By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is conducting his first full day of business inside and outside of City Hall. He took the oath of office Saturday. Tuesday afternoon, Brown was scheduled to tour the city's Inner Harbor. It will include a briefing with the Empire State Development Corporation. Meanwhile, hiring for his new administration continues.
Mayor Brown and his transition team are still reviewing a number of job applications for his administration. They received over 800 resumes. The team is working to hire some top and mid-level city officials.
While some of Brown's hires announced on Friday include four staffers from the former Masiello Administration, he insists they've conducted a nationwide job search.
"The transition team provided me with the top candidates from their interviews. Their process consisted of intensive interviews with every candidate, background checks and reference checks," Brown said. "All of the candidates selected for these positions went through that process."
In fact, the leader of Brown's transition team, Arnold Gardner, indicated one candidate likely to be appointed is a woman from California. All the hires are expected to be completed by the third week of this month.
One of the new hires announced on Friday, Richard Tobe, had been serving on the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority. But he now leaves that post to become the Commissioner of Economic Development and Permits and Inspections.
"I've attended my last control board meeting as a member," Tobe said. "I'll be resigning before the first meeting in January. There's a little bit of business that we're closing up -- some year-end financial transfers that I'm signing. But I'll be off the control board by the next meeting."
Leaders of the State Assembly and Senate must now name a replacement for Tobe on the control board.