Mayor Brown: the GOAT of Buffalo Politics – Stepping Down

After months of rumor and speculation, it’s official. Mayor Byron Brown announced he would be stepping down from City Hall to become the CEO of Off Track Betting of the Western Region at a salary of over 250 grand a year.

Upon hearing the news, I had the same feeling I had after I retired from the Fire Department. It’s a feeling of relief – he got out unscathed and with his reputation and legacy secured.

I always understood politics for a Black politician is a hazardous profession where there is no shortage of haters and police salivating to see him perp walked across McKinley Square.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 18 years since Byron Brown was sworn in as the 62nd Mayor of Buffalo on January 1, 2006. From day one, it was immediately apparent that he was going to be a special kind of leader who had a vision for this city few others could foresee. He talked the talk and walked the walk. Brown’s relentless work ethic and drive has resulted in the transformation of a city that was on its last legs and near bankruptcy before he took office in 2006. His unrelenting hard-working dedication to his mission of uplifting this community resulted in a Buffalo renaissance that was simply unimaginable twenty years ago.

Mayor Brown made it okay to be proud of Buffalo, NY. Residents cannot really appreciate him now, but we will soon learn politicians like Byron come once in a generation.

Quiet as it’s kept, Byron should have risen to the highest ranks of politics. If the chips had fallen in another direction, Byron could have been Governor, but he was born to be Mayor of Buffalo, NY. He will go down as the GOAT of Buffalo politics.

So now, what? With Brown stepping down, it appears the line of succession will fall onto the current Council President Chris Scanlon, who will serve as interim mayor until the General Election in 2025. There will be many ready and able candidates poised to take on the young South Buffalo lad. Already – former Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield has thrown his hat in the ring.