Latest news with #ChrisScanlon
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chris Scanlon dropping out of Buffalo mayor race
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon is discontinuing his third-party bid and dropping out of the mayoral race, the Board of Elections confirmed. Scanlon, who has served as Buffalo's acting mayor since October, lost the Democratic primary on Tuesday to State Senator Sean Ryan, who had the endorsement of the Erie County Democratic Committee. Ryan won by 11 points, getting 46.4% of the vote as compared to Scanlon's 35.2%. The margin was more than 3,000 votes. In a statement, Scanlon said the decision was 'incredibly difficult' and 'heartbreaking.' 'I am profoundly grateful to the thousands of people who believed in our vision for Buffalo and cast their votes in support of our campaign. Your trust, your hope, and your belief in the future we imagined together will stay with me forever.' He said he looks forward to continuing to serve the people of Buffalo for the remainder of his term. Scanlon's decision helps clear Ryan's path in the November general election, but it won't be without a fight. Republicans have a candidate in the race, former assistant district attorney James Gardner, but registered Democrats heavily out-weigh registered Republicans in the city, about 96,000 compared to about 15,000. Michael Gainer is also running an independent campaign with the Restore Buffalo party. 'Though we have at times disagreed about the best policies and strategies to move Buffalo forward, I know that Chris Scanlon sincerely has Buffalo's best interests at heart,' Ryan said in a statement. 'I believe the vigorous discourse about our city's future during the primary has made me a stronger candidate and will help make Buffalo a better city. As the Democratic nominee, I plan to be a uniter, and I extend my hand to anyone who wants to be part of building a better Buffalo. I applaud the acting mayor's support for party unity by withdrawing his independent line.' Sean Ryan wins Buffalo Democratic mayor primary Once November's winner takes office, Scanlon will revert back to his role in the Common Council, where he has served Buffalo for over a decade. Scanlon delivered a short but emotional concession speech Tuesday night, thanking his supporters and apologizing for the loss. Before the primary he filed to run an independent campaign under the Good Neighbors party line. Ryan had spent the recent weeks and months on the offensive against Scanlon, criticizing a number of his policies. That included the city's $622 million budget, which passed under Scanlon's watch earlier this year, and Ryan has said that he is against a hotel bed tax. He has also pointed out donations made to Scanlon from a family member of Carl Paladino, a former gubernatorial and congressional candidate who is a supporter of President Donald Trump and has a history of outlandish and racist comments. Scanlon, who had been undecided in recent days about staying in the race, is now the second candidate to leave the race since Tuesday. Former fire commissioner Garnell Whitfield, who came in fourth with 7.7% of the vote, left the race on Wednesday after previously filing for an independent campaign. The general election is on Nov. 4. Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scanlon remains undecided on mayoral run ahead of Friday deadline
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon remains undecided on whether he will continue his run for mayor in November's general election after he lost the Democratic primary to State Senator Sean Ryan by 3,000 votes. The deadline to decide to come off of the third-party ballot line, the Good Neighbors party, is on Friday, or it needs to be postmarked by tomorrow and received by Tuesday. On WIVB News 4's Ask the Mayor segment Thursday, Scanlon said he needs to have more conversations with his team before making an official announcement on his campaign's future. 'A lot of these conversations you have when you're making a decision like this, it doesn't just impact you,' Scanlon said. 'If it only impacted me, it's very easy for me to make the decision, but there's other people in my life — whether it's family or other people — that these decisions can impact, so it's about having those conversations and making sure that everyone's on the same page.' Scanlon said Tuesday's loss caught him off guard, but that he has continued to receive support since then. 'We tried to get as many of our supporters out as possible,' he said. 'Maybe we didn't do a good enough job at that, but again, over the course of the next few days, we'll continue to have those conversations about moving forward.' Aside from the mayoral primary, Scanlon spoke about the city's plan to sell parking ramps and said the next step is to appoint members to the parking authority. Scanlon also said the city's pools will open on July 1 and that splash pads and cooling centers will also be in operation this summer. He encouraged children to get involved with a variety of summer programs, which can be found here. Watch the full Ask the Mayor segment in the video player above. Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sylvia's House to remain open after winning temporary restraining order
