Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The annual St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute Political Debate highlights the biggest local race in Western New York, and draws some of the top politicians to Buffalo to discuss some of the hot button topics of a political race.
This year's political debate highlighted the anticipated election for Buffalo Mayor this coming Election Day on Nov. 4 between State Sen. Sean Ryan (D), Republican candidate James Gardner, and Michael Gainer running on the Independent ballot.
For more than an hour, each candidate tackled a number of different topics and issues surrounding the City of Buffalo, including "one-party rule", crime, food insecurity, lessons from the Christmas Weekend blizzard in 2022, the city's fiscal challenges and more.
Gardner feels the City of Buffalo is on the brink with the ongoing problems residents face on a daily basis.
"I think anybody who listens to me and has been to any of the events that I've been to would be able to tell you that I'm not some 'stamped' candidate. I think I'm incredibly well versed on the issues that are facing the City of Buffalo," said Gardner following Thursday's debate. "I've worked very hard to understand all the challenges that are facing the City of Buffalo, and it's going to be an ongoing effort as we move forward, because we don't really know the full extent of the city budget deficit that's before us."
Gardner was also in the race last year for Erie County District Attorney, where he lost the race to incumbent Michael Keane, who was already serving as the Acting DA at the time. However, he feels last year's race highlighted a lot of the issues that are very prevalent in this year's race, especially when it comes to crime.
"Crime is a huge problem in the City of Buffalo. It's the top of every agenda of every block club that I've been to, every forum that I've been to. People care very deeply about it, because they don't feel safe in their neighborhoods. They don't feel safe in the city. And they know I'm the candidate who can fix it," Gardner said boldly. "That is what is so important, that's what's different about this race. People are desperate for any kind of help to make this city more livable again, and with my track record in the criminal justice system, both as a prosecutor and a law clerk, I have the background and the capability to actually deliver on the issues that are most concerning to city residents."
While he may not be a politician at heart, Gainer has been a community organizer and small business owner in Buffalo over the last 20 years. He feels he is someone who thinks creatively to solve problems in the community, and has a vision of bringing the community together to think outside the box and bring positive change to the city.
"I want people that are coming to the table, not living in the shadows out of fear of retribution or a lack of funding. This is what single-party rule has done for our city," said Gainer following Thursday's debate. "There are so many people over the last three, four months, that have denied meeting with me for fear of what might happen. People that aren't sharing their voices and their ideas. That has been the politics of division. We need a uniter, someone that brings in more talent, more perspective, more discourse, more debate, more ideas, more long-term vision. That's how we move forward in this city. That's how we help to achieve our potential."
Gainer is frustrated and disappointed by the fact that too many people in Buffalo feel disempowered by what's transpired in the city since arriving in the community.
"I don't know how many people during petitioning that would say, 'It doesn't matter, they're going to do whatever they're going to do anyway.' I think that that's a really sad moment in history, when we are as divided as ever and we don't feel giving people an opportunity or a voice to be part of the conversation," Gainer said. "I think that has been my role. To bring an outsider's perspective, to advocate for policy and changes that gets more people involved in the democratic process, that brings more voices, more involvement in the community. How often do we see the community's vision finish last? People on the outside looking in."
In the time remaining before Election Day on Nov. 4, Gainer is hoping to get another opportunity such as Thursday's political debate to address some of the key matters in Buffalo, and how each candidate plans to tackle the problems at hand.
"This is our first open election. This is the opportunity our public deserves, to engage and to hear back-and-forth, ideas, response, rebuttal, big vision," Gainer said. "Millions of dollars have been spent on this campaign, and still today, I can tell you that I know very little about the candidates that are the leading voices at the forefront of our offices. We need more competition, we need more debate, more dialog, more discussion. We need a politics that brings people together, not a politics that divides."
As for Ryan, he feels his experience working as a lawyer for years in Buffalo, and also as a lawmaker in Albany will help the city grow and move forward in an upward trajectory.
"Knocking door-to-door for the last year, people complain about the basics. They want to know why their streets are in such bad shape. They want to know why we allow decayed housing to exist, why we don't inspect more. They want to know why their streets don't get plowed anymore. Everyone remembers when we used to plow our streets. Well, that doesn't work anymore. So people talked about just the basics, but they also talked about, we need more housing. Affordability is one of the biggest problems facing the City of Buffalo, so in order to get housing more affordable, we've got to build more housing, and I have a plan for that," said Ryan following the debate Thursday.
Among the issues Ryan highlights is the ability for the city to keep up with the public's needs, whether it's paving roads or clearing out roads during a snowstorm. The Christmas Weekend blizzard of 2022 is still a talking point in Buffalo that garners plenty of attention, especially with what went wrong that led to the deaths of nearly four-dozen residents.
"That one is just sound basic management. You have to have fleet management, you have to have the right number of people coming in. But that tragedy of the blizzard happened because 30% of our snowplows didn't work on the day of the blizzard. Buffalo couldn't keep up. But that's what happens when you don't replenish your fleet, you don't have a rational capital budget," Ryan noted. "I represent Tonawanda and Amherst, I represented Hamburg in the past, areas that get much more snow and got more snow during the storm. Nobody in those communities froze to death because their municipalities were able to keep up, keep the streets open, make it so first responders could go to people's houses, and so National Grid could come in and fix the outages."
When it comes to talks of "one-party rule", Ryan feels the same people who complain about Democrats in Buffalo don't talk enough about MAGA Republicans that are in control in Washington.
"One thing is for sure: Bring a MAGA Republican into the City of Buffalo, it would just be the worst thing for us," Ryan added. "Those cuts coming out of Washington are crippling for the City of Buffalo. The trade war for Canada is bad for our economy. We have dozens of Ontario corporations in Buffalo, in Erie County, and those companies now, they put everything in neutral because they have no idea what's going to happen. Our Ford stamping plant sends parts right up to Oakville, Ontario, and those parts come back. They're all subjected to potential tariffs now. So the idea that somehow we bring a MAGA Republican into the City of Buffalo is going to make things better, it's kind of laughable."
Ryan encourages all residents in Buffalo eligible to vote to make their voices heard this Election Day, even though he acknowledges how voter turnout around America is down.
"People are turned off by that 'Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots', punching each other politics. I was happy that during this primary, we had a robust debate, traveled all of the city, the voter participation went up. And we were happy for that. But that shows what happens when you really get out there and talk to people. So we hope to be able to continue to increase in people turning out to vote, because, after all, that is our key right as Americans, is to vote and to participate in the process," Ryan concluded.