BUFFALO (WBEN) - State Senator Sean Ryan isn't backing away from the strong comments he made about Mayor Byron Brown in the days following the June 22 primary; in fact, he's doubling down on them.
[shortcode-inline-related expand="1" link="/wben/news/local/ryan-to-brown-campaign-the-games-over-move-on" headline="Ryan to Brown campaign: "The game's over. Move on"" image="/media-library/image.jpg?id=63610968"]Before Brown officially announced his intention to run a write-in campaign last Monday, there were rumors circulating that he was seriously considering moving forward. When asked about his thoughts regarding such a decision, Ryan didn't mince words:
"You're not going to run a campaign in the primary but you're going to wake up and run a write-in campaign? The game's over. Move on."
WBEN then spoke to Ryan just a few days after Brown's official announcement, and he again criticized the mayor's decision and speech.
"That press conference was odd, wasn't it?" Ryan said Thursday. "He said, 'I'm the mayor of Buffalo,' sort of like he was announcing himself the only permanent mayor of the City of Buffalo, but that's not how it works..."
Of course, Brown lost the primary to challenger India Walton in what many considered to be a major upset. Ryan called Walton's upset victory "fantastic" and a "tremendous change" in the city, adding he, like many, never saw it coming.
The senator even took his criticism of Brown a step further, comparing the mayor to a football star who had a controversial ending to his career.
"It kind of reminds me a little bit about Brett Favre," he said. "He had a great career up in Wisconsin and Green Bay, and then it was time for him to go, but he goes and signs with the Jets, and boy was he just awful with the Jets.
"Sometimes when people get into positions of leadership, there's times when you just can't throw the ball anymore, and that's when smart quarterbacks hang it up."
When asked for a response to some politicians and city residents calling for Brown to simply accept the results of the primary, the mayor said that he will continue on with the write-in campaign.
"Again, every election isn't over until a primary and general election," Brown responded. "I have a legal right to run as a write-in candidate.
"The primary was about 21% of registered Democratic voters, so it was a low turnout election," he continued. "In the general election, there will be over 155,000 people eligible to vote..."
