Councilmember Rasheed N.C. Wyatt announced his bid for mayor of Buffalo during an event on Hertel Avenue Monday night. WBFO’s Emyle Watkins was there and has the latest on his announcement.
TRANSCRIPT:
Wyatt: “And I care about the people who I represent, because sometimes we feel like nobody cares about us.”
Watkins: Rasheed N.C. Wyatt, who has served as University District’s councilmember since 2014, is priding on his background in finance, banking and business as he launches his bid for mayor. He says among his priorities is accountability across local government.
Wyatt: “And so, I want to be look— taking a deep dive, meeting with commissioners, and guess what? Giving them some things that they have to be accountable for. It's just not going to be coming to work. It's going to be a list of responsibilities and duties that we're going to evaluate, with the people, to hold folks accountable.”
Watkins: Wyatt, who has, at times, been vocal about his diverging opinions from the previous elected mayor, isn’t shy about the change he wants to bring to city hall.
Wyatt: “I think that's an easy lift, to be quite honest, because those changes have to happen.”
Watkins: Wyatt, who grew up on Buffalo’s East Side, says he plans to make decisions based on how it impacts the quote “least of these in our community” and wants to bring more oversight and transparency to city departments – including what would be his own.
Wyatt: “I'm gonna say this now, and I'm going to say it in the future. You always going to have, always have access to me, and I'm always going to hold myself accountable, so I'm not going to run from nothing. If we have a problem, we going to fix it. And if you can't fix it, you won't be there.”
Watkins: Wyatt joins a crowded Democratic primary field that includes State Senator Sean Ryan, former Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, and likely Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon. Emyle Watkins, WBFO News
