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Buffalo Mayor Calls Allegations Against Him Dirty Politics

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown failed Tuesday to douse a controversy accusing him of obstructing justice in a police investigation.

Click the audio player above to hear Joyce Kryszak's full story now or use your podcasting software to download it to your computer or iPod.

Brown responded angrily Tuesday to questions from reporters about allegations that he helped former basketball star and restaurateur Leonard Stokes avoid arrest two years ago. It took nothing more than one question from reporters about the Stokes controversy to get the normally composed mayor very hot under the collar.

"I'm sick of talking about this. I'm not going to talk about it anymore," said Brown.

After a few minutes, the mayor walked away without answering directly. The questions stem from a Buffalo News report that said Stokes was taken to City Hall shortly after being apprehended in August 2007 for allegedly having a stolen a handicap parking tag. He was released without being charged.

Brown vehemently denied wrong doing. But - even after aggressive probing - he would not deny meeting with Stokes that day.

Adding to the controversy is the fact that Stokes received over one hundred thousand dollars in public loans and grants, some from a city agency headed by Brown, for a failed restaurant venture. But the mayor called the entire controversy "dirty politics" days before the mayoral primary election. He faces a challenge by council member Michael Kearns.

Federal investigators are currently investigating the deal between Stokes and the city that led to the failed One Sunset Restaurant venture. Now, some city elected officials are calling for a federal investigation into the allegations that Brown blocked an arrest for Stokes.