Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - After weeks on the campaign trail to earn the votes of city residents, the five Democratic candidates for Mayor of Buffalo now await the results of Tuesday's primary election to see which individual will have their name on the ballot come November's general election for City Hall.
While it appears that Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon and State Sen. Sean Ryan remain the front runners to earn the Democratic nomination, others like University District Councilman Rasheed Wyatt, former Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield Jr. and Anthony Tyson Thompson are still working to earn the votes of Buffalo residents.
WBEN caught up with all five candidates ahead of Tuesday's primary election, as they provide some final thoughts before residents head to the polls:
Chris Scanlon
There's plenty of excitement and energy surrounding Scanlon's campaign, as several members of his team, as well as volunteers have been busy going door-to-door in the City of Buffalo to make the final push ahead of Primary Day.
"As this thing kind of winds down here the last day, just really proud of the work that our team has put in, the way people have stepped up and the amount of time they've invested in this campaign. I'm just extremely proud of everyone, and very humbled by the fact that they're willing to do that and the amount of support that we've received across the City of Buffalo," said Mayor Scanlon with WBEN. "On a daily basis, I'm moving around the city, and the amount of support we've received from people, whether it be verbally, financially, their time and efforts that they put in, requesting lawn signs, whatever it might be, it's been a very humbling experience to have the type of support that we've had. And I'm just really excited for [Tuesday]."
Buffalo's Acting Mayor feels that his team's outlook for the City of Buffalo's future is very different than the other candidates.
"I think if you hear from my opponents, there's a lot of doom and gloom, a lot of negative talk about the City of Buffalo and how things are terrible, and our best days are behind us. But I don't feel that way. I'm extremely optimistic, I'm very bullish on Buffalo, and I think if you want to lead the city of Buffalo forward, you should have that mentality. That's how I feel, that's how our team feels about the future of the City of Buffalo," Scanlon boldly stated. "I'm extremely proud of our campaign. There's some people in this race that have gotten pretty ugly and pretty negative, and pulled an awful lot of lies about me, in particular. They're not true, but we've tried to stay above the fray, and I think we stayed on message just about what we want to do here in the City of Buffalo with our residents, and on behalf of our residents. So most of all, I'm just extremely proud of the team."
Scanlon says he's honored to have had the privilege of serving the City of Buffalo as mayor for the last eight months, and he's hoping to have another four years in office to better serve the community.
"To be able to get up and go to work every day to improve the lives of nearly 300,000 Buffalonians, it's an incredible responsibility. It's a responsibility, the importance of which is not lost on me, and it's something that I absolutely love to do," he said. "I love to work with our residents, our businesses, our partners in government at the different levels, our nonprofit sector, our private sector, to make sure that we're headed in the right direction. And just looking forward to hopefully having the opportunity to do that for another four years, and work with our residents to make sure that Buffalo is the best version of itself."
It was nearly a month ago that Scanlon filed for the Independent line with the mayoral race, in the case that he happens to lose the primary election for the Democratic bid. Despite that, he feels very positive about what Tuesday night will hold.
"For some reason, should something not go our way, I have every intention of seeing this race through to November," Scanlon said. "I talk about the level of support that we've received, and during the Democratic petitioning process, we were getting volunteers out collecting more than 7,000 signatures, during the Independent nominating process, more than 3,000 signatures. So based on the amount of effort that people have put into this campaign and have been willing to put into it, I think it'd be disrespectful of me to not see things through, considering they're all in. So I'm all in until November."
Sean Ryan
Over the last few weeks, Ryan has really felt the community starting to come together to fully back his run for Mayor of Buffalo.
"People really focus in on the weeks before the campaign, and people are sensing there's a lot at stake. People are really looking for a change in how the City of Buffalo is run," said Ryan in an interview with WBEN. "They want a brand new approach, and I'm the person that's going to bring them the brand new approach."
The endorsed candidate by the Erie County Democratic Committee has been hearing residents of Buffalo who talk with him about the disappointment of past leadership in the City of Buffalo. He knows the people have a choice in this race, and feels they're going to exercise their right to that choice by voting in this pivotal election.
