STATEMENT FROM SENATOR SEAN RYAN REGARDING BUFFALO CITY BUDGET

New York State Senator Sean Ryan

April 18, 2025, New York State Senator Sean Ryan released the following statement regarding the Buffalo city budget:

“If the acting mayor truly has no choice but to choose between job cuts and a massive tax increase, make no mistake: It is because he has created a budget deficit by repeatedly rubber-stamping unbalanced budgets. This obvious effort to shift the blame cannot be allowed to distract from the fact that the proposed budget is once again ‘balanced’ on unrealistic spending projections and imaginary revenue.

 “I will support any legislation that would help the city, but it is the acting mayor’s responsibility to demonstrate that his proposals are fiscally sound. As of today, he has not yet done so effectively, as evidenced by the harsh reviews from The Buffalo News, Investigative Post, and former Erie County Budget Director Ken Kruly.

 “Working collaboratively with partners in the state government will be critical if the city hopes to dig out of the fiscal crisis it has created. I urge the acting mayor to engage my colleagues and I directly instead of needlessly politicizing the process through the media and surrogates.

“As the city’s finance commissioner and the acting mayor testified yesterday, neither of the proposals needs to be passed immediately. There is no reason for the state legislature to eschew the typical legislative process and rush to rubber stamp these bills without doing our due diligence. I will continue to gather facts and speak with stakeholders before deciding whether to support this legislation before the end of the legislative session.”