Standing before the decaying Lincoln Community Center in Buffalo’s Broadway-Fillmore District, State Senator Sean Ryan outlined his blueprint for helping the city get a better understanding and road map for working its way out of its financial abyss.
None of his solutions rely on raising taxes, he says.
Rather, Ryan wants to work collaboratively to find fiscally belt-tightening ways to help Buffalo.
To be fair, most of the other mayoral candidates have also offered their own plans for resolving Buffalo’s fiscal woes.
Ryan acknowledges that financial issues run deep and won’t be easily solved.
“It doesn't have to be this way, but we can't fight this in the rear-view mirror,” Ryan said. “We're dealing with the fiscal crisis of today, and we need to fix it. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the path of the city of Buffalo.”
First up is asking the New York State Comptroller’s Office to do a deep-dive audit. Ryan will also ask the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority to present a report on the funds the city has and any anticipated expenses.
“Each and every year, the city fails to apply for available state money. Let me say that again: Each and every year, the city fails to apply for money that could come back to the city of Buffalo. We leave way too much money on the table, and that needs to end,” Ryan said.
Ryan is also advocating for working closely with Erie County and New York State on ways to help Buffalo’s finances.
Also proposed is a top-to-bottom review on what he considers “wasteful spending” while cracking down on perceived duplicative city services, cronyism, and nepotism in hirings.
“'I’ll work to modernize City Hall. We need to modernize how you apply for a building permit. We need to modernize how you apply for a permit to hold a picnic. Our residents deserve better,” Ryan said.
Ryan says if elected, he will push for the reforms on “Day One.”