There are two factors that Ryan feels he has done very well at over the course of his campaign for Buffalo Mayor.
"It's highlighting that we're not doing the basics - the potholes, the community centers, the plowing - but also being honest of our assessment," Ryan said. "We've got to get the basics done right, but we also have to take on the big, tough problems we have in the City of Buffalo."
Ryan is hopeful that people of Buffalo will see him as candidate who has a history of getting accomplishments done for the people of Western New York in state government.
"People are cautious, they've heard empty promises over the years. They like my concrete plans on how to rebuild neighborhoods, they like my concrete plans about how to make sure the City of Buffalo is applying for federal and state money that they often don't even apply for. And they like the fact that I'm acknowledging that we have a city of inequity," he said. "We have parts of the city that we're disinvested in, and we know that if we all achieve for this better Buffalo, our mythical better Buffalo, we can't get that if we're leaving the East Side behind."
Ryan remains very optimistic that the people are coming out to vote because they want a change, and feel they deserve a better Buffalo.
"It's your city. If you perceive that we need to do things different, we need to do things better and that we deserve a better Buffalo, then I'm asking for your vote," Ryan said.
Ryan also reiterates that if he doesn't win the Democratic primary come Tuesday night, he does not have any intentions of being in the mayoral race come November.
Rasheed Wyatt
While Wyatt has been seen among the candidates with less likely of a chance to earn the Democratic nomination for November's general election for mayor, he is proud of the work his team has put in over the last several weeks.
"Considering that we didn't have the money that others have, I'm very happy, very excited for the folks who stood with me, got petitions and phone banked for me. So I'm very elated for their participation and belief in me," said Wyatt with WBEN.
"I think getting people who were not in the electorate, people who weren't involved in the process, my campaign manager, Willie Morris, did a phenomenal job with people who this is probably one of the first elections [with a new candidate]. I was really happy with that, and in the end, I'm so proud of the perseverance that we put forth. Not worrying about who didn't give us money, but just continuing to stand and fighting for the people of the City of Buffalo against these high taxes, and just people in the government that just seems to not care about the people."
The University District Councilman is hoping the residents of Buffalo have seen the efforts he's put in while serving on the Common Council. While he acknowledges he's only one Council member, he believes he's always had the voice and concerns of the people at the forefront of his campaign.
"When people try to include me in those politicians that just went along, I didn't. So I hope people remember that, and vote for someone that's going to be a fighter for them," Wyatt said. "We're in a crisis right now, and we're not talking enough about the financial issue as it affects all citizens of the City of Buffalo. So I hope people will color me in and vote for Rasheed N.C. Wyatt for Mayor of the City of Buffalo."
While Wyatt will still have his seat as University District Councilman at the end of the day, his plan right now is to see what Tuesday holds for his campaign before making any further decisions on pursuing the mayor's office.
"I'm hopeful I'll be victorious, but once the decision is made, I'll sit down with the people who have been around me through this whole process and talk to them, along with my family, and decide how we move forward," he said.
Garnell Whitfield Jr.
Knowing his status in the race of Mayor of Buffalo, Whitfield Jr. feels his campaign has gone about as well as it could.
"I think we've run an honorable campaign. I think we have strong messaging, I think it's resonated with voters. I'm excited about what we'll find out [Tuesday]," said Whitfield Jr. in an interview with WBEN.
While Whitfield Jr. knows the millions of dollars being spent across other campaigns in this election, he takes pride in his campaign being more about the people of Buffalo and what's best for residents across the city.
"Our campaign is run with integrity, and it is representative of the people. I think the people see that, and I think they will come out and support us [Tuesday], that's what I'm hearing," Whitfield Jr. said. "We're very proud of the campaign that we've run, basically boots on the ground with my family and I, and a few volunteers. But I think our message, again, has resonated with this community. They want change, and these other candidates represent the same old, same old. That's the truth of the matter. When you look behind them and see who's supporting them, you understand what's going on."
Whitfield Jr. is another candidate in the mayoral election that is planning to continue his run for City Hall after the Democratic primary on Tuesday. However, he is displeased with his petitions for the Independent ballot being questions by other candidates.
