Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Throughout his 2025 mayoral campaign, Sean Ryan was asked what if a heavy snowfall comes on Jan. 2.
"We will be ready," Ryan pledged.
Well, that almost happened.
During the first month of Ryan's tenure as Buffalo mayor, he and his public works department - led by Commissioner Nolan Skipper - have been confronted with a series of snowfalls, including one this past weekend.
In each instance, Skipper and the DPW crews have passed the test, with streets cleared - and that includes both main thoroughfares and side streets- at a much faster pace that recent, or not-so-recent, memory.
It matters.
Ryan made snow removal one of the key talking points in his inaugural mayoral race, with it serving as one of the touchstones of his making "Buffalo Better" campaign.
And, for Skipper, this season marked his first as DPW commissioner and, accordingly, the first time snow removal fell under his watch.
"It keeps me up at night," Skipper said.
But, Skipper and Ryan have a plan - and, thus far, it is working.
Buffalo has 40 pieces of snow removal equipment in its fleet running the gamut from large scale plows to smaller trucks and vehicles. The city crews also rely on some help from the state DOT, Erie County and some private contractors.
Another key factor is the open lines of communication between the city and its state and county counterparts.
"We all need to talk with each other," Skipper said.
There's also more than 2,000 tons of salt inside the Broadway Barns, with as much as another 500 tons delivered several times a week.
To prep for this weekend's projected snowfall, some advancing salting of the roads took place.
"The key is to be efficient," Skipper said.
For wider roads - like Delaware Avenue - the larger plows with a 10-foot plow span - clear the street.
Smaller side streets used trucks with eight-foot plows.
The only real holdup, especially on side streets, are parked cars when the roads should be car-cleared.
"That can add hours if you have to work around illegally parked cars," Skipper said. "It flies in the face of our goal, which is to make sure all the streets are plowed."