Despite placing third in Buffalo’s mayoral Democratic primary, Garnell Whitfield, Jr. already is turning his attention to building support for the fall’s general election.
Whitfield is making his case to Erie County Elections Commissioner Jeremy Zellner, to receive clearance for an independent candidacy. Whitfield's performance in the primary, which included just over 8% of the vote, shows that there’s desire for change, he said.
“We have a lot of, I think, supporters across this community, very proud of the work that we put in, very proud of where we are," he said. "And guess what? We're not going away under any circumstances. This is not just a campaign, it's a movement, and it's a movement to change the direction of the city, to change the lives of people in this community.”
The legitimacy of his filings to run as an independent candidate has been legally challenged by acting mayor Chris Scanlon, but Whitfield can remain on the campaign trail until a decision is reached.
Whitfield sees himself as the only candidate with a career serving the city, with more than 20 years working his way through the fire department ranks to fire commissioner.
Common Council member Rasheed Wyatt’s campaign for mayor is over after the primary. Among his top priorities as council member is still transparency, particularly when it comes to city finances. It’s the candidates’ job to show voters how important the city’s funds directly affect them, Wyatt said.
“I was really trying to hone in on the finances, and again, people were not fully aware of that. So sometimes, you talk about finance, and they really don't see how it impacts them," said Wyatt. "I didn't do a good enough job in communicating that and getting people out to vote based on that, right now in this financial crisis is, you know, straining and choking our city.”
Anthony Tyson-Thompson's first political campaign finished with 2.4% but saw presence in the race is an important one. It’s important to get new people in office because Buffalo has a cyclical culture that often relies on established norms, he said.
“It's a very ‘wait your turn’ kind of city, very much a ‘kiss the ring’ kind of city. And that's very problematic, because when that happens, you only get, you know, you get promoted, but without necessarily, doing the work," he said. "After 20 years of Byron Brown, there's going to be a long list of candidates waiting their turn to get in.”
But Tyson-Thompson, a former staffer for Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, also sees signs of improvement. Having five candidates for a city of Buffalo’s size shows promising political activism, he said, even if there’s more work to be done for voter turnout.