"We think that's undemocratic, and we think this whole process has been slanted to those who are bought and paid for. That is not the democratic way, that is not the American way. People should have a problem with that," Whitfield Jr. said.
"Make no mistake about it, this is a movement. This is not just about the mayoral race, this is a movement to empower the people in this community and this city in a way they have not been prior to this. We plan to work diligently going forward, no matter what."
Despite the attempts of other candidates to keep Whitfield Jr. off the ballot come November, he is grateful for the continued support from the community at large not just in this election, but over the years in his role as the former Buffalo Fire Commissioner.
"I look forward to continuing to work diligently on their behalf going forward," he said. "And I would suggest that we need to assert ourselves. We need to exercise our right to vote. Only 23,000 people voted in the last mayoral primary out of 270,000, 280,000 people. I believe in the city there's some apathy, there's some hopelessness in our community, and I'm praying that will not be the case this time. That people will get up, raise their voices and be the change that they want to see. They can do that by voting for Garnell Whitfield. I look forward to serving them, and to bring about a new day in the City of Buffalo."
Anthony Tyson Thompson
While Thompson has acknowledged that a number of media outlets have tried to write him off as an underdog or a wild card, he strongly believes his message has resonated throughout Buffalo, and continues to build momentum.
"East and West, North and South Buffalo, it's the fact that I'm able to see people," Thompson said with WBEN. "My campaign isn't about raising millions of dollars, it's about raising our community up, and people are starting to recognize that. I've been a part of the forums, I've been leading the conversations, debates, and also been doing the real work of how to transform the City of Buffalo. We're facing a lot of structural and systemic issues, how can we really address the systems to make change in the City of Buffalo? I think we can't keep expecting a new Buffalo from the same old, same old leaders who've been just giving us status quo. We need a new vision and more dynamic leadership, and that's my intent to represent."
Thompson feels given his life experience, being born and raised in East Buffalo, widely seen as one of the most challenged parts of the city, he sees his path to this point as a sign that nothing is impossible.
"I say that showing people that Buffalo is possible, that Buffalo does have greatness in it, and we all have the capacity to do it. This candidacy really represents more of an inclusive 'we' than just 'me'. It's less about me and what I can do. It's how can we come together as one city to move Buffalo forward?" Thompson noted. "I think I've been able to campaign without having to use jargon, without having to rely so much on big donors and deep pockets. But to really mobilize, engage into a ground game of connecting with people, and making sure they are at the center of everything that I do."
Unlike some of the other candidates in this race, Thompson is strongly of the belief that if you don't come out on the winning end of a primary race for your given party, the respectful way to go about it is to bow out gracefully.
"We see right now that the reason why everybody is running on Independent lines and third-party lines, it's because they're fighting for power, not for progress. That's a real issue," he said. "I'm running as a Democrat of this city, and if the people choose one of the other electeds, I'll really consider if that person will receive my support."
Ultimately, Thompson believes he will not plan on running for office again, if he comes out on the losing end of the Democratic primary.
"I'll take it as a note in the other ways that I could serve, but in terms of running for office again, I know people will try to say, 'Oh, he's a young guy. He'll be back around.' No, that's not it," Thompson explained. "We need Buffalo's leadership to change now, transform right now, because Buffalo can't wait. There's so many structural and systemic issues in the city that needs to be addressed now. I'm young, I have new vision, I have bold and dynamic leadership. I have the qualifications to outrank almost every person."
Thompson's message for voters heading to the polls on Tuesday for Primary Day is not only get out and vote, but also know who and what you are voting for in the City of Buffalo.
"Your power as a voter is no more powerful than at the local level," he said. "I know when we talk about presidential elections and statewide elections, it gets really abstract really fast. But with five candidates running, this is the first time there's been a primary of this size, and three of them happen to be people of color or Black. This is a diversity of ideas and perspectives and points, and the local level is where everything matters. Your garbage collections, your potholes, the economy. Things that really impact the day-to-day life of our community residents is at the local election. There's five people running, get to learn all of them. Know who they are, the platform they stands on."