By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – City of Buffalo residents will be casting their votes in today's Democratic mayoral primary race. Incumbent Mayor Byron Brown and his opponent, South District Council member Michael Kearnsm pounded the pavement Monday in a final "get out the vote" effort.
Click the audio player above to hear Eileen Buckley's story now or use your podcasting software to download it to your computer or iPod.
The latest Channel 2 News poll shows Brown widening his narrow lead over Kearns. Brown is ahead by seven points with 51 percent of the vote and Kearns with 44 percent.
Both Kearns and Brown aggressively met with as many voters as possible Monday.
Kearns crisscrossed the city from South Buffalo to the West Side. He visited with senior citizens at the Seneca Babcock Community Association then headed to a public housing complex in the old First Ward. That's where he met with 80-year old Jack Forsyth who was wearing a vote for Kearns button. Forsyth says it is time for a change in city government.
Mayor Brown also shook hands and knocked on doors across the city. Some Buffalo women living at the LBJ apartments on Main Street at Humboldt Parkway were thrilled when they opened the door and saw Brown. They say they will vote for him today and believe he has helped the city.
Brown and Kearns are confident as they head into today's primary. But each took jabs at the other, both claiming the other side is playing dirty politics.
Brown insists that the recent controversy that surrounds him over Leonard Stokes has not hurt him on the campaign trail. It all started with failed BERC loans given to Stokes for his restaurant, One Sunset. Then last week Brown blew up at reporters when word surfaced over allegations that the Mayor helped Stokes avoid arrest for a stolen handicapped parking tag.