519 million as it handled the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021–22 city budget has been proposed at $534.5 million, a 2.3% increase over 2020, supplemented by about $50 million in federal stimulus money. The proposal includes a slight raise for the commercial tax, with a slight decrease in the residential tax to compensate for the pandemic.

## Elected officials

Buffalo is the largest of the three cities (Buffalo, Lackawanna, and Tonawanda) within, and is the seat of, Erie County. The municipal government of the City of Buffalo consists of:
| Department | Office Holder | Party |
| Mayor of Buffalo | Byron Brown | D |
| Buffalo Common Council | Rev. Darius G. Pridgen (President) Bryan J. Bollman Mitchell P. Nowakowski Joseph Golombek, Jr. Christopher P. Scanlon (President Pro-Tempore) Joel Feroleto David A. Rivera (Majority Leader) Rasheed Wyatt Ulysses O. Wingo, Sr. | D D D D D D D D D |
| Buffalo Comptroller | Mark J. F. Schroeder | D |
| City Court Judges | Hon. Thomas P. Amodeo (Chief Judge) Hon. Betty Calvo-Torres Hon. Patrick M. Carney Hon. Susan Eagan Hon. Joseph A. Fiorella Hon. Debra Givens Hon. Craig D. Hannah Hon. Barbara Johnson-Lee Hon. Kevin J. Keane Hon. Amy C. Martoche Hon. James A. W. McLeod Hon. JaHarr Pridgen Hon. Robert T. Russell, Jr. Hon. Diane Wray | |

## State elected officials

At the state level, Buffalo is represented in the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly by:
* 2 state senators (60th District and 58th District) in Albany
* 4 assemblymembers (141st District, 142nd District, 144th District and 145th District)
The city is set in one United States House of Representatives Congressional district:
* The 26th (which contains virtually all of Buffalo, which is located in Erie County.

## City departments

As of October 2015 the Buffalo city government was led by:
| Department | Commissioner | Title | Notes |
| Administration, Finance, Policy and Urban Affairs | Donna Estrich | Commissioner of Administration, Finance, Policy and Urban Affairs | |
| Assessment and Taxation Department | Martin F. Kennedy | Commissioner, Department of Assessment and Taxation | |
| Audit & Control | Mark J. F. Schroeder | Buffalo City Comptroller | |
| Board of Education | James Sampson Theresa Harris-Tigg Jason M. McCarthy Sharon Belton-Cottman Patti Bowers Pierce Mary Ruth Kapsiak Carl Paladino (REMOVED 8/17/17) Larry Quinn Barbara Seals Nevergold Ameer Dunston | President Vice President of Student Achievement Vice President of Executive Affairs Student Board Member | West District Representative East District Representative North District Representative Ferry District Representative Member-at-Large Central District Representative Park District Representative Member-at-Large Member-at-Large |
| Buffalo Arts Commission | Catherine Gillespie David Granville Donald J. Siuta James Cooper Thomas Chestnut Kathleen Rooney Susana Tejada Joanna Angie Gerald Mead James Pappas Catherine Linder Spencer Ted Pietrzak Elisabeth Clarkson | Chair | Mayoral Appointee Mayoral Appointee Mayoral Appointee Mayoral Appointee Mayoral Appointee Mayoral Appointee Mayoral Appointee Common Council Appointee Common Council Appointee Common Council Appointee Common Council Appointee Common Council Appointee Honorary Commissioner |
| Buffalo Police Department | Daniel Derenda | Commissioner | |
| Buffalo Sewer Authority | | | For the 28th year in a row GFOA issues Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to Buffalo Sewer Authority. |
| Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA) | Byron W. Brown Darius Pridgen Christopher P. Scanlon Brendan Mehaffy Timothy Ball Donna Estrich Joseph Golombek, Jr. Dominick Bonifacio | Chairman Council President Councilmember E.D. of the City's Strategic Planning Corporation Counsel Commissioner of Administration & Finance North District Councilmember | |
| Buffalo Water Authority | Oluwole McFoy William Sunderlin Gerald E. Kelly Michael Finn | Chairperson Vice Chairperson Board Member Board Member | |
| Citizen Services | Oswaldo Mestre | Director of Citizen Services | |
| Office of City Clerk | Gerald Chwalinski | Department Head | |
| Civil Service | | | |
| Commission on Citizens' Rights and Community Relations | Crystal J. Rodriguez Kenneth Simmons Sherrill W. Colston John Calvin Davis Dana Floriano David Granville Sheila Wallace Gary Wilson Zaw Win | Department Head Interim Chairperson Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member | |
| Community Services and Recreational Programming | Otis Barker | Deputy Commissioner | |
| Emergency Management Services | Garnell W. Whitfield, Jr. | Commissioner | |
| Buffalo Fire Department | Garnell W. Whitfield, Jr. | Commissioner | |
| Human Resources | Gladys Herndon-Hill | Commissioner | |
| Law Department | Timothy A. Ball | Corporation Counsel | |
| Management Information Systems | Kenneth M. Barnes | Chief information officer | |
| Office of Senior Services | | | |
| Office of Strategic Planning | Brendan R. Mehaffy | Executive Director | |
| Parking Department | Kevin Helfer | Commissioner | |
| Permit and Inspection Services | James Comerford, Jr. | Commissioner | |
| Public Works, Parks & Streets | Steven Stepniak | Commissioner | |
| Real Estate | Christie Nelson | Director of Real Estate | |
| Telecommunications, Utilities and Franchises | T. Tarapacki | | |

## History

Buffalo has a rich and infamous history with presidential politics. Two presidents hail from Buffalo: Millard Fillmore (13th President) and Grover Cleveland (22nd and 24th President).
In 1910, the city had a Common Council and a Board of Alderman. The alderman were elected from 25 wards to form the Board of Alderman. The board had 23 committees. The Common Council consisted of 8 elected councilors. In addition to the mayor, the voters elected the following executive branch officials, corporate counsel, superintendent of education, overseer of the poor, commissioner of public works, the comptroller, treasurer and the three assessor of the Board of Assessors. The comptroller and treasurer were both members of the Board of Finance. The mayor appointed the members of the boards of fire commissioners (of which the mayor is a member), police, school examiners, jubilee water commissioner, pluming and water commissioners and the board of trustees for the Grosvernor Library and the commissioners on the civil service and playground commissions. The mayor also appointed the health commissioner, superintendent of markets, examiner of street engines, inspector of steam boilers, harbor master and oil inspector. The board of health consisted of the mayor, health commissioner and commissioner of public works. Along with his two mayoral appointed directors, the mayor, superintendent of education and another official serves as directors of public library. The city had seven all ex officio boards on which the mayor served on all but the back tax commission, which consisted of the comptroller, counsel and an assessor.