Buffalo faces a fiscal crisis that has been brewing for nearly 20 years. Years of irresponsible budgets and kicking the can down the road have brought us to where we are today. What does the Buffalo fiscal crisis mean for you? Vital city services and programs are facing cuts, and homeowners are facing rising taxes.

It doesn’t have to be this way, but we can’t fight this fight in the rearview mirror. We are dealing with a fiscal crisis and need to fix it. Sean Ryan wants to stabilize city finances, rebuild our reserves, and improve vital city services.

Acting Mayor Scanlon, who has spent his entire career in City Hall passing irresponsible budgets, says Buffalo only has a “revenue problem.” That kind of status quo thinking is wrong. Both sides of the budget must be scrutinized: revenue and spending.

Saying we only have a revenue problem is code for, “I’m going to raise your taxes instead of finding smarter ways to spend our money.” We can’t ask Buffalo families to pay more while receiving the same uneven delivery of city services they have come to expect in the last two decades.

Buffalo Needs a Mayor with Fiscal Experience

Sean Ryan was part of the team that came in to fix Erie County’s finances following the infamous Red/Green budget.

As Chief of Staff of the Erie County Legislature, he worked with city and county leaders to put together a budget that stabilized the county. Sean’s work helped Erie County go from being the laughingstock of New York to having a balanced and stabilized budget.

As Chair of the New York State Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business, Sean oversees spending five times larger than the entire budget of the City of Buffalo.

As committee chair, Sean takes a hard look at the way we’ve always done things and finds ways to spend money more effectively. That means prioritizing initiatives that create good-paying jobs, support New York’s workers, and bring investment into our neighborhoods.

Sean’s Plan to Fix Buffalo’s Fiscal Crisis

• Understand the Scope of the Problem: Sean is calling upon the New York State Comptroller to conduct a full financial audit of Buffalo. On day one as Mayor, Sean will ask the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority to issue a report on available funds and anticipated expenses. Sean will also request that the Governor fill the four current vacancies on the Authority’s board. Additionally, Sean will evaluate money that is being left on the table for important capital projects and community investment by the City of Buffalo failing to apply for state and federal grant funding.
• Work with Our Partners in Government: Buffalo must work hand-in-hand with Erie County and New York State to improve our financial situation. In last year’s state budget, Sean successfully pushed through the first increase in AIM funding for Buffalo since 2012 and secured $12 million in anti-poverty funding. As Mayor, Sean will build upon his existing partnerships with the county and the state to improve efficiency, bring in more revenue, and end wasteful spending. He will work with New York State to seek state legislation to borrow funds for the purpose of using bond proceeds to pay operating expenses and will partner with New York State to invest in more housing to add to the city’s tax base. Sean will also work with the Common Council to explore the resumption of a participatory budgeting process.
• End Wasteful Spending, Crack Down on Cronyism and Nepotism: Sean will review expenditure and revenue reports from every city department to uncover and cut every ounce of waste. For example, eliminating duplicative services, cracking down on cronyism and nepotism, more oversight of grant subrecipients, and a detailed reporting of the use of state and federal funds. Additionally, Sean will work to modernize the way City Hall does business and the delivery of services to ensure modern best practices are being utilized.
• Relieve Tax Burden for Low-Income Homeowners: With the current administration discussing continued property tax increases, Sean Ryan is pursuing the creation of a “circuit breaker” in state law to insulate low-income property owners from the impacts of any property tax increase. He will also work to make it easier for owner-occupants to pay by installments to lower the upfront burden on homeowners.