Sean Ryan wins Buffalo mayoral election

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- State Senator Sean Ryan has been elected mayor of Buffalo, becoming the city’s first newly elected mayor in 20 years.

Five months after defeating Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon in a heated Democratic mayoral primary, Ryan topped Republican candidate James Gardner and independent candidate Michael Gainer in the general election on Tuesday.

Ryan received 29,838 votes (71.63%), defeating Gardner (9,521 votes, 22.86%) and Gainer (1,929 votes, 4.63%).

"The people of Buffalo have spoken again, louder, clearer, and more resoundingly -- they said Buffalo deserves better," Ryan said during his victory speech at the Town Ballroom. "And to these people, I say it’s an honor of a lifetime to have been elected as the next mayor of the City of Buffalo."

Ryan, 60, grew up in Buffalo and Lackawanna. He’s represented North Buffalo, the Elmwood Village and the Upper West Side among other towns outside of Buffalo in the State Senate since 2021. Before becoming a state senator, Ryan represented Buffalo’s West Side and areas of the Southtowns in the New York State Assembly for nearly a decade.

Ryan has spoken about his desire to be a mayor for “all of Buffalo … not just as Democrats, but as Buffalonians.” He has stressed the need to focus on the basics -- plowing streets, fixing community centers, filling potholes, funding schools, and creating more affordable housing. Ryan has also said that he wants to focus on revitalizing downtown and removing obstacles for businesses in the area.

"Every person I talked to agreed that Buffalo deserves better," Ryan said in his victory speech. "So I made my campaign about delivering on the basics. For the last 11 months, I brought this message to voters. We can get the little things right and we can take on the big, tough issues.”

In his attempt to fix the city’s ongoing budget issues, Ryan has stated his intentions to bring in the state comptroller to conduct a full audit. Earlier this year, he proposed deficit-financing bonds, saying bonds could help fix the city’s “structural imbalance.” Ryan has also said that he will work with Erie County and New York State to improve efficiency in city government and end wasteful spending.

“We have to start by doing honest, transparent budgeting, and we haven’t done that for years,” Ryan recently told WIVB News 4. “This reckoning that we’re facing has been a long time in coming and the city has been able to kick the can down the road. But that’s going to stop. I’m going to put a budget in, and that budget is going to have honest expenditures … but it’s also going to include honest revenue.”

As a State Senator, Ryan was able to secure $80 million in funding in 2024 for two housing projects – with half of that money dedicated to affordable housing, and the other half going to small landlords. As part of his mayoral campaign, Ryan has touted a three-point plan to help people find affordable housing, make vacant apartments rentable, and build more affordable homes on Buffalo’s vacant lots.

Ryan has said that he’ll be “the most pro-labor mayor in Buffalo’s history.” Ryan had strong support from local unions, including the Buffalo Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, CWA District 1, the Police Benevolent Association of NYS and the Buffalo Teachers Federation.  

Ryan will officially take the oath of office on Jan. 1.