On Tuesday night, Byron Brown was re-elected to his third straight term as mayor of Buffalo.
In an election in which under 35,000 peoplevoted, Brown, who was the Democratic candidate, defeated the Republican candidate Sergio Rodriguez with 70 percent of the vote, according to an unofficial tally of 96 percent of ballots cast by time of press.
In a packed Statler Hotel ballroom in downtown Buffalo, Brown and his supporters celebrated his victory.
"The next four years, we'll continue to build and market Buffalo's strengths and successes," Brown said. "Tonight is about where Buffalo is going."
With the low voter turnout in the mayoral election, students noticed the same low participation among college students.
"I think it's disgusting how apathetic students are," said Alana Barricks, a senior political science major who worked for Rodriguez over the summer. "Today I was the first student to vote at the UB Polling location and it was halfway through the day.
Daniel Giles, a junior political science major and Student Association Senate chair, echoed Barricks, who is the president of UB's College Republican.
Giles went to two polling places - one in the Student Union and the other at Gloria J. Parks Community Center by South Campus - and, at both, he learned he was one of the first student voters of the day.
"I think it's shameful that more voters didn't vote, but at the same time I'm a little ashamed of myself for not even trying to get out the vote," Giles said. "I've campaigned on the floor for SA elections before, and I wish I had thought to get out the vote today, not even for any particular candidates, but to get people involved in our electoral system. If people have a problem with the way government is run now, voting is a simple and proactive way to voice your opinions."
Brown's campaign budget, which used over $1.2 million in the re-election effort, was significantly higher than the Rodriguez campaign's total of $26,653.
Many local and state politicians backed Brown in his re-election efforts, including endorsements from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, State Assemblyperson Crystal People-Stokes and Rep. Brian Higgins.
Brown, who served as a state Senator before he was elected mayor in 2005, ran on a platform of a "stronger, safer, smarter" Buffalo, something he said he propelled the city into over the past eight years. He also noted the current economic progress and future downtown developments as major feats of his administration.
Rodriguez, a former marine, a small business owner and an administrator at Medaille College, focused his campaign on two issues in particular: He pushed for more mayoral control of the city's schools and increased foot patrols in Buffalo's Police Department.
Rodriguez, who has never held a political office, campaigned heavily on the streets, oftentimes talking to citizens on a door-to-door basis. His efforts ultimately failed, mainly because he was unable to steal votes from Democratic voters - who make up about 73 percent of the city.
Brown has taken some credit for booming downtown areas, particularly the new HarborCenter developments and the waterfront. Brown had a major role in selecting the Buffalo Sabres HarborCenter project to fill the Webster Block - a plan that will cost $172 million and create over 600 jobs - according to his website. The facility will contain two ice rinks, a hotel, restaurant, retail centers and parking.
Eighty percent of voters think the city is on the "right track," according toSiena College polls conducted in August.
Brown claims he has made the streets of Buffalo safer with his Zero Tolerance Policy, which was designed to "eliminate quality of life crimes throughout Buffalo - targeting street-level drug activity, graffiti vandalism, and excessive noise disturbances," according to his campaign website.
There has been over $1.7 billion in investment throughout the City of Buffalo over the past decade or so. Although Brown isn't directly responsible for the influx of support, he has said his administration has created an atmosphere that attracts investors.
Other notable victories of the local elections include Incumbent Republican Timothy Howard, who was elected Erie County Sheriff; Incumbent Republican Stefan Mychajliw, who was elected Erie County Comptroller; and Incumbent Republican Barry Weinstein, who was elected Town of Amherst Supervisor.
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Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