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A temporary restraining order was issued by a State Supreme Court justice on Monday to keep Sylvia's House, a homeless shelter in Buffalo, open, Neighborhood Legal Services announced Wednesday. Sylvia's House, located at 1947 Bailey Ave., was ordered to close last Thursday after the city said it was not permitted to operate as a homeless shelter and needed an inspection. The shelter had been open for around one week and its residents took to protesting last week to voice their opposition. 'The Court found that the balance of equity tips in the favor of Sylvia's House until a full hearing can be conducted,' said Todd Schiffmacher, Neighborhood Legal Services' housing unit supervising attorney. 'The people who use the services at Sylvia's House have little to no other options to find the essential services provided at Sylvia's House. If it closes, many vulnerable people would be forced to live on the streets.' Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon previously said the closure was due to safety concerns and activity that was 'negatively impacting the neighborhood.' Neighborhood Legal Services said the city never inspected the site, which houses 65 people. The shelter's founder and director, Felicia Cruz, previously said she was not aware that she needed to have a permit. Sylvia's House operates in the rectory of the New Life Harvest Church of God In Christ, which Neighborhood Legal Services said has a special use permit through the city. A statement from Scanlon's office and Buffalo Common Council President Bryan Bollman said the residents were living in 'unsanitary conditions' and that the shelter 'illegally begun using the dilapidated former rectory' as a shelter 'unbeknownst to the city.' Oral arguments will take place on June 27. Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Whitfield drops out of Buffalo mayoral race, Scanlon remains undecided
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — State Senator Sean Ryan will run for Buffalo mayor on the Democratic Party line this November after winning the primary election, but uncertainty remains for who will continue their campaigns through the general election. State Senator Sean Ryan came out on top Tuesday night, beating acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon in the Democratic primary. Ryan believes his time spent working in Albany is what set him apart from the other candidates. Sean Ryan wins Buffalo Democratic mayor primary 'The state experience is vitally important because I know what state government funds,' Ryan said. 'I know when cities come to Albany to ask for help, how to ask for it and how the state responds to it.' Scanlon closed out the night 3,000 votes behind Ryan, with most of Scanlon's success being in South Buffalo. He was emotional when talking about the effort his team put into his campaign. 'I can't tell you how much it means to me,' Scanlon said. 'Just the hours that went into this, I can't thank you enough.' Prior to the results on Tuesday, Scanlon said he will be on the ballot in November and that he secured the Good Neighbors party, but as of Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for Scanlon said he has not decided if he will run again and will be discussing further with his family. How did each area of Buffalo vote in the mayoral primary? Former Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield told WIVB News 4 Wednesday evening that he is officially stepping down and out of the race with no intention of running as a third-party candidate. He went on to say that he and his team are going to stay involved in the community, but it will be in a different way rather than pursuing the mayor's office. He concluded by saying he will pursue justice and equity for people in Buffalo moving forward and will hold elected officials accountable. Community activist Michael Gainer could be on the ballot after successfully creating his own line: the Restore Buffalo Party Line. Winners of town supervisor primary races around Western New York 'I'm running for Mayor because Buffalo deserves a choice in this election. Sean Ryan is the handpicked candidate of the same Democratic Party machine that's overseen Buffalo's decades of decline,' Republican endorsed candidate James Gardner said in a statement. 'Our city is struggling, downtown is hollowing out, crime is rising, and working families are getting squeezed. With the support of the Republican and Conservative parties, I'm taking my campaign to every block club, every neighborhood, and every voter looking for a safer, stronger, and more affordable Buffalo. I welcome every voter who cares about our city to join our campaign.' The general election will be held on Nov. 4. Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
2 injured in shooting at Canalside
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Two people were shot at Buffalo's Canalside on Monday night and suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to a Buffalo spokesperson. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon said at a press conference that the incident took place just before 8 p.m., with officers arriving on the scene within 90 seconds. Scanlon said the victims are a 23-year-old male who was shot multiple times and taken to the Erie County Medical Center, and a 19-year-old male who was shot once in the leg and taken to Kenmore Mercy Hospital. 'Preliminary information indicates that this was a targeted incident,' Scanlon said. 'The detectives have since been able to recover a significant amount of video evidence as well as some DNA, which we will submit to the Erie County Central Police Services Lab,' said Craig Macy, chief of detectives. 'We have since been able to gain a direction of flight that the suspects took. There was two suspects, there is still videos that were captured … we are looking for any assistance in identifying those two subjects that were involved in this. As the mayor said, given the information that we have we believe that this is a targeted shooting.' Police did not recover the weapons, but did recover shell casings on the scene, Scanlon said. This is a developing story, and we will update as more information becomes available. *** Mark Ludwiczak joined the News 4 team in 2024. He is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in Buffalo. You can follow him online at @marklud12. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
