Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan gets started on his first full week in office Monday, and getting a clear assessment of the ongoing battle between the Buffalo Common Council and comptroller is near the top of his to-do list.
A legal battle between City Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams and the Council has gone on for months, with Miller-Williams recently filing an appeal to avoid issuing bonds for the 2025 Capital Budget. She has also released a report objecting to the 2026 Capital Budget.
"My hope is that new people at the table make new relationships," Ryan said with WBEN on Monday morning.
The comptroller opposes the former Mayor's Capital Vudgets, which have been passed by the Buffalo Common Council, exceeding her proposed debt cap limit.
"I'm going to be meeting the comptroller soon, we're going to review the court case that's pending," Ryan said. "My goal is that when there are adults in the room, and adults are behaving like they should be, there should be no court cases."
Ryan echoed the concerns of the Council and the previous Mayor, Chris Scanlon, in saying the delay on construction projects because of the lack of bonding has hurt the city.
"We need to bring that dispute to an end as soon as possible, all with the idea that we need to have construction started to improve our roads as soon as the weather permits," he said.
Currently, arguments in that appeal are set to be heard next month.